Getting Around Miami On Bicycle: 10 Things To Know

MIAMI BEACH, FL — With our year-round sunshine and endless stream of tourists, people love to ride bicycles in the Miami area. But not everyone understands the rules of the road. So Patch enlisted the Miami Beach Police Department's Traffic Homicide Investigations team to help us answer 10 questions that people just may not know about with respect to riding a bicycle around Miami and the entire state of Florida for that matter.

Our questions were pretty basic, but just have a look around the roads and sidewalk if you think people understand the rules.

Here is our list of 10 questions. The answers were provided by Officer Eric Dominguez of the Miami Beach Police Department.

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1. Is it legal to drive a bicycle on the sidewalk? A bicycle may ride on the sidewalk as long as the bicyclist yields the right of way to pedestrians and gives an audible signal before overtaking pedestrians.
2. For the purposes of bike laws, are electric bicycles treated the same as traditional bicycles? Electric bicycles are treated the same as traditional bikes.
3. Must adults and children wear helmets in Florida? Only children under 16 must wear a helmet when riding a bicycle.
4. Can bikes go through red lights and stop signs without stopping? Bicycles must respect all traffic laws just like other vehicles.
5. Must bicycles be equipped with a light if they are used at night? When a bicycle is used between sunset and sunrise it must be equipped with a white lamp on the front and a red lamp on the rear. Additional lights are permitted but not required.
6. Can bicycles drive in the opposite direction of traffic, particularly in the case of a road that is one way? Bicycles are not allowed to ride against traffic.
7. Do police have the authority to issue citations to bicyclists? If so, what are the most common? Police officers cite bicyclists under the Florida Uniform Traffic Citations. Most violations are written under Florida Statute 316.2065.
8. Do bicycle laws vary in Florida by municipality? Municipalities are allowed to add their own ordinances with respect to bicycles. For example: No bikes allowed on the Boardwalk or Lincoln Road in the case of Miami Beach.
9. Must bicyclists signal their intention to turn? A bicyclist must signal when turning but they do not need to give an arm signal continuously as in the case of a motorized vehicle.
10. Do pedestrians still have the right of way on bicycle paths? Pedestrians are not allowed on bicycle paths since the paths are part of the roadway.

The city's Melissa Berthier told Patch that pedestrian and bicycle accidents are more likely to result in fatal or serious injuries than any other types of accidents. For the sixth year in a row, the Miami Beach Police Department is conducting a pedestrian and bicycle safety enforcement campaign through a $35,000 grant from the Florida Department of Transportation and University of South Florida.

Berthier said that the city will be placing High Visibility Enforcement details at high-traffic intersections throughout the month of September.

"HVE squads will soon progress to issuing warnings, followed by citations. Detail squads are strategically placed throughout the city based upon analysis of accident sites from the MBPD Accident Investigation Unit," according to Berthier. "The main objective of this grant is to use law enforcement support to educate and enforce safe pedestrian, bicyclist and driver behaviors that will reduce traffic crashes and fatalities."

She added that the city of Miami Beach has included cyclist and pedestrian safety messages on all of its visitor and resident outreach platforms.

Photo courtesy of Miami Beach resident Francesca Tanti