We all know that bike lanes help create a safe space for cyclists to ride with traffic.

But are they right for every road?

A Bay News 9 viewer asked Real Time Traffic Expert Chuck Henson to look at a busy Pinellas County roadway where it seems bikes may not be welcome.

The question was specifically about 66th Street North in St. Petersburg.

It's three lanes, plus turn lanes in each direction. It doesn't seem safe for bikes, even though there is a bike lane on both sides.

"Cyclists have the rights and responsibilities of any other vehicle," said Stephen Benson, a bike safety expert with the Florida Department of Transportation.

"They're considered to be a vehicle under Florida law, which means that they can operate out in the road unless it's a location where it specifically says otherwise, like the interstate, where it's obvious they shouldn't really be up there," Benson said.

Bike lanes are designed as safer spaces for those on two wheels, but would it be safer to ride on the sidewalk?

"They're considered to be a vehicle under Florida law, which means that they can operate out in the road unless it's a location where it specifically says otherwise, like the interstate, where it's obvious they shouldn't really be up there." - Stephen Benson, DOT

"When you actually look at the data, riding on the road and riding in the lane is a safe thing to do," Benson said.

"Most of the crashes that happen, happen when bikes that really should be riding in the road are trying to get from point A to point B, are riding on the sidewalk and they're acting like a pedestrian," he said.

Drivers can see bikes on the road or in the bike lane. They're not looking for bikes on the sidewalk.

"As long as you stay in the bicycle lane, I kind of keep to the right in the bicycle lane you know, and I've had no problem at all," said a cyclist who identified himself as Cowboy.

"I get to a light. I stop at a light, you know, and you go when you're supposed to go. There's no problem at all," he said.

Here's the bottom line according to Henson: Drivers, bikes are vehicles and have a right to the road. Cyclists, when in the road, using the bike lane is the safest place for you. But if you ride on the sidewalk, you must stop as any pedestrian at the crosswalks and wait for the signal to cross.