MILTON — Bicycle riders who recently encountered an unwelcome greeting now know the meaning behind the spectacle.
A number of signs that read, "Cyclists not welcome. Please find a different route,” recently appeared on a stretch of Indian Ford Road.
Many bicyclists saw the signs during the Oct. 15 Fenner Ride, which covers distances from S18 to 100 miles. The ride’s $45 cost benefited Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida and Blackwater Heritage Trail Citizens Support Organization. This year, 307 riders took part, according to Paula Shell, BBBS CEO.
Shell said she was shocked to hear about the signs and knew little about the situation.
County officials, on the other hand, had some information. Four dog attacks allegedly occurred on Indian Ford Road, part of the Fenner Ride’s miles 84 to 89 stretch, according to Santa Rosa County Animal Services.
And that’s where the signs come in. Andre Lipps, owner of Ringo, a white bulldog with black stripes, received multiple citations for dog bites and signed a quarantine agreement from Sept. 26 to Oct. 6.
"I was going to put one sign out but then I ordered 10,” Lipps said. “So many people wanted them. Animal control officers have been on my property and in my house.”
Despite the citations, Lipps said his dog is not dangerous.
(Ringo) loves on everybody. He's never shown any aggression to anybody. He's just a real loving dog … He's not a dangerous dog,” Lipps said, adding Ringo is not out of his puppy stage yet and he loves to chase bikes, motorcycles and cars. "It's a race to him, a game."
But the signs aren’t about the dog bites. Lipps said the problem he and his neighbors have is with cyclists who take up the whole lane and force drivers to drop from 60 to 25 miles per hour or disobey other traffic laws.
Mark Calvert, with the West Florida Wheelmen Cycling Club, took part in the Fenner Ride and said he saw between 20 and 40 of the signs on Indian Ford Road.
Calvert said the Wheelmen exist in part to educate riders on the rules of the road. Poor riders, he said, "give us a bad name. Don't hog the road. We have the same rights (as drivers) but cyclists are supposed to keep right."
As of Oct. 26, there were no anti-cyclist signs on Indian Ford Road.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Anti-cyclist signs explained