Jacksonville Florida
Interesting one this - if you find Roosevelt on google and have a look around it, This road joins I-10 with no escape - there is no signage telling you this or that it leads to I-10. So what is there to stop you taking a horse or a bike on the free way as you cant go backwards....
American interstates
Moderator: Site Management Team
Re: American interstates
This is the point where you are informed you are heading for the Interstate and should exit.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@30.30600 ... authuser=0
I will agree that its not clear that to get onto US Highway 17 you use a section of I-10 but by that time you are clearly on a ramp leading to a restricted access Highway and should not be there. In the USA they tend not have signs like 'Non Motorway Traffic Exit here'. People are supposed to know that they can't walk, take horses (or more likely mobility scooters in Florida) onto a Freeway or Highway. A person riding a mobility scooter is also classed as a pedestrian.
After that there is an exit onto Stockton St here stay in the right slip and you can still escape by staying in the right lane but you have already broken the law
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@30.32136 ... authuser=0
Some states do not prohibit cyclists and equestrians on Interstates (Wyoming for example). Florida however does unless specific cycle lanes are provided. Florida Statute Chapter 316 says that the laws that apply to pedestrians are applicable to any person riding or leading an animal upon a roadway or shoulder.
This means that horse riders must:
• Obey all traffic signs and signals;
• Ride facing the oncoming traffic;
• Not ride on any limited access roadways such as Highways or Freeways, or ramps leading up to them;
• And, that vehicles must yield the right of way in crosswalks.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@30.30600 ... authuser=0
I will agree that its not clear that to get onto US Highway 17 you use a section of I-10 but by that time you are clearly on a ramp leading to a restricted access Highway and should not be there. In the USA they tend not have signs like 'Non Motorway Traffic Exit here'. People are supposed to know that they can't walk, take horses (or more likely mobility scooters in Florida) onto a Freeway or Highway. A person riding a mobility scooter is also classed as a pedestrian.
After that there is an exit onto Stockton St here stay in the right slip and you can still escape by staying in the right lane but you have already broken the law
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@30.32136 ... authuser=0
Some states do not prohibit cyclists and equestrians on Interstates (Wyoming for example). Florida however does unless specific cycle lanes are provided. Florida Statute Chapter 316 says that the laws that apply to pedestrians are applicable to any person riding or leading an animal upon a roadway or shoulder.
This means that horse riders must:
• Obey all traffic signs and signals;
• Ride facing the oncoming traffic;
• Not ride on any limited access roadways such as Highways or Freeways, or ramps leading up to them;
• And, that vehicles must yield the right of way in crosswalks.
Re: American interstates
trouble is go further along and you get to the McDuff intersection - its at grade. no warning that turning north onto Roosevelt and your heading for the interstate.
Look at Collier avenue and it turns onto Roosevelt with no escape. unless you U turn....
Look at Collier avenue and it turns onto Roosevelt with no escape. unless you U turn....
Re: American interstates
Which means you U turn on Collier if you are prohibited traffic - not exactly a difficult thing to do for a pedestrian or user of a mobility scooter. This is not an uncommon situation in the US. I can think of a dozen cases around Columbus where the same applies. The bottom line is that Roosevelt Boulevard at this point is a US Highway (US 17) and Florida law says you may not use the road if you are legally classed as a pedestrian. You can of course use the sidewalk but that ends on McDuff where the road becomes the ramp to I-10.
In the UK on anything other than a special road or one that clearly indicates a TRO is in effect available for ALL classes of traffic from an HGV to a man leading a donkey on a string. This is simply not the case in most US States. If there is no sidewalk and its a signed US Highway rather than a county or state road you are not supposed to be there. In the case of county or state road the law says that you must walk facing the traffic. Now local cops are usually quite reasonable and if you were clearly lost will give you a ride to somewhere safe. This happened to a British colleague of mine in Ohio who decided to walk to the supermarket (he had a hire car but didnt like driving on the right). Trouble is it was a restricted access highway. The Worthington PD patrolmen were nice as ninepence and took him to the Kroger and advised him to get a taxi back.
Frankly this is much more sensible than the situation in the UK where you can quite legally walk along major strategic roads such as the A1/A2/A3/A4 etc. We have fatal casualties every year on the A174 and A19 where cyclists and pedestrians get themselves killed. Last year we had one where a drunk driver crashed his car and then staggered off down the centre line of the road before being hit and killed.