As students return to school, the Alachua County Public Works Department is reminding parents, guardians and young cyclists to make bicycle safety a priority before heading back onto area roads and sidewalks.
County officials emphasize that bicycles are considered vehicles under Florida law, and bicyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as motorists. Riders should obey all traffic laws, ride in the same direction as traffic and remain alert to their surroundings.
Public Works encourages bicyclists to follow these safety guidelines while riding:
- Ride on the right side of the road and travel in the same direction as traffic.
- Obey all traffic signs, signals and lane markings.
- Slow down and look for traffic before entering a roadway from a driveway, sidewalk or bike path.
- Yield to pedestrians in crosswalks.
- Stay alert for road hazards such as potholes, cracks, wet leaves, storm grates and railroad tracks.
- Avoid using phones or other personal electronic devices while riding.
- Watch for parked vehicles that may open doors or pull into traffic unexpectedly.
Before every ride, cyclists should also make sure they and their bicycles are ready to travel safely by following these recommendations:
- Wear a bicycle helmet. Everyone should wear a properly fitted bicycle helmet to help reduce the risk of serious head injuries.
- See and be seen. Wear bright, fluorescent or reflective clothing to increase visibility during the day, at dawn, at dusk and in poor weather conditions.
- Communicate with others. Make eye contact with drivers when possible, use hand signals for turns, point out hazards to riders behind you and announce “on your left” when passing other bicyclists or pedestrians.
The department encourages families to discuss bicycle safety before the start of the school year and to reinforce safe riding habits throughout the year.
Click here to learn more about bicycle safety.
For more information about bicycle safety, contact Alachua County Public Works Senior Engineer Technician Clark Collins at 352-548-1271 or cccollins@alachuacounty.us.