Longboat tricycle riders want third-wheel treatment to halt

APRIL FOOLS — A new battle is pedaling its way onto Longboat Key.

According to recent police reports:

4:47 p.m. Friday March 18: A driver complained that his 2009 BMW had been damaged when an egg flew out of a grocery bag in a tricycle basket and onto his windshield.

7:22 a.m. Saturday, March 19: A tricycle rider reported that passing a bicyclist called him a “Nazi.” The bicyclist reported telling the tricycle rider that he clearly could “not see” after the rider nearly ran into a Budweiser truck turning in to Publix.

1:04 a.m. Sunday, March 20: A woman was arrested for vandalism, accused of spray-painting the words “and tricycles” to the end of “Right lane, yield to bicycle” signs located every 35 feet along Gulf of Mexico Drive.

9:17 a.m. Tuesday, March 22: A tricycle rider called police to report that his tricycle sustained damage when the triangular flag on the back of his tricycle snapped after he rode under a low-hanging tree branch.

The above reports are just the latest in a series of incidents that show tricycles are an increasing presence on Longboat Key. Now, tricyclists are demanding that the town add tricycles to the 1,173 bicycle signs that remain since the February removal of 32 of those signs. They argue that a tricycle is a vehicle, albeit a slow-moving one, that deserves the same access to public roads that cars and bicycles have.

“My vehicle may have three tires,” said Key resident Matilda Henry, 94, at a recent Town Commission workshop attended by approximately 75 tricycle riders. “But I’m sick of being treated like a third wheel.”

Mickey Isley, 88, told the town that he was eager last October to participate in what he thought was the
Longboat Key, Lido Key, St. Armands Key Chamber of Commerce Trike-athlon. He was angered when he learned that the event was actually a triathlon and that he could not ride his tricycle. This year, he is prepared to take legal action, arguing that he faced discrimination on the basis of the number of wheels on his vehicle. The pending lawsuit has created uncertainty for the event, which Lance Armstrong had previously vowed to make his 11th return from retirement, competing in the race and taking a victory lap around St. Armands Circle.

A resident who recently compiled four years of tricycle-related data through Longboat Key police reports relayed the following findings to the Town Commission:

Tricycle flag-related scratches on motor vehicles have risen by 57% in the past three years.
In the past two months, police have received 17 reports from residents concerned about a new “triker” gang.

Of the 40 tricycle violations issued by Longboat Key police in the past six months, at least three were written to a retired circus dog who now lives on the island.

Longboat Key Police Chief Al Hogle, who in February described Longboat Key as a “premier bicycling destination” because of its warm weather and beaches, said the island has the following characteristics that also make it a “premier tricycling destination”: The island is home to frequent bridge games and church potlucks, creating the need for frequent transportation for elderly residents who no longer drive. Additionally, recent census data suggests that 97% of Longboat Key dogs are small enough to fit in tricycle baskets.

LLSA Chamber President Tom Aposporos has agreed to work with all three parties to achieve a positive solution. He said that, as former mayor of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., he has had success in bringing opposing parties together. But he acknowledged that, despite its flat riding terrain, he faces an uphill battle.

“Things like this just didn’t happen in Poughkeepsie,” he said.
 

SAFETY FIRST
Bicycle and motorist safety tips
+ Exercise patience and respect for tricyclists, and take advantage of alternative routes, such as U.S. 41, if you have difficulty doing so.
+ Do not pass a tricyclist. Be careful to ride behind the tricyclist, even when it means driving at reduced speeds.
+ Tricyclists are different but equal. Treat them as slower-moving vehicles.

Tricycle safety tips
+ Be alert for parked cars and turtles crossing the street that can frequently seem to appear “out of nowhere.”
+ Tricycles can frequently approach speeds as high as 10 mph. A helmet is necessary to prevent injury.
+ Bicyclists and motorists are different but equal. Treat them as different and often entirely too fast — but equal.

Contact Robin Hartil at [email protected]