Dear 30A Cycling Enthusiasts...........

If you can't reach and maintain the speed limit of Scenic 30A, you don't belong on it. Most scooters, golf carts and bikes can't reach the average 35 mph on 30A. That makes you a sitting duck.

Riding a bike on any highway is dangerous! What would your mom have told you? Stay off the highway!

Where is the non-highway alternative to 30A?

The alternative is using the multi-use path or using proper transportation methods.

Reading these threads (because I hardly ever get on this website at all) I wonder how many of these people actually live right on 30-A (I do --directly right off the 30-A multi-use path actually) and how many folks have lived here for many decades, like we have? My wife and I are very blessed to own many properties throughout the US and I'm always amazed at the attitude of folks to this area -- no matter when they show up as the "newest resident" -- suggesting how things need to be "done better" or "their way." When we visit our other homes we blend in and try to go with the flow...it seems to not be the case in SoWal. Just an observation many of us REAL native local folks have made. (PS to be a local you must have a birth certificate from the beach area... because apparently some folks don't even grasp that concept.). I won't ride 30-A on my triathlon bike because so many yahoos are driving their cars without any regard to anyone else but themselves -- Welcome to SoWal -- as it today.

A local is someone who lives and works here full time, a native is born here, IMO. I longtime local not born here would be an implanted native. I have lived here since I was 9 years old and that was in 1972. I am a local and implanted. Unfortunately, we do not have the infrastructure to support all the visitors and bike enthusiasts along the beach. It will not get better until the locals make a stand and demand the County make improvements and stop building when our roads and paths cannot handle what is here now. It's a steep, sandy slope, because the County does not want to tell a property owner they cannot develop their property, so we continue to have more of the same. I have heard MANY visitors say it has gotten too crowded here and are going elsewhere to vacation. The only solution I see is cutting through the State Forest to create feeder roads to Hwy 98, and that is another whole bag of worms.

Ah, it's the annual bike path thread. It seems simple to me.

1-The bike path is both too rough and too crowded to ride a 20+ MPH road bike. There's danger to both cyclist and walkers/runners/cruiser bike peddlers. I'm both a cyclist and dedicated dog walker. Don't want to mix them, no sirree.
2-Some cyclists are rude. Don't ride 2 or 3 wide on 30A.
3-Drivers, leave the Type A attitude at home. Lighten up, you're at the beach, either on vacation or full-time. Recognize that there will be all sorts of delays, whether it's cyclists, plodding vacationers in minivans who can't find their condos, families crossing at crosswalks with kiddies and plunder, events in Seaside/Rosemary/Alys/Watercolor, or the worthy but annoying firemen who seem to pick the busiest weekend of the year to collect for a cause at 30A and 395.

So, a little patience and common courtesy fixes it. Come to think of it, that solves a lot more than the cyclist question.

It seems to me the road bikers I see when I go to work around 0600 get it. They haul butt and share the road. And have headlights, too. The later rising spandex road warriors not so much. I can only deduce that the road bikers that are peddling after 0800 are pretty much posers.

It seems to me the road bikers I see when I go to work around 0600 get it. They haul butt and share the road. And have headlights, too. The later rising spandex road warriors not so much. I can only deduce that the road bikers that are peddling after 0800 are pretty much pose

Wow that is so rude! Posers, really? You are either jealous that they are out there getting exercise and your not,
or you just feel the need to chime in on a subject people love to chat about. I personally wish it was me on that bike as I carefully go around these cool riders! They are always in great shape and just trying to live their lives, and be happy. Don't be such a Debbie downer. Go get on a bike and feel the wind on your face and remember how lucky you and me are to live in a wonderful country where you can do as you please!

It seems to me the road bikers I see when I go to work around 0600 get it. They haul butt and share the road. And have headlights, too. The later rising spandex road warriors not so much. I can only deduce that the road bikers that are peddling after 0800 are pretty much pose

Wow that is so rude! Posers, really? You are either jealous that they are out there getting exercise and your not,
or you just feel the need to chime in on a subject people love to chat about. I personally wish it was me on that bike as I carefully go around these cool riders! They are always in great shape and just trying to live their lives, and be happy. Don't be such a Debbie downer. Go get on a bike and feel the wind on your face and remember how lucky you and me are to live in a wonderful country where you can do as you please!

Like the Chinese? I freely admit I am jealous as to not have the time to be peddling around 30-A in the early morning hours, fast or slow, spandex or mere mortal clothes.

When you're about 16 years old and get your driver's license, you begin to learn the finer points of driving like passing, going around cars parked in the road, crossing the centerline and negotiating with oncoming traffic while doing so. By the time you're 18, your instincts should be honed and it should be second nature. If this is not the case then you are a bad driver and should not be on the road.

I just think it's a stretch to call 30-A a "HIGHway." It's a narrow two-lane full of crosswalks, speed bumps, and blind driveways where you can't pass. More apt would be "byway" or "ONLYway."

I think we all want to be on 30-A, regardless. It's beautiful.

I have seen some bizarre forms of transport here, ever since first coming down in the early 90s.

The first time I saw a recumbent bike was on 30A.

Seen all you could see in the recumbent position whilst pedaling on land? Nowadays, you can kayak... with your feet.

You drive over the Western Lake bridge these days and you are guaranteed to see someone canoeing on a surfboard.

Also, it's not enough to "just" skateboard, now, apparently. You have to have a broomstick with an eraser on the end to push off with.

Recently, I've seen what looks like an elliptical machine on wheels scooting along in Dune Allen. I thought a Precor had fallen off it's base and was rolling out of control.

For the first time in nearly a decade, 3 days ago I spotted someone rollerblading. Rollerblading!!! (And I mean "rollerblading serious" with the wrist guards, a helmet, etc., leaning into the turns.)

Reader, I kid you not, earlier this season I saw someone on a unicycle going from Grayton to Seaside. I know what you are going to ask... and, no, he was not juggling bowling pins.

Bicycles...

We've got trail bikers, beach bikers, and road bikers.

Me, personally... Beach cruisers are a no-brainer. Mountain/trail bikes make some sense here. We have all the state park areas...

But, the Tour de France types... C'mon! I mean, I "get" it. It's your golf... your fishing... your jazzercise, etc.

But, "share the road" is really dangerous here. This mentality just doesn't work in the real/practical world on 30-A.

It's a 2 lane, narrow black-top designed, engineered, and built for automotive transport. It has no shoulder in most places. The ground along the road is extremely soft. A car or a bike could tumble just by letting one tire sink into the sand. Why risk it?

I also think it's a rude hobby. Yesterday morning I was subjected to a pack of Lance Armstrongs who had the ball to roll up to Modica Market with their wedding tackle shrink-wrapped to their thighs and their kits unzipped. Gag a maggot. I'm trying to eat breakfast.

To respond to previous posts, I see problems with a few comments I've read.

First... "Cars driving the open road should slow down for cyclists, who use the highway because people on the bike path are too slow for them."

Second... "It only takes 30 seconds to wait to pass a cyclist." (in an isolated scenario of 1 car and 1 bike.) and "This is the beach. Relax!" In theory, that's great. We all should slow down and relax at the beach. In reality... I'm not the only car behind the bike going 7 miles an hour up the curvy hill at Camp Creek. In fact, it's pretty hard to relax when I'm being tailgated by the spa manager, who is being tailgated by the cook, who is being tailgated by the waiter, who is being tailgated by the shop worker, who is being tailgated by the real estate agent, who is being tailgated by the Texan in the Land Cruiser. All of us will have to wait 30 seconds or more, each, to pass the bicyclist who is going 7MPH up the curvy road at Camp Creek because the bike path is unsuitably slow for him.

And, basically, what it all boils down to... a road bike can cost $2,000/$5,000/$9,000. By the time he's bought the bib, the race replica kit, the Oakleys, the goofy helmet with the tail fins, and the clip-in shoes, a middle-aged-man-in-lycra is wearing between $500 and $2,000 in overpriced sporting apparel with unnecessary logos.

It's all just another silly toy for grownups. But, it's causing unnecessary danger for the hobbyist and the general public.

And the reason it is dangerous is because 30-A is the only road here. And the reason 30-A is the only road here is because the land is finite, as we are next to an ocean, and there are coastal dune lakes and state parks. And there is pedaling exercise to be had in the ocean, the dune lakes, and the state parks.

Thanks for reading. Here is a video of jazzercising:

I have been a part time resident of Seagrove for ten years. I am aware of one serious motor vehicle/cyclist accident on 30A. Actually a teenager CROSSING 30A on a bicycle. There may be others. But, if conditions were as dangerous as some posts suggest where are all these accidents.

In truth, you are complaining about a slight inconvenience. Someone else impinging on your perceived right to drive 2 tons of metal in the manner you see fit.

How many times have you been delayed by a 7 MPH cyclist? Really? Better have your speedometer checked.

Most cyclists in the roadway would be doing 18 - 22 MPH. In a group even faster. I know I can keep up with traffic at the speed limit through Seaside and Watercolor. Though I am always surprised by how many vehicles exceed the speed limit. So when you are waiting even a minute to safely pass this cyclist in a 45 MPH zone you have actually been delayed only about 30 seconds. Not much 45 MPH zone left on 30A so your delay is usually even shorter.

While I'm at what are we back in high school. Making fun of the way people dress. If you don't like it don't look.

Agree with everyone here, including gross outfits.. Just saw some see through spandex pants last week on a man who was nowhere near young or hot. I know this is the beach but I don't need to see your actual butt on a bike crossing Hwy 98...

The real issue is safety. I don't mind waiting behind a biker on 30A..what I do mind is when traffic is coming towards me in my lane passing a bike, on a curve, and my life flashes for a few seconds. Its happened many times. Not a safe way to travel.

I think serious road cycling is an absolutely ridiculous and dangerous activity, but I don't think drivers should have any problem accomodating these dorks.

I am glad you choose on a daily basis an activity like biking to stay healthy and active. I choose other activities, so I am not aware of or concerned about the laws or your rights when it comes to riding your bike on the narrow road that is 30A.

REALLY????

I am, however, concerned about your safety and the safety of my family and everyone else who enjoys 30a. On a daily basis, I have to choose to put many lives at risk when I go around you on a narrow road with poor visibility because you have chosen to ride in the street instead of the beautiful bike path that is provided to you.

IF YOU ARE SO CONCERNED, THEN SLOW DOWN AND WAIT TO PASS UNTIL ALL CLEAR. DON"T RISK ANY LIVES. DUH. THE BIKE PATH IS VERY DANGEROUS FOR AVID CYCLISTS RIDING AT 20 PLUS MILES PER HOUR. YOU DON"T BIKE SO YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND.

I am a kind and gentle person and would be deeply affected if I hit you or cause a wreck that kills my children or someone else because you choose to ride in the narrow road that is 30a instead of the beautiful bike path that is provided to you. It is dangerous all the time, but especially dangerous during the high season.

OKAY KIND AND GENTLE PERSON. SLOW DOWN, WAIT TO PASS, NO WORRIES. YOU WILL NEVER HIT A BIKER IF YOU ARE KIND AND CONSIDERATE.

Could you please work with me and other drivers? I would really appreciate it. Sometimes I need to drive on 30a to get somewhere. I will do my part and use it only when necessary, though. Could you please do your part, make a good choice and use the beautiful bike path that is provided to you? Or find another road with a shoulder, or a nature bike path. If we both do our part, the lives of everyone traveling along the beautiful road that is 30a will be made much safer.

DRIVE ON 98 IF YOU NEED TO GO FAST TO GET SOMEWHERE. BIKE PATHS DO NOT WORK FOR CYCLISTS.

Thanks So Much and Happy Riding!!!!

What a totally ludicrous post. You have no clue.

I routinely have to navigate cyclists at times other than the early morning hours. And trust me, the delay is much longer than 30 seconds.

It is dangerous for you and everyone else who enjoys 30a when you choose to bike at anytime in the road. It is especially dangerous in the high season when there are tons of people crossing at the crosswalks and drivers are charged with trying to go around the bikers and watch the crosswalks and watch the cars coming in the opposite direction.

There is nothing in my post that is mean-spirited and the intention of this forum is for people to provide constructive feedback. If you are inclined to make personal attacks or be unkind, please keep your comments to yourself. Perhaps you should take a bike ride and cool off. Just do it on the beautiful bike path that is provided for you or find another road that is safer and allows you to bike at the pace you desire. It is not safe to bike on the narrow road that is 30a.

It's only dangerous when drivers of 2 plus ton pieces of machinery disregard the rules of the road. IF you obey the rules of the road and give bikers the legal margin, then there would be no danger to anyone.

Posers??? Sounds like someone that's jealous of folks that actually work hard to stay fit and healthy.

I think it's actually spelled "poseur."

You would think, with Tiger Woods tearing his knee and Lance Armstrong being banned for life, that these über fads (mass affluent golf and silly cycling) would go down in flames. I guess I forgot to consider the shelf life of the equipment owned.

Jazzercise. "Just Do It."

I can understand that for there own safety and others, they can ride on the bike path. I do believe however that the main issue is that the shoulder of the roads need to be widened to accommodate cyclists better. As far as the next statement goes, it is not a broad definition of every bike rider but only some bike rider. It is very frustrating when 3-4 bike riders are riding side by side because it does make it a little more difficult to pass. The main thing that is frustrating is that I do understand the bike laws and I get frustrated when vehicles and bikers do not obey those laws. I truly believe the best way for there to be a resolution is to widen the road. As far as that goes, that would even help when an ambulance or fire truck come through and you need to pull over to get out of the way. As of right now there really isn't enough room on the road to do so. It is no fun to pull off the road into the grass and either get stuck because of all the rain or get a flat tire because there are nails and such in the grass.

Facts:
Drivers should slow down.
Riders have rights.
Healthy is good.

Overriding fatc:
County Road 30A is beautiful but narrow and congested, with rubbernecking tourists and angry locals. If you're not very smart, you might desire to bike it. To avoid biking it is common sense.

Don't be a 30ahole - find a less busy place to don the spandex.

Yes, add a Bike Lane!

I can understand that for there own safety and others, they can ride on the bike path. I do believe however that the main issue is that the shoulder of the roads need to be widened to accommodate cyclists better. As far as the next statement goes, it is not a broad definition of every bike rider but only some bike rider. It is very frustrating when 3-4 bike riders are riding side by side because it does make it a little more difficult to pass. The main thing that is frustrating is that I do understand the bike laws and I get frustrated when vehicles and bikers do not obey those laws. I truly believe the best way for there to be a resolution is to widen the road. As far as that goes, that would even help when an ambulance or fire truck come through and you need to pull over to get out of the way. As of right now there really isn't enough room on the road to do so. It is no fun to pull off the road into the grass and either get stuck because of all the rain or get a flat tire because there are nails and such in the grass.

Adding a bike lane to 30-A is a GRAYT idea. Just returned from SoWal. Lovely trip. Cycling always a big part of activities. Rode alone - on edge of 30-A as the pedestrian path was populated by walkers, joggers, joggers with strollers, beach bikes, golf carts. Also the path was covered over in sand in many spots. Sorry to report that some automobile drivers there were just plain hostile, slamming on the horn all the way by and some offering the one finger salute.