Riding in the Roadway Required?


David asked: When you are riding your bike and there is a designated bike lane are you required by Florida law to ride your bike in that lane and not on the sidewalk? I was riding my bike on the sidewalk where there was a designated bike lane and a car made a right hand turn crashing into me. The police officer gave me a ticket for failing to obey road signs!!!!


There is no statute that requires that a cyclist ride in the roadway, which includes the bike lane, and avoid using the sidewalk unless a local ordinance prohibits the use of the sidewalk.  See other posts on this site about crossing a roadway from a sidewalk.

4 comments on “Riding in the Roadway Required?
  1. phil Leinbach says:

    I guess you’ll be seeing that officer in court. He’s wrong, cars yield to bicycles, bicycles yield to pedestrians. A vehicle turning yields to a vehicle that’s going straight. What signage is the officer saying you ignored?

  2. HarryB says:


    Can you tell us which “road signs” the officer alleges you failed to obey? I doubt the number of enforceable road signs that apply to people riding bicycles on sidewalks exceeds a half dozen, so I’m skeptical of the officer’s claim.

    As Geo wrote, there are a number of posts on this site about sidewalk riding, but in my opinion, some of the information is not supported by state law. So, if you can provide more information about the crash, such as were you crossing a roadway or driveway when the car hit you, was it daytime or nighttime, and the specific law the officer charged you with violating, someone can probably provide a more detailed answer.

  3. Fidel says:

    Fight that ticket , as usual a police officer is not familiar with this kind of rule

  4. dqueller@bellsouth.net says:

    My local police department will not enforce the state law that states pedestrians are not allowed in the designated bike lanes if there is a sidewalk!! They pose a real danger to bikers. I have attempted to talk to the police department but they say “they have more important things to do!” What can I do as a resident of this state and local town to get this police department to enforce the law??

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