Cyclist hit. Hit and Run...

I can discuss this.

I have been commuting by bicycle in Orlando every day for the last two years or so.

Initially, I shared your point of view. Cars are bigger and harder to stop so they should always have the right of way.

My first two weeks as a cyclist I was afraid to use the road and used the sidewalk. Sidewalk pedestrians are far less alert than drivers, especially sidewalk pedestrians who are wearing headphones. Even after shouting that I was approaching and slowing my pace, many pedestrians simply refused to move over or even acknowledge my approach. After one slow collision with a pedestrian, several near misses, many last second swerves into the grass (usually a sharp dropoff into the ditch), and countless dismounts so I could walk past them, I decided to take my chances on the road.

It is so much safer. When overtaking, the vast majority of drivers give a bit more than the 3 ft of horizontal space required by law. Generally, people are very courteous. There are the occasional teenagers who throw pennies and shout obscenities, but I can deal with that if it means I am not going to run someone down.

My route does not have bike lanes. I am forced to ride in the right hand turn lane. To ensure than I am seen I "claim the lane" by riding about 1/3 of the lane width from the right edge. This forces overtaking cars to cross their driver's side into the middle lane, which slows them down and makes them less likely to immediately turn after passing.

Right turn cutoffs like the one in the video are completely the fault of the driver. This driver should have slowed, waited for the cyclist to pass their turn, then continued, costing them all of 10 seconds. I experience this process daily. My guess is that the driver was distracted and never saw the cyclist. Were they to cut off another car in this manner there would be no question who was at fault.

A bicycle takes a much longer distance to stop than many people realize. Cyclists are subject to all of the same laws as motor vehicles and should be treated by drivers with the same precautions and respect. I don't think the driver in the video hit the cyclist maliciously, but I do think they are at fault and should be held accountable.

If bike lanes are the safest place to be, why not move the sidewalk right next to cars?

Ideally, cyclists would have their own separate road like a sidewalk. Another great solution would be wider paths like sections of Cady Way Trail. Unfortunately, these solutions are costly. Until they are in place, cyclists will be using the roads alongside motor vehicles and the best thing to do is continue driving and cycling with caution and courtesy.

Those are my thoughts. Wow I wrote an essay. Neat.

/r/orlando Thread Parent Link - youtu.be