Barrier Placed on the Pinellas Bayway to Prevent Bicycle Injuries

Pinellas County has seen more than its share of bicycle injuries and fatalities. Motivated by a bicyclist being injured on the paved shoulder that also serves as a bike lane, the Department of Transportation (DOT) recently installed white pylons to separate a cycling lane around the inside of the curved Pinellas Bayway.

Lorrie Lykins. “Dr. Delay” of the Tampa Bay Times pointed out in her column that workers installed the pylons on the drivers’ side of the white line separating the bike lane, narrowing the drivers’ turn lane by a foot, forcing drivers into a wider-than-normal swing when turning, which crowds vehicles in the outer lane turning right. This has caused some of the pylons to be hit and overturned. Lykins suggests that the DOT reset the pylons on the inner part of the bike lane boundary stripe.

A DOT official responded that the pylons were placed on the traffic side because the minimum width for a bike lane is three feet and bike’s handlebars could hit the pylons if the bike lane were made narrower. Because they were installed where the farthest right traffic lane widens, DOT states there should be no problem with traffic restriction in the lane.

We applaud the DOT effort to create a safer environment for bicyclists and encourage drivers to remain alert to the positioning of the pylons to avoid knocking them over. This is one more situation where drivers can make an effort to use extra caution in areas where they are sharing the road with cyclists.

If you’ve been injured in a bicycle accident on the Bayway or anywhere in the Tampa Bay area or elsewhere in Florida and have questions, Jim Dodson, a bicycle accident attorney in Clearwater, Florida, will be happy to provide answers to any questions you have. Call him at 727-446-0840 or send him a private email at jim@jimdodsonlaw.com.

We represent personal injury and accident victims in Florida in these cities: Clearwater, Clearwater Beach, Tarpon Springs, Dunedin, Largo, Oldsmar, St. Petersburg, Palm Harbor, Safety Harbor, Pinellas Park, Seminole, Belleair, Belleair Bluffs, Belleair Shores,Treasure Island, Redington Beach, Madeira Beach, Indian Rocks Beach, Crystal Beach, Ozona, Bradenton, Palmetto, Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch, Ellenton, Kenneth City, South Pasadena, St. Petersburg Beach, Tierra Verde, New Port Richey, Port Richey, Hudson, Bayonet Point, Holiday, Land O’Lakes, Lutz, Odessa, Tampa, Temple Terrace, Dade City, Sebring, Wesley Chapel, Pinellas County, Pasco County, Hillsborough County, Manatee County, and all other cities in Florida and Florida Counties.