Reminder to always...

[lizbids]

Always always always go in the direction of traffic. Today I tagged along in a car with a friend. We continued slowly on a one-way street and the light was green, so we kept going. WELL...unfortunately a cyclist came at us approaching the driver's side, and he was riding the wrong way of a one-way street.
Obviously b/c of this, he was unable to see that we had a green light, and he would have had a red light had he been going the right way. We did our best to swerve, but he still clipped the back of the car.
Both he and his bike seemed okay (save for limping on his ankle), he was sheepish, probably realizing how in the wrong he was. I was just glad everyone was okay, I mean, what would have happened had he blew the light when we were already in the intersection? He would have smashed into the side of the car, possibly hurting himself more. OR we would have hit him head-on.

So, just a friendly yet firm reminder to all us who occasionally go against traffice to please take a different route.

[pooks]

Wow, that's scary. I hope his ankle is okay, but all things considered he's a very lucky guy tonight. I hope he knows it.

[IFjane]

lizbids - that reminds me of something that happened to me a couple weeks ago. I was on my way to the bank (driving) and a couple miles from my house I came upon a man who looked to be about 60, riding a bike on the wrong side of the road. He had a messenger bag over his shoulder and no helmet. He was topping a hill that is very steep and blind on the other side! The geography here is very hilly as we are at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains so there are lots of blind hills where cyclists & motorists cannot see what is coming, or what is ahead until they top the hill.

I did not stop, because I was alone and I had never seen this man before, but I decided that if I saw him again I was going to call 911 & tell the sheriff. On my way back home I did pass him again & he was still on the wrong side of the road. For the life of me I don't know how he got that far! He was headed for an intersection with a major 4-lane highway & I was worried that he would do something equally stupid when he got there. I drove past him & then stopped and called 911, told the dispatcher where he was located & she said she would send someone to check on him. I have no idea what happened after that. I knew that if I didn't call and I heard later that a cyclist had been hit, I couldn't live with myself so at least I feel I did the right thing.

[pooks]

Good for you! I've picked up a similar habit from my husband, who will call and report road hazards (debris on the road or interstate), cars broken down on the side of the road, people on foot who seem to be in trouble, etc.

I've seen a lot of riders lately -- usually older -- riding without helmets, and often on the wrong side of the street. Since these are relatively flat roads and in neighborhoods, I have occasionally been a bit concerned but never called to report it. You've given me pause; I can see that it's hazardous for them and for the vehicles on the road if they swerve to avoid a cyclist.

Wasn't it once recommended to ride on the opposite side, or was that only for pedestrian traffic?

[IFjane]

Pooks - I don't know if it was recommended that riders be on the opposite side of the road or not. If it was, it happened during the time between childhood & 40-something that I was not cycling.

I do always remember being told to WALK on the opposite side, facing traffic....

[LadyinWhite]

Things get a little tricky when you are riding w/ the traffic and come up on a pedestrian walking against the traffic. Where I ride there are a lot of joggers/walkers and when you put traffic, cyclists and peds all in the same tiny area of road suddenly knowing the proper yielding rules becomes critical.

Great thread, thanks for the reminder.

[GLC1968]

Pedestrians are supposed to walk/run against traffic so that they can see the oncoming cars and make an 'escape' as necessary. It does pose a problem when we are all sharing the same narrow space and there is traffic!

I vaguely remember being told as a child to ride against traffic, but I could totally be wrong.

Last summer, my husband and I were returning from a long training ride (in the car). We were at the crest of a hill and could see far ahead of us. What we saw, scared the crap out of me. A cyclist was riding against traffic. These were not busy roads, but the cars do tend to drive quite fast and for some reason, they all seem to 'appear' at once. Anyway, the cyclist was coming towards us and a car (in front of us) was headed toward him. There were also cars in the opposite lane coming towards us both. The car in front of us tried to do the right thing and slowed down to avoid having to pass the cyclist while the on-coming cars were there...but he couldn't. The problem was, no matter how he went, the cyclist was still coming at him and they were going to intersect when the oncoming cars were right there. Luckily, the lean oncoming car saw what was happening and also slowed down. Crisis averted. As we passed the cyclist, we yelled at him to ride WITH traffic. Hopefully, he learned his lesson, but I'm skeptical.

Honestly, until I saw that, it didn't really occur to me WHY we should ride with traffic. I always did, since that was the rule, but after that incident, I can see why (besides the traffic light issues). When you are going the same direction as a car, a car can at least slow to a crawl behind you if needed...they can't do that if you are coming at them. You are then relying on good timing...and that's damn scary.