Cycling group rolls toward safety fixes

It’s no secret that cycling on Gulf of Mexico Drive can get controversial.

Many cyclists contend drivers don’t respect their space. The same can be said for many drivers about cyclists.

Now, two part-time residents, Howard Tessler and Ron Gricius, are working to improve the cycling situation.

About a month ago, the two started the Longboat Key Bicycle Association to help make Gulf of Mexico Drive more bike-friendly.

“Our goal is to make bike riding on Gulf of Mexico Drive safe, and we worry because it’s a narrow lane, and trucks park there all the time,” Tessler said. “People leave garbage cans there. I mean, people think it’s the edge of the road rather than the bike lane, and they think they can park there.”

“Every time someone parks there, it means we have to go out into the street, and you take your life in [your] hands."

A common problem cyclists face is construction and landscaping trucks parked in the bike lane, Tessler and Gricius said. Gricius also said residents block the bike lane and use it as a turn lane or a place to stop and talk to pedestrians. 

“Every time someone parks there, it means we have to go out into the street, and you take your life in [your] hands,” Tessler said.

Not having an unobstructed bike lane means cyclists have to swerve into the traffic lane, which causes problems for them and drivers.

Gricius and Tessler said they hope to have signs installed telling drivers to watch for bikers or reminding drivers that vehicles cannot be parked in the bike lane. Tessler said they are hoping for enforcement. Beyond that, their list of goals grows.

“Another goal would be to paint the bike lane a different color,” Tessler said. “I don’t know what the cost of that would be, but they do that in some cities and people are more respectful when it’s green or yellow as opposed to the rest of the road.”

Gricius said at the least, painting the bike lane around Publix would be a start. 

Gricius said encroaching grass and other growth along portions of the GMD bike lane is cutting into the state’s minimum-allowed lane width of about 4 feet.

The two are hoping to grow the group through Facebook and emails and also plan to design jerseys or T-shirts for their group. They have 13 members.

“It’s free, and it’s basically to have a voice to speak up,” Tessler said.