Folks:
I entered a contest with a first prize of a week in Ft. Lauderdale with some work colleagues and the entire family. I won second prize… two weeks in Ft. Lauderdale!
Is it worth the effort to bring a road bicycle down there? I don’t want to bike on traffic-choked roads, especially if the drivers are beyond their prime driving years.
Thanks in advance!
[Also, please email me at philg@mit.edu if you would like to get together in Ft. Lauderdale. I propose Sunday afternoon coffee (or drinks? Can Floridians gather in the afternoon without alcohol?) on April 3, but can be flexible.]
Most of Ft Lauderdale is extremely crowded and there is a lot of traffic. Think of LA, Atlanta or any other big city. There is no difference between Miami & Lauderdale. If you are outside of Lauderdale proper (20+ miles from the coast), then you may be OK. And it is not just the silver-haired retirees that you have to worry about. Big-city angst is present in the young & adult drivers. I don’t remember much in the way of road bikers down there and I believe there is a safety issue. Drivers will not yield to a bicycle.
+1 on biking please.
After reading grady’s comment, modification = +1 on biking if there are safe places to bike.
Have to agree with Grady. Safe road biking is a bust in Ft. Lauderdale and all of S. FL. If you just want to slowly pedal along and sight-see, then the Hollywood Boardwalk is enjoyable. About a five-mile paved bike lane from S. Hollywood Beach right along the sand north to the Dania Beach Pier.
My dad in Tampa told me something about old railroad tracks being repaved for biking paths. Maybe there is something like that in Ft. Lauderdale?
Rails-to trails is the program that converts old railroad runs to bike paths, but is only accomplished in certain areas and I’m not sure if Ft Lauderdale is an area that has had this accomplished.