Wrong-Way Cyclists

I live in a resort area. In the summer we have hundreds, if not thousands of summer workers, mostly students from Eastern Europe in the 18-23yr old range. They are all dependent on bicycles for their transportation but for some reason they all want to ride on the left side of the road, facing motor vehicle traffic.

When I encounter them, I always tell them to ride on the right but the reaction is usually something like "la la la, I can't hear you."

To further complicate this, summer weather brings out the retirees, many of whom are guilty of the same behavior, riding their beach cruisers at 8MPH on the wrong side of the road.

I figure you have 10 seconds to tell them they are riding in a very dangerous manner, not only to themselves but to other cyclists who are riding on the right side of the road. I narrowly avoided head on collisions with 2 separate wrong-way cyclists last night alone.

So I pose two questions:
1. What should the right-way cyclist do when encountering the wrong-way cyclist in a constant bearing, decreasing range situation? Who should be forced out into traffic? Should you stop your bike in front of them perpendicular to the road and confront them?

2. What should the right-way cyclist say to the wrong-way cyclist to firmly imprint the message that they are 3 times more likely to suffer a bike/bike or bike/car accident? If you can get out one short and direct sentence in passing, what do you say to the wrong-way cyclist?

wow, sounds like a fiasco!
um, i like the perpendicular idea best myself. However, I've had people yell things at me lots of times and i rarely have any idea of what they said. And it would be even harder if they were yelling in a different language.
You might talk to the police about it, if there's really a lot of wrong way cyclist traffic, they could set up a "trap" and just stop people and let THEM enforce the law instead of you.

Can you contact a local advocacy agency, or even the League of American Bicyclists - they might be able to post signs "Bikes ride with traffic" to get the point across.

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Originally Posted by Pedal Wench

Can you contact a local advocacy agency, or even the League of American Bicyclists - they might be able to post signs "Bikes ride with traffic" to get the point across.

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Or the local street department - who would be the ones to approve and install any signage, anyhow.

In Daytona Beach, some of the bike lanes are actually signed with the same "Wrong Way" signs that you see on freeway ramps (with a designation that they're referring to the bike lanes). It's a great idea and I wish every place had those.

I ride the same direction as traffic, but I was always taught by my father who was older & grew up in Scotland to walk/ride against traffic so you could see the cars coming at you. I remember getting it sometime in elementary school or something like that - that in the city you ride/walk with traffic, and in the country, it was safer to walk/ride against traffic.

You may be coming up against some generational or regional difference in how people have been taught - or they're applying the walking rules to biking.

I was always taught to ride against traffic, too...but that was by people who didn't ride - they only walked. Yes, it is still the rule that you walk/jog against traffic. The difference is that when you are on foot, you can step to the side, off the road, to avoid a situation. You can't do that on a bike and people who don't bike regularly (particularly around cars) don't get that.

I agree about contacting local authorities (depending on your area, the city, the DPW or the police) about it - particularly if its a seasonal thing.

I run into a fair number of wrong-way cyclists myself and I usually just say as clearly as I can (with no anger in my voice) "it's safer to ride on the other side". Most of the time, I doubt they can either hear me or even understand me, but it makes me feel better to say something. :o

Withm,

Are you familiar with Bike Delaware (http://bikede.org/)? As I recall, they have a project to deal with the issues of wrong-way, unlit, and helmet-free student workers. I couldn't find it on their website....maybe I saw it in the listserv.... I'll forward it to you if I see it again.

I wish that I could have videotaped my commute home last Saturday to use as an explanation of why riding on the wrong side truly is dangerous. I was making a left-hand turn onto a side street where a truck was waiting to turn right onto the main street. He looked left, never looked right, and made the turn. He never saw me until I had completed my turn. Had I been on the wrong side of the street, he would have hit me head-on.

My bike club has advocacy as a high priority and we have done a lot over the years but we have a whole new crop of guest workers arrive every spring/summer and have to start all over again.

We got the highway dept to install "wrong way" on the backs of street signs in some areas around here. We sponsor and staff bicycle "pit stops" where the kids or anyone else that stops in are given bike safety brochures printed in 5 languages, free helmets (and fitted), lights, and reflective tape. We also do bike safety checks and adjustments and even repairs. All free.

The reality is some of the kids never take the helmets off the handlebars, and the lights disappear. The tape is good and many of them ride at night.

Each year it takes awhile for all this to sink in and a few close calls will probably help to accelerate their learning factor, but all this takes time.

I have printed a few copies of "The Wrong-Way Wreck" to carry on my bike and will attempt to hand out a copy when I encounter this, but engaging strangers on the street may be more than I want to get into.

http://www.bicyclesafe.com/

I usually point across the street and say something like "You need to be riding on the RIGHT side of the street to be safe" but really, it seems like they don't care - the reaction is the same from 65 yr olds (or more) on a beach cruiser or 20 yr olds on an ill fitting hybrid. Just looking for better words that will really drive the point home to these kids.

It's very sad, but some of these guest workers go home in much worse condition than when they arrived, or worse.

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Originally Posted by withm

So I pose two questions:
1. What should the right-way cyclist do when encountering the wrong-way cyclist in a constant bearing, decreasing range situation?

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Similar to kids on trails, you really do not know how they will react. Mime/jestures "over that way" they could swerve into you :eek:

I may stop, pull over (to the right) and adopt my "don't mess with me, I'm much unhappy" mean streets of the East Bay face. :mad:

Sometimes mild shake of the head "no no no, omg you're bad at riding".

Sometimes, stand in the pedals and sprint right at 'em. That's rare but have done it. :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by withm

So I pose two questions:
1.Who should be forced out into traffic?

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Not me. With beginner/unpredictable cyclists. I don't know their bike skills, reaction to traffic. Not me. I let them know I'm much unhappy.

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Originally Posted by withm

Should you stop your bike in front of them perpendicular to the road and confront them?

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No. I've gotten a chance to talk to "invisible cyclists" and educate them. I've learned from them what their fears/concerns are and why they ride on the sidewalk/wrong way.

When you talk and explain why we ride the way we do the light goes on over both of our heads.

It's going to take years to create a cyling culture in the US that promotes and rewards the skilled cyclist. But I feel that's going to be made of many conversations. It's best if they see recreational/athletic/avid cyclists as an ally and not confrontational.

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Originally Posted by withm

What should the right-way cyclist say to the wrong-way cyclist to firmly imprint the message that they are 3 times more likely to suffer a bike/bike or bike/car accident? If you can get out one short and direct sentence in passing, what do you say to the wrong-way cyclist?

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Could you work with the resorts and local advocacy group to provide materials at the resort where bikes are parked or at hiring events?

Good discussion here I think:

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=23626

The city next to mine has adopted using "sharrows" in the roadways to alert bicycles and cars as to the correct position and direction of riding. Maybe you can approach your city council with this idea. Thousand Oaks did a good job of alerting the public through bike rodeos and newspaper articles.

http://www.toaks.org/bike/about.asp#sharrows