Pedestrians?

[Bethany1]

I was coming home yesterday and nearly took out a pedestrian. I was going down the road at about 26 mph since it was a straight shot down the hill. The road does have some smaller hills and when I came over the top there was a guy walking up.

The last thing I want to do is hit the guy at this speed and I couldn't tell if there were cars behind me with the wind blowing. I'm braking for dear life wondering if I should head over into the grass and hoping I don't go over the bike or take a chance and go around hoping a car isn't coming behind me as I couldn't see.

The guy isn't moving out of the way and I just took a chance and rode around him. It's not that busy of a street but you never know. He waved hi as I rode past him.

So, was there a better way to handle this? Was he supposed to walking up the road facing oncoming cars? If there was a car behind me should I hit the grass? I didn't have enough time to yell at him to move either. Yell at him that I'm going really fast and move out of the way if I had time? If I had hit him, I'm guessing I would be the one responsible since pedestrians always win.

It just really scared me as I try to be responsible on a bike. If I had been in a car, it would have been a close call as well. I'd just like to be better prepared the next time I face a pedestrian. No..there aren't any sidewalks.

[Wingher]

I think most states have the same law that pedestrians are to walk facing traffic, if there are no sidewalks available. In our area, we have quite a few joggers along the roads, so IMO, you did the right thing. So down a bit and pass the walker/jogger on the left. You may not have had to hard brake, but in the future, just give them some room and pass on the left. If they are jogging/walking with traffic (which is usually illegal) a warning of "on your left" before passing is an appreciated courtesy.

You also might look into a mirror for your bike or helmet. (No pun intended!)

[OakLeaf]

What Wingher said. The rules are the same for you on your bike as they are when you're driving a car - you're a vehicle in traffic. Pedestrians are required to walk facing traffic, and it's ordinarily the safest place for them to be.

It's a good idea not to hug the curb on a blind climb anyway. You don't want to encourage cars to pass you and potentially hit an oncoming vehicle head-on (odds are that one of the vehicles would hit you, so this is a self-interested position as well as anything else).

Now, when I run, I often cross to the wrong side of the road when I'm on a blind climb or on the inside of a blind curve. But that's illegal, and it also may not be possible if there's traffic in both directions. I also wear a neon orange visor so that as soon as my head is visible over a hill, it's really visible. Still, just as for us cyclists, the fact that someone might not be following best practices doesn't obviate others' responsibility toward them.

[Bethany1]

Thanks for the advice. I don't think I'll be going up/down that road again on a bike. It's not safe.

I need to get a mirror. I can't turn my head far enough to look behind me as I've discovered.

Turns out all these years that I've been walking wrong then if I'm supposed to face traffic. LOL.

I don't usually ride in the mornings as people are always out walking. Usually early afternoon works the best to avoid cars and people. I just needed to do an early ride so I could get some other errands done.

[Biciclista]

Bottom line, pedestrian has the right of way even if he's in the wrong place. Fortunately most of the time they stay on the sidewalk, but many places around here don't even HAVE sidewalks. I'm with you; pick a better route!

[lph]

I'd go one further and say move well out into the road when approaching anything blind at speed, and check your back in advance to know if you can move even more out in a hurry. If you're uncomfortable with turning your head to check, you need a mirror. Hearing is not reliable to tell if there are cars there. Moving out into the middle of the road also signals any cars behind to hold it a minute and not pass. It also pisses off some drivers, but if you obviously and deliberately move out when needed, and back when the coast is clear, I think most drivers will see that you're doing for a reason.

It is tricky when things turn up un-expectedly, but it is your responsibility both as a driver and a cyclist to handle the unexpected, as it were. There could be an animal there, a car-crash, something that would force you to stop or move completely out of the way.

I'm not saying I never ride too fast to handle something like that, though