We live in an unincorporated area of our county. Our small community, however, functions as a village or small town. A process is underway for us to become incorporated. However, I haven’t been involved in the process and am unaware of its progress; I understand that it is a multi-year process. The road around the bay and the area with shops and restaurants, as well as much of the housing in our community, are places where cars, pedestrians, bicycles, and golf carts all share the roads. The area extends to where our house is located and is designated a “golf cart zone.” The maximum speed for the entire area is 25 miles per hour. Most of the time, it works well. We walk and I ride my bike daily on the streets without problems.

In my coming and going, I have observed several things that help me keep myself and others safe.

People who walk with their backs to traffic tend to be less aware of their surroundings. The law is clear. Pedestrians should walk on the left side of the street, facing traffic. However, plenty of pedestrians do not follow that rule. When I ride my bike, I assume that pedestrians have the right of way regardless of which side of the street they choose. When they are walking facing my direction of travel, I can pull from the bike and walking lane into the traffic lane to give them room. My bike has a rear-view mirror that enables me to be aware of the cars behind me and change lanes when it is safe. My bike is also equipped with a bell to let pedestrians know I am behind them. When I ring the bell, most pedestrians are surprised. They turn around to look, they jump, and they often cry out. I don’t mean to startle them, but the reaction is widespread. It may be due to the use of cell phones and headphones, which make it harder for them to hear. It's possible that they are not paying attention. I do not know.

Drivers leaving a congested area are more likely to exceed the speed limit. Yesterday a sand castle completion along the beach drew a large crowd. Parking was difficult to find, and the constant stream of pedestrians, many of whom were carrying umbrellas, buckets, chairs, and other objects, meant that all traffic had to slow down on the drive along the beach. There were volunteer crossing guards at several locations that stopped traffic briefly to allow pedestrians to cross. Riding my bike through the congested area, I was going between 5 and 10 mph and had to stop several times. Once we cleared the area of congestion, however, many of the cars accelerated to 35 to 40 mph on streets where the limit is still 25 mph. It was as if they were driving as fast as the cars in front of them allowed. This presented a challenge for us when we walked down to the beach, as not only was traffic heavier than usual, but it was also moving much faster than usual in the area where we were walking.

There are many different kinds of golf carts. Some are electric and very quiet. Others have small engines that are pretty noisy. Some have a top speed of around 10 or 15 mph. Others can go 35 mph or faster. There is a wide variety of vehicles designated as golf carts in our area. Some have fancy wheels and large tires. Others operate on tiny wheels and tires. Some have obvious places to carry golf bags. Others are designed for passengers. There are carts with as many as six seats. Some have all seats facing forward. Others have seats at the rear facing backwards. The variety results in cart drivers being a bit unsure of where to drive. Some drive in the traffic lanes, which is legal in our area. Others drive in the bike/pedestrian lanes. The choice of where to drive does not seem to be dictated by the speed at which the cart is going. I don’t know if golf carts hit more pedestrians than regular vehicles, but it wouldn’t surprise me if that is the case.

There is a big difference between regular bikes and scooters and motorized versions. I ride an e-bike most of the time and I am able to go 15 - 20 mph with moderate effort. That is faster than regular bikes. However, there are e-bikes that are much faster than my bike. I have also observed that many e-bikes can be ridden without pedaling. Mine only has pedal assist, so I have to pedal to make it work. There are also many types of scooters, ranging from one-wheeled devices to motorized skateboards and other variations. Some of them go very fast. Some turn very quickly. Sometimes it is a challenge for bikes and scooters to share the same lane.

Although our area does not have separate lanes for pedestrians and bikes, there are some places where it might make sense. We have an excellent walking trail along the beach that some cyclists use. I choose not to ride on that trail, feeling that it works best to leave it for pedestrians. There is also a wide shoulder marked by paint on many of the streets. That is where I ride my bike. Some people walk in that lane, and sharing it with pedestrians seems to work. However, changing the painting of the street might improve traffic flow in congested areas by designating separate lanes for pedestrians, bikes, and larger vehicles. It would make sense to make pedestrian and bike lanes narrow enough to discourage carts from driving in them. The result would also narrow the driving lanes. Narrow lanes are more effective than speed bumps and traffic patrols at slowing traffic. Drivers will slow down for a narrow lane when they won’t slow down for pedestrians and cyclists. I’d like to see our village experiment with designating different lanes by paint. This process would be inexpensive and could be changed in the future as needed.

I enjoy living in an area where people use different modes of travel. I hope we can continue to cooperate and watch out for one another to keep everyone safe.