The more I try to get around Orlando by bicycle, the less simple riding a bike becomes. I’ve enjoyed a great deal of freedom riding my bike–you have to love anything that makes you go “wheeeeeeee!” down a hill on a regular basis. However, riding has also brought about a great deal of awareness. It seems that so much, down to how and where you ride, becomes political.
I can’t say I thought anything at all about how Orlando was laid out prior to this challenge. Sure, I was annoyed that it took me a minimum of 20 minutes to drive anywhere (including the local grocery store), but that was about the extent of my thoughts on the subject. Of course now that I find a vast portion of the greater Orlando area inaccessible by bike or bus (practically-speaking), I think a whole lot about it. In particular, I’ve been thinking a lot about rights to the road.
You will pretty much never find me riding in a bike lane, particularly with my children. I understand that bike lanes vary by area, but the bike lanes I have seen in Orlando are useless to me. They are only a few feet wide, which means cars are zipping past me only inches away. I’m pretty sure that little white line separating us does nothing but tell them it’s okay to go on auto-pilot and zoom on by. They also tend to end with absolutely no warning, which can be downright terrifying if you’re out in traffic and riding a road for the first time. I’m not some hardcore dogmatic person; I’m a mother that takes the safety of her kids very seriously and, having ridden both ways, I believe claiming the lane is the safest way to ride in my area. Well, at least until we get a better bike infrastructure but that’s a whole ‘nother can of worms.
I try to be respectful when riding the road; for example, I will wait for a gap in traffic before entering the roadway and on the rare occasion it’s necessary, I’ll pull over and let traffic pass if I’m holding up a line of cars. What never ceases to amaze me, though, is that 99% of the people that yell at me do so when I am riding on a 30-mph or lower speed road.
These people trying to intimidate me or harass me off what I would consider residential roads have really brought out the mama bear in me. These are the streets that should be filled with kids out playing and riding their bikes, but we have become so focused on “getting there as fast as possible” that we’ve driven them right out of the streets. It wasn’t all that long ago that I was a kid and I’m shocked by how different things are around here; I rarely see kids out riding, in spite of living within three miles of four different schools. I’m taking a good look at some of the roads where I occasionally feel “in the way,” and I’m finding that many of them have driveways feeding directly into the street!
So Orlando drivers, beware. I’m a mama bear on a mission to take back our streets and I will not feel intimidated on any street that should be safe enough for kids, even if you’ve deemed it to be a quick little shortcut. Why don’t you slow down and really ask yourself how fast you think you ought to be able to go on a street like that? You don’t have a right to turn every quiet street into a highway because you want to get home five minutes faster. Please find another route or change your bad attitude because these streets belong to us and you’re impeding our quality of life.
You go girl!
This behavior is related to the brain-damaged culture of speed and self-centeredness that exists in pretty much every corner of this country. But it’s exacerbated in Orlando because of our unique lack of street redundancy (due to lakes as well as bad land use).
When the sewers get plugged up, the frustrated motorists look for alternatives. The alternatives are few, far between, involve more diversions and stops AND are on residential roads. The motorists escaping traffic on the big roads, bring their sewer mentality with them.
In my experience, cut-thru motorists are some of the meanest. They’re already frustrated, and seemingly incapable of considering how their presence affects everyone else. Sadly, most people who live along these cut-thru routes have retreated from their front yards and the roadway and yielded to the invaders.
Aside from the reduced service a bike lane offers (4ft of gutter vs the 11ft of clean pavement you get from controlling the lane), the whole bike lane paradigm has become a destructive distraction from REAL solutions. If we were thinking about really functional riding environment, we’d get busy making little connections between cul-de-sacs and dead-end streets to create a permeable grid of quiet streets for cyclists.
The bike lane-on-a-traffic-sewer paradigm (now codified in FDOT mandate and highly celebrated by misguided cyclists) serves no one. Timid cyclists won’t get near that environment, and cyclists who have learned to control their space basically have their use of the road ruined — having to choose between marginalization and harassment.
I’m with you! Neighborhood roads are for people, If drivers choose to take neighborhood roads instead of arterials, they can wait behind me on my big slow bike.
The smiling wave usually works to diffuse some frustration in Seattle – not sure what kind of reaction you get from people in Orlando.
Angie said, “I’m pretty sure that little white line separating us does nothing but tell them it’s okay to go on auto-pilot and zoom on by.”
I think that’s an excellent summary of what the paint stripe does for motor vehicle operators. Such a result does not benefit the cycling faction in the slightest.
I post occasionally videos to YouTube, and have had to turn on comment moderation, because alleged-cyclists harass me for not riding in the “bike lane”. It’s bad enough to get a load of c**p from uninformed uniformed officers and motor vehicle operators, but it’s absurd to have alleged-cyclists dump on me for safe riding.
Anne, I’m a big proponent of a wave when someone honks at me. Even if it doesn’t do anything for the motorist, it defuses the situation for the cyclist, as you probably know.
Hey Fred, like this: http://vimeo.com/7287442
I’m forced to conclude the yelling is a religious issue. I find about one third of the people that (paraphrased politely) tell me to get out of the road are going in the OPPOSITE direction. It also occurs when traffic is backed up for multiple cycles at traffic lights due to auto congestion – i.e. the cars are blocking the lane and delaying my bicycle.
My bicycle does affects them at all – it’s just that they do not believe bicyclists should ever be allowed to use public roads, and should be restricted to sidewalks.
I’ve come to the conclusion that if bicycle lanes actually helped any bicyclists, there would be no need to make them mandatory. The larger towns here require their use because the local lanes do not meet most design standards (especially safe ones), and many bicyclists are not willing to tolerate the dangerous traffic patterns and debris in the bike lanes.
Actually, I meant that my bicycle does not affect many of the motorists that yell.
“If we were thinking about really functional riding environment, we’d get busy making little connections between cul-de-sacs and dead-end streets to create a permeable grid of quiet streets for cyclists.”
This is where it’s at.
Jesse, Perhaps if we join our voices in a chorus, someone will hear us. Diverting “advocates” and government officials from symbolic nonsense to real solutions is going to be like turning a freighter. But it could work if we convince more cyclists to join the effort.
Stephen, I’ve had the same experiences you describe. There’s a particular hateful vehemence in the yells from opposite direction drivers. It always scares me a little and makes me glad they’re not going the same direction.
I, too, will take the lane if I have to. The few bike lanes we have in New Haven are not particularly helpful to us b/c they are right up against parallel parked cars and I am constantly in fear that we will get doored. Lately, however, my biggest issue has been when I am trying to share the road with cars, hugging the right, and cars from the side streets come racing up to the Stop sign, hardly stopping & often rolling well past the “Stop Here” painted line, well into ‘my’ road & nearly into us– scaring the bejeezus out of me. I feel like if I were just taking the lane, it wouldn’t prevent these screeching tops, but I would at least be more visible than when we’re hugging the right of the lane. So I find it very complicated…
And truly, do folks really need to race up to a stop sign. For what? To make a screeching right just to race up to a red light?
… “screeching stops” that is, not “screeching tops!”
Agree with your sentiment 100%. The last three paragraphs of this post are especially sobering – “It wasn’t all that long ago that I was a kid and I’m shocked by how different things are around here; I rarely see kids out riding, in spite of living within three miles of four different schools.”
It’s a culture now of Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii. Same situation in our neighborhood – every once in awhile we see kids on bikes – and we leave in a gated community where cars are not much of an issue.
Gotta reverse this trend somehow…
Angie,
There’s an op-ed in this post (the part about reclaiming streets for humans/kids). And it would be a great way to kick off the Civility Initiative.
I love that you are passionate about this issue to be prepared to really think through what are the best solutions for the stakeholders, and not just jump into one camp or another. Thoughful solutions are what it will take, from the sounds of things.
It makes me feel very blessed to live in a city (Melbourne, Australia) where cycling is more normalised, and where we have all sorts of options about where we can ride, and how, and where the motorists (on the whole) seem to have a healthier (than Orlando!) understanding that we are all transport vehicles, and that cycling is a valid way to get places.
(not that this means that I don’t ever get abuse and tooting horns and trucks “not seeing me” when entering the on-ramp of the freeway etc etc etc. But mostly I feel safe when I’m on the road).
You go girl!
The more we ride, the more I see what a world of difference it would make to simply add connectors through the neighborhoods. This seems like a (relatively) low-cost, but high-yield solution to me. I like the idea about the op-ed–I’m on it!
@sara – I typically ride in the left tire track of the lane, which makes it much more difficult for people to pass without going into the other lane. I’m beginning to see why I get honked at so much. :p But like you said, if you don’t, the cars completely encroach on your space! Another great tip I learned (thanks to Keri) is to control the lane and then, when it is clear for passing, move over to the right and let people pass you. This forces people to slow down and pass you at your speed. I’m still working on this, because if there are more than two cars it starts to get sticky and they don’t want to let you back in!
@Anne – “you can wait behind my big slow bike” Thank you for this – I love it! That is my new mantra!! I really had that in my head all weekend!
And yes, it truly is fascinating how many people yell for no reason and hurry up to stop! Some days I feel like I’m part of some strange sociological experiment!
Keri, the best part of that video was Bianca’s laugh at the end! Nicely done, especially the rush hour segment. The bumpy part is easily balanced, since one’s eyes follow the subject and tend to ignore the bumps.
Bianca has huge…. handlebars!
Fred, Bianca’s bike is a single-speed cruiser with coaster brakes… top speed is about 10mph. Proving that confident cycling has nothing to do with speed.
I will soon post a video of Angie totally taking control of traffic. She rocks! And she’s right. On certain roads in Orlando, you have to ride in the left tire track to keep the buggers from trying something stupid.
Hi,
I am a former resident of Orlando and a new resident of a bike friendly city. The relationship between drivers and bikers seems to reside in their awareness of each other as vehicles both using the roads for transportation. While I would love to believe in the inherit goodness of people to change in reaction to their experiences, I also am realistic in saying policy and government are necessary in making that awareness happen.
I think Montreal is a great example to look at, bike paths were developed as an initiative from a govt party. The govt party was formed by a group of passionate biking citizens (like you!). They were also able to have the government put in a public bike system that made the city be responsible for providing safe bikeways for its people. They even have lights that are just for bike traffic! http://www.planetizen.com/node/38778
I think the growing bike initiatives in Pittsburgh are also a great example of how a few passionate bikers can make a big difference. They had an old bridge turned into a bike path to cross the city’s rivers safely by pedal power and bike lanes/signs/fests supported by the govt.
While yelling is a good immediate response and making cars aware of your physical presence is crucial, take that passion and build it into systemic change!
I really like Jesse’s idea of thinking up creative bike paths through cul-de-sacs and dead ends.
By the by, I love your blog!
Hello Everyone,
I’ve been a bike commuter off and on for over 35 years, 20 of it in Orlando, but I’m new to the whole blog community. As much as I’ve enjoyed reading what everyone is trying to do raise awareness about good cycling habits these past couple of months, all this looking down your nose at bike lanes and gutter bunnies is making me just want to forget about all of this. I chose to ride where ever my years of cycling tells me is the safest. I for one am glad to make full use of the bike lanes on my commute down south Orange Ave. or when I head out east SR 426. I just moved to College Park, I love the bike lanes on Princeton and Smith, and I don’t use the lane on Edgewater when there is a lot of pedestrians because of the car door hazard, but on a quiet Sunday why not?
It’s been my experience that most motorists just don’t get how a bike works or how fast we can go, we are looked at as just another pedestrian. A couple of years ago while commanding the lane riding down Glenridge, a panel van passed me and turned onto a side street barely 15 feet in front of me. After I did a short skid and a body slam into the side of the van the driver and passenger looked truly surprised and said they didn’t even see me. The couple of other times I’ve ended up on the hood of a car the driver thought they had plenty of time to get out of my path.
So why shouldn’t we be glad that cities are striping off bike lanes and putting up bike route signs? It doesn’t hurt and might just make us a little more visible. It also makes new riders a little more comfortable, and the more they ride the more they learn. More cyclists on the road makes it safer for all of us.
When I started riding competitive if someone fell behind on our team (fatigue, flat, whatever) we would have a rider or two draft them back up to the mass. As the older riders started leaving and we got some young blood on the team I noticed this changed, and eventually I saw no one but myself willing to draft slower riders. When one of the younger riders told me I was stupid for looking out for my team mates, and that if they couldn’t keep up they should go home. It seemed the fun had gone out of the sport so I traded carbon fiber for steel and 27 speeds for three.
Now I ride sitting up and enjoying the ride and the world around me, which is what I thought blogs like this one and Commute Orlando, onelesscar and others were all about. But I see a lot of fist shaking at city planners trying to make a compromise, and even worse looking down at members of our own biking community because you don’t like where they choose to ride.
I am going to command my lane where I need to, enjoy the bike lanes where I can and occasionally heave a water bottle at somebody tear-assing through my new neighborhood at 50+ mph.
It will be easier to make changes together than separate, so if you see me in a bike lane smile and wave and keep the gutter bunny comments to yourself and I’ll do the same.
Thanks and keep up the good work,
A different Fred than the other one.
Not sure where #18 gets the idea that anyone on this blog or others would make “gutter bunny comments” to another rider on the road. That comment seems quite defensive and reactionary. I can’t find anything in the above comment thread, post or posts on the CO blog to warrant it. I’m friendly to any rider who isn’t threatening my safety.
Also, not sure why he thinks we should congratulate governments for creating substandard or dangerous facilities. Really? What’s wrong with demanding equity and safe accommodation, or real things that help us vs symbolic things that don’t? What’s wrong with encouraging other cyclists to think critically about the safety and level of service provided by the facilities built for them?
Here’s a story of a young rider who felt safe in the bike lane that was purposely painted in defiance of AASHTO standards to make novices “a little more comfortable.” Think long and hard about the ethics of making people feel comfortable with an illusion. Perhaps if she’d been exposed to some critical thinking about bad facility design, that cyclist would still be alive.
Well Keri, as #18 (feel free to call me Fred) I get the idea that I’m being put down for using bike lanes where I feel they are safe from right here in these comments: #1, “highly celebrated by misguided cyclists”; #3 “alleged-cyclists” as well as several other local cycling blogs. What are your thoughts on the bike lanes on south Orange or Princeton, am I that misguided for using them?
I have a bug up my butt as big as yours about bicycle safety. I’ll talk to someone I see riding on the wrong side of the road and have been known to tell compete strangers to get their helmet off the back of their head and wear it up front where it actually would do some good. My better half cringes when I do that, but I figure we are all in this together, like it or not and I do it with a smile trying not to talk down to anyone (well maybe the wannabe-hipsters on fixies, but it only makes them hipper when the old guy sneers and tries to explain what a ‘blind spot’ is, they like scars).
At the heart of all this is people, the city/DOT planers, all those responsible for getting us the useful bike lanes, cut thru or dedicated roads are people like us. It is simple human nature, if you slap someone down after they have made an effort on your behalf, however misguided, they are not very likely to help you any further. So my point is simply find the good in it and build on that.
I didn’t say “congratulate the government” in my comment, I merely pointed out that not all bike lanes are substandard or dangerous, so like I just said it’s a start, lets build on it. This echos what ex-orlandoan says happened in Montreal, why can’t it happen here?
I hardly think suggesting local cyclists stick together rather than divide into camps is “defensive and reactionary”. Could be the purpose behind why I spoke up wasn’t clear.
I read the article you linked, here is a different spin: http://bikehacks.com/no-bike-lane-no-mans-land/ No charges against the driver who hit a cyclist because the cyclist wasn’t in a marked bike lane, stupid but true. Cyclist get hit every day on roads, bike lanes and even the sidewalk. And no I don’t think cyclists past puberty belong on the sidewalk.
Now that I’m back in an area where I can ride I’m willing to do my part. One voice is heard a lot better than 100, why divide us. Plus, like Angie, I like to go “wheeeeeeee!” down a hill on a regular basis.
Thanks for letting me add my opinion,
Fred
P.S. Keri, I ment your safety bug is big, I have no idea what size your butt is.
Fred,
I was responding to this:
“But I see a lot of fist shaking at city planners trying to make a compromise, and even worse looking down at members of our own biking community because you don’t like where they choose to ride.”
Compromises produce substandard and dangerous bike lanes. Compromises shoehorn door zone lanes, make substandard conversions of 14ft curb lanes, put cyclists to the right of turning traffic, and stripe bike space over sunken sewer grates.
The original post here was about finding better solutions that would actually help cyclists without making compromises that marginalize us or put us at risk.
No one was looking down their noses at you. The previous comments were about edge-riding cyclists chastising Fred_dot_u for his riding practices (which are 100% safe and legal) and an edge-riding cyclist chastising Bianca and me for our lane position as we were specifically shooting safe, legal and effective lane position. WTH possesses a total stranger to tell 2 other cyclists how to ride? That’s why I found it odd that you would think WE would be the ones making gutter-bunny comments to you on the road.
I don’t look down on edge-riders. I want to help all cyclists discover the freedom of conflict-free cycling that comes with breaking away from the cultural bias and misinformation that’s been heaped on us all since childhood. But I DON’T do roadside education. I just smile and wave.
It’s is a process. We all started with the same cultural stigma. We all started out hugging the curb. We all started out thinking bike lanes were the best thing ever. For me, getting hit once and almost hit numerous times in a bike lane sent me on a research mission which opened my eyes to what’s really happening out there: door zone bike lanes, suicide slots, improper striping, 11+3 conversion of wide lanes… the bad stuff is not the exception, and it’s getting worse. Additionally, I discovered that even the standards-compliant bike lanes increased my workload as a cyclist — always having to be vigilant at driveways and intersections, looking ahead for debris — it’s so, so much easier to claim a narrow lane.
As for the bike lanes you mentioned. No, I’m not fond of them. The one on South Orange is not substandard, but it often has debris and glass in it as well as that pile of concrete and several manholes. It’s a 4-lane road. I’d much prefer to have an 11-12 foot lane than a 4-5 foot lane with glass in it. Cars can pass me just like any other slow vehicle. The one on Princeton/Smith is usually full of organic debris, the pavement is humped from tree roots and the sight lines are bad. But my primary beef with that bike lane is here: http://commuteorlando.com/forum/index.php?topic=243.0
Princeton on the other side of OBT has 6 lanes. So again, why would I want 4-5ft full of glass and get 3-4ft of passing clearance when I could have 11ft of clean pavement and and get 8-10ft of passing clearance?
In the article you linked, the cyclist was out of position in the intersection because she stayed in the bike lane all the way to the intersection. That’s EXACTLY the safety problem bike lanes cause.
http://commuteorlando.com/ontheroad/confidentcyclist.html#bikelane
That’s why we teach cyclists to merge into the general traffic lane before an intersection to prevent right hooks. The crash type is common and while it’s often the result of stupid driving, it is preventable by the cyclist… the problem is the cyclists are led into that conflict by the bike lane. In the case of Portland, the bike lanes are purposely striped solid to the intersection in defiance of AASHTO standards and advocates have contorted traffic law to make motorists turn across it rather than merge into it (like in every other state).
The lesson here is, the law is not a substitute for safe practices. Oregon is channeling cyclists into an unsafe position. The law won’t protect them from the physics of defying established and logical traffic movements.
Fred,
I was responding to this:
“But I see a lot of fist shaking at city planners trying to make a compromise, and even worse looking down at members of our own biking community because you don’t like where they choose to ride.”
Compromises produce substandard and dangerous bike lanes. Compromises shoehorn door zone lanes, make substandard conversions of 14ft curb lanes, put cyclists to the right of turning traffic, and stripe bike space over sunken sewer grates.
The original post here was about finding better solutions that would actually help cyclists without making compromises that marginalize us or put us at risk.
No one was looking down their noses at you. The previous comments were about edge-riding cyclists chastising Fred_dot_u for his riding practices (which are 100% safe and legal) and an edge-riding cyclist chastising Bianca and me for our lane position as we were specifically shooting safe, legal and effective lane position. WTH possesses a total stranger to tell 2 other cyclists how to ride? That’s why I found it odd that you would think WE would be the ones making gutter-bunny comments to you on the road.
I don’t look down on edge-riders. I want to help all cyclists discover the freedom of conflict-free cycling that comes with breaking away from the cultural bias and misinformation that’s been heaped on us all since childhood. But I DON’T do roadside education. I just smile and wave.
It’s is a process. We all started with the same cultural stigma. We all started out hugging the curb. We all started out thinking bike lanes were the best thing ever. For me, getting hit once and almost hit numerous times in a bike lane sent me on a research mission which opened my eyes to what’s really happening out there: door zone bike lanes, suicide slots, improper striping, 11+3 conversion of wide lanes… the bad stuff is not the exception, and it’s getting worse. Additionally, I discovered that even the standards-compliant bike lanes increased my workload as a cyclist — always having to be vigilant at driveways and intersections, looking ahead for debris — it’s so, so much easier to claim a narrow lane.
As for the bike lanes you mentioned. No, I’m not fond of them. The one on South Orange is not substandard, but it often has debris and glass in it as well as that pile of concrete and several manholes. It’s a 4-lane road. I’d much prefer to have an 11-12 foot lane than a 4-5 foot lane with glass in it. Cars can pass me just like any other slow vehicle. The one on Princeton/Smith is usually full of organic debris, the pavement is humped from tree roots and the sight lines are bad. But my primary beef with that bike lane is here: http://commuteorlando.com/forum/index.php?topic=243.0
Princeton on the other side of OBT has 6 lanes. So again, why would I want 4-5ft full of glass and get 3-4ft of passing clearance when I could have 11ft of clean pavement and and get 8-10ft of passing clearance?
In the article you linked, the cyclist was out of position in the intersection because she stayed in the bike lane all the way to the intersection. That’s EXACTLY the safety problem bike lanes cause.
See the CommuteOrlando Confident Cyclist page.
That’s why we teach cyclists to merge into the general traffic lane before an intersection to prevent right hooks. The crash type is common and while it’s often the result of stupid driving, it is preventable by the cyclist… the problem is the cyclists are led into that conflict by the bike lane. In the case of Portland, the bike lanes are purposely striped solid to the intersection in defiance of AASHTO standards and advocates have contorted traffic law to make motorists turn across it rather than merge into it (like in every other state).
The lesson here is, the law is not a substitute for safe practices. Oregon is channeling cyclists into an unsafe position. The law won’t protect their bodies from the physics of defying established and logical traffic movements. And apparently the law doesn’t protect them in court either. Though that ruling should be challenged and overturned.
At least there are bike lanes. here in Atlanta I believe we have about 30 miles of bike lanes. That is if you put them end to end. There are bike lanes that are only 1 block long. And then when we do have them I have to deal with people parked in them.
I commute on my bike 3 times a week a total of 10 miles each direction from East Point (near the airport) to Buckhead. I have no bike lanes anywhere along the route and part of my ride is down Peachtree St, one of the main drags in Atlanta.
And the local police seem to be as ignorant in regards to cycling laws as many of the motorists. One officer even “recommended” that I ride on the sidewalk for my safety. I gave him a card that was created by the Atlanta Bike Coalition that had the Ga. Statues regarding bikes on the road. He did not seem to be to happy to be “chastised” by a citizen for his ignorance.
I have been hit twice and had to fight with insurance companies and indifferent courts to get my bikes replaced or repaired.
How I miss cycling in my hometown of San Francisco. Oh well, just have to keep on fighting the battle from the streets.