No stopping 'Village Idiots?'

Crouching as they took a right from Lakewood Ranch Boulevard onto Hidden Valley River Trail Road, a large group of Village Idiots cyclists whipped past a sign declaring "Golf Carts and Bicycles Prohibited."

Nobody seemed to care.

Or do they?

That sign has resulted in growing tension between cyclists, who prefer the safety of a neighborhood street, and motorists who say the cyclists create a traffic hazard.

The motorists say the regulation should be enforced.

“It’s become a danger,” said Robert Swiatek, the safety chairman for Community Development District 1. “This is not the Tour de France where the roads are blocked off.”

During those times when cyclists use the street in groups, vehicles has little room to safely, or legally, pass. The road itself was designed to provide an easy route between Lakewood Ranch Boulevard and Lorraine Road. It’s a narrow street with a median, and there’s no bike lane.

Cyclists consistently ride on the street, which has caused consternation with some residents and members of Community Development District boards.

Swiatek is a former fatal accident investigator and said he’s seen the results of vehicle collisions with bicyclists.

“I don’t want to see those happen,” he said. “They’re gruesome.”

No bicycle-related accidents have been reported on Hidden River Trail yet.

The enforcement banning bicycles is a source of confusion for residents, cyclists and the Sheriff’s Office. For the regulation to be enforced, an ordinance or statute has to be connected with it, Swiatek said.

“If there is nothing there in Manatee County, then the sign should be corrected,” he said.

Swiatek said he hopes to reach an agreeable resolution with all parties by sitting down with members of the Sheriff’s Office, county, other safety committee chairpersons and the bicycle groups.

“It’s become very difficult for some residents who have become intimidated,” he said. “These bicyclists come up at a fast rate of speed.”

According to an email from county spokesman Nicolas Azzara, Florida State Statute 316.008 provides Manatee County the authority to prohibit bicycles from Hidden River Trail, and Sage Kamiya, deputy director of traffic management, said the county had installed the signs through approved, engineered and designed construction plans.

“Based on this, these signs are appropriate, enforceable and legally defensible,” Kamiya said in an email.

Paul Troyer, president of the Village Idiots bicycling club, disagrees.

The club, which rides on Hidden River Trail about three times a week in large groups, had an attorney review the prohibition. The opinion the club received said the county could regulate, but not restrict, bicycles on the street.

“From our point of view, (the signs banning bicycles) are illegal,” Troyer said. “The state gives bicycles vehicular access… the county can’t take away those rights.”

Troyer said some drivers are disgruntled because they want to speed through Hidden River Trail. The speed limit on the road is 25 mph, and most of the bicyclists travel about that speed.

According to Troyer, the drivers are frustrated because they can't go faster.

He does admit that the vehicles vs. cyclists situation can be dangerous. "We get close brushes on that road,” Troyer said.

It's not isolated to Hidden River Trail: in another location in Lakewood Ranch, one club member was hit by a car mirror last month while traveling just outside the bike lane.

The Village Idiots, along with other individuals and groups such as Sarasota Manatee Bicycle Club, Sarasota Cycling Club and the Sarasota Storm Triathlon Club, want to ride within the regulations. However, using Hidden River Trail is the safest option for them, Troyer said.

State Road 70 has no bike lane, although cyclists have a bit of space next to the curb. Unfortunately, that space often is littered with trash.

If the cyclists do have to enter traffic along S.R. 70, vehicles surround them at 50 to 60 mph.

“That’s a huge differential in speed, it’s super dangerous,” Troyer said.

University Parkway also has no bike lane or shoulder and riders are forced onto the road.

Riding three abreast is illegal, but two is permissible, and Troyer said some cyclists ride two abreast for safety. A cyclist has the right to “take the lane” and many do where the road is too narrow for a vehicle to pass with the full three-foot gap between them.

Why not just use the sidewalk on Hidden River Trail?

That’s dangerous, too. Troyer said the sidewalk is too dangerous when biking at high speeds, because of potential conflict with pedestrians, inexperienced bicyclists, dogs and children.

Troyer said the Village Idiots and other groups have been pushing the county to rescind the prohibition, but haven’t received much communication. Until the county delivers an ultimatum either way, the Idiots will pedal on.

“We’re going to keep pushing, keep using the road unless the county puts teeth into it because it’s the safe thing to do,” he said.