3 foot rule, my butt!

The 3 foot rule is a law in Florida, but someone forgot to tell all of the motorists here.

Man, I thought the rednecks in pickups were bad in Wisconsin.  The fact is, 99.999% of motorists I encounter in WI are cyclist friendly, sometimes too much so.  Like when you’re attempting a track stand at a 4-way stop, and the car decides that you now have the right of way –

(“Go” “No, you go”  “No I insist, you go” – then you both take off at the same time)

Here, not only are there some scary non-shoulders, but the 3 foot rule is merely a suggestion given to every 10th vehicle.  At least no one leaned out of their pick-up and yelled crap I couldn’t understand once they were past me, but I definitely feared for my life on a few of the main roads today until I hit a little patch of shoulder I could swing onto.

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Jason Kayzar
Unprofessional cyclist
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3 responses to “3 foot rule, my butt!”

  1. John Wieseler Avatar
    John Wieseler

    I’m heading to Florida after Christmas… Sarasota area. Anyone have suggestions on where to ride.

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    1. Jason Kayzar Avatar
      Jason Kayzar

      John – I just Googled shops in the area before I came down. I looked at their websites and used their “contact us” email addresses to ask about rides. I’m hooking up w/some locals tomorrow for a ride. I am staying w/friends here and one of their neighbors rides a lot, so we’re gonna hook up for a ride too. The locals are always the best source for routes. I put a route together yesterday on Google Maps and it was a disaster. I just found a side road instead and had a great ride from there.

      Did Aaron for the last Networking ride get a hold of you about some painting he needed? If not, let me know and I’ll put you 2 together.

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  2. Rick Foley Avatar
    Rick Foley

    Sorry you learned the awful secret of riding Florida’s scenic byways. I lived there, in the J-ville area a decade or so ago and rode regularly. Here in NM it’s a 5 ft rule, which is kinda worthless as the roads aren’t wide enough to fit a passing car and an oncoming one without a rollover resulting. Keep your head up and watch out for texters. Morons is the appropriate term. You are lucky no one’s pickup pit bull snarled at an arms length. That gets your attention.

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