Gainesville residents and local police officers discussed the need to educate motorists about the rights of bicyclists and pedestrians on the road at a public forum Tuesday night.
Residents told members of the University Police Department and the Alachua County Sheriff's Office that police should give pulled-over motorists a copy of bicycle rules so they will understand that bicycles are equal vehicles.
"We get told all the time we're motorists and to follow the same rules," said Julian Castro, a member of The Kickstand, a local volunteer bicycle shop.
"But motorists don't treat us like we're also motorists," Castro added.
The Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Board held the yearly meeting at Gainesville Regional Utilities, 301 SE Fourth Ave., as a way for citizens to suggest changes to local transportation laws.
About 20 people showed up.
Julia Reiskind, chairwoman of the advisory board, said she thought speed bumps should be laid near the roundabouts on Second Avenue.
Members of the audience referred to the roundabouts as "deathtraps."
Castro and Reiskind mentioned the above-average number of bicyclist fatalities in Florida and the need for drivers to know they share the road.
Another main concern of some people at the meeting was whether bicyclists should be required to make a complete stop at stop signs.
James Mabry, an officer who has been with the UPD bicycle unit since July, said about 25,000 bicycles are on campus every day, so stop signs are necessary for traffic flow.
The status of stops signs was discussed for about 25 minutes.
Skeet Surrency, a member of The Kickstand, said other states allow bicyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs to increase their own safety.
"As a cyclist, nobody's looking out for you," Surrency said.
"If you don't look out for yourself, you're gonna die," he added.
