Advocacy & Safety - The idiot who was cycling on the wrong side of the road

So there was this idiot who was cycling on the wrong side of the road today.....

Held his ground when I was riding on the right hand side of the road and forced me out into traffic.

When I yelled at him to get on the other side of the road, he turns around, wheels up to me on opposite side of the road (I was stopped behind a line of cars waiting to turn left) - stops in the middle of the lane - and says "There is no right side of the road. I ride where I f**king want. Okay?"

Unbelievable....I was gobsmacked. How can people be so breathtakingly stupid?

Is it everywhere or is it just here in Brampton, ON where stupidity and ignorance of bicycle traffic laws is rampant?

People are dumb everywhere.

There is no law against being stupid - eventually they fade away..........

So there was this idiot who was cycling on the wrong side of the road today.....

Held his ground when I was riding on the right hand side of the road and forced me out into traffic.

When I yelled at him to get on the other side of the road, he turns around, wheels up to me on opposite side of the road (I was stopped behind a line of cars waiting to turn left) - stops in the middle of the lane - and says "There is no right side of the road. I ride where I f**king want. Okay?"

Unbelievable....I was gobsmacked. How can people be so breathtakingly stupid?

Is it everywhere or is it just here in Brampton, ON where stupidity and ignorance of bicycle traffic laws is rampant?

Look on the bright side, with an attitude like that he'll be a Darwin Award winner eventually.

There is no law against being stupid - eventually they fade away..........

Or become Darwin Award winners.

I had a horribly sterotypical hipster, to the point of being a living caricature, slam into me as I was crossing a busy avenue here a few months ago because I wasn't expecting anything to be coming the wrong way against traffic. The clown gave no warning, didn't stop, and only turned back, again contraflow to traffic through red lights in an insanely busy intersection, following my hurling of obscenities at him and started giving to lip service about wanting to start a fight. When it became very clear to him I was fully committed to visiting due violence on him, for potentially rendering injury to myself or others through his recklessness, he sped off with a rather lame stare down behind some 1970s aviators.

Brake-less, reflector/light-less, bell-less, helmet-less, with poorly inflated tires, unwilling to at least yell warnings, ill-tempered, and evidently brainless, I doubt the guy is going to be riding very long before a collision or messenger, irritated by the shear gravitational black hole of poseur audacity generated, teaches a lesson from the school of hard knocks.

OK, you guys helped me decide -- I get approached by a wrong-way rider, he's gettin' kicked off the street!

That is why I just move into the road. Check mirror and merge no problem.

the real problem with wrong way riders is the approach speed is much more than you are expecting. If you have good sight lines, that's great. I've been in two situations where there was zero warning going around a curve. Ask them nicely maybe they'll change.

"There is no right side of the road. I ride where I f**king want. Okay?"

You should have said to him "Keep it up and you'll be riding in the back of an ambulance, biatch!"

Years ago I would have played chicken and held my ground. I commute on my hardtail mtb with slicks and my XC riding background has taught me plenty in staying up after crashing into trees and such so I have very little doubt that I can run him over and be fine. Now that I am older, I would probably not do something so brash, but I think, hopefully, I taught a few people a lesson.

Point being you should make him realize that one day it'll be his undoing. I would have said one day you'll get hit by a car and die or something like that, in retort. I have no doubt that the people I've scared and yelled at will think twice about riding against the arrow painted on the ground or walking into bike lanes without looking. That one girl that stood in the bike lane with her back to oncoming traffic on her cell phone is probably lost forever though.

with the US economy in shambles I have noticed lots of people biking in our area that don't have a clue that there are laws governing the way you ride a bike.

Today I had an experience similiar to yours; guy going wrong way, straight at me, when I tell him he's riding on the wrong side of road, he tells me he will ride anywhere he wants and if I don't like it go f myself.

Like the other posters said, you have to hope natural selection rids us of their presents.

So there was this idiot who was cycling on the wrong side of the road today.....


quite common down here, btw... i've seen fathers and small children (w/o helmets) riding the wrong way on 45mph four-lanes w/no bike lane...

There's No Lifeguard in the Gene Pool.™

Darwin awards only apply if the recipient has not reproduced.

In case of doubt, I'd call it a problem that will eventually solve itself.

Wrong-way riders are just an obstacle like a construction barrel or a dog in the road. Go around.

There's a lot of cyclists.

Half of them are stupider than average.

Our area has been overrun with a fresh crop of clueless university students who ride everywhere. The sidewalks are just not safe for pedestrians any longer. I swear I am going to start carrying a cudgel.

I don't see the occasional wrong-way rider as a big deal. After all, we have to make the same accommodations for joggers, who are taught that it is in fact best to run against traffic.

One way to promote bike riding is to make it easier and more convenient than driving. So I tend to like the "wherever i want" style of bike riding. I think the more we think of bikes similar to pedestrians - in the sense that they almost always should be given right of way over cars and should have a right to go almost anywhere - the more bike riders there will be. Let's turn the streets into a confusing mass of every-which-way bicycle riding! It'll still be a lot safer and better for the environment than perfectly organized car traffic!

that used to bug me but now I just don't care.

with the US economy in shambles I have noticed lots of people biking in our area that don't have a clue that there are laws governing the way you ride a bike.

Today I had an experience similiar to yours; guy going wrong way, straight at me, when I tell him he's riding on the wrong side of road, he tells me he will ride anywhere he wants and if I don't like it go f myself.

Like the other posters said, you have to hope natural selection rids us of their presents.

Next time you see one of those wrong way riding cyclists, ask the for their name so that you can make sure that it is spelled correctly on their Darwin Award.

Darwin awards only apply if the recipient has not reproduced.

In case of doubt, I'd call it a problem that will eventually solve itself.

I could have sworn that I have seen father's and son's win an award together. And even if they had managed to reproduce once. Then took themselves out of the gene pool in a spectacular way doesn't that still count?

The term is "salmoning" according to Bikesnob. I admit I salmon almost on a daily basis. I'm not going to make 3 left turns to get to my destination when I can make one right turn against traffic and ride 100 ft to my destination.

When I salmon, I make sure I'm the one who's out in traffic. I give any lawful riders the right of way every time. If there's too much traffic, I just ride on the sidewalk for 100ft. No biggie.

So because it's not convenient for you to make the three legal left turns your going to brake the law and endanger your and possible other's safety by riding against traffic. How would you like it if a motorist took that same idea and was driving in the wrong way because it would "easier" to make one right turn then three left? You'd probably be one the first ones calling for his/her head on a platter.

When you finally get stopped by the cops for your illegal riding, I hope that they give your excuse all the attention that it is due.

I was talking to a person whom I suspect is homeless, and who had had officers from 2 squad cars stop him and talk to him. He defended his riding against traffic by saying that "If someone is driving drunk, and your riding with traffic you'll never see them."

I don't see the occasional wrong-way rider as a big deal. After all, we have to make the same accommodations for joggers, who are taught that it is in fact best to run against traffic.

One way to promote bike riding is to make it easier and more convenient than driving. So I tend to like the "wherever i want" style of bike riding. I think the more we think of bikes similar to pedestrians - in the sense that they almost always should be given right of way over cars and should have a right to go almost anywhere - the more bike riders there will be. Let's turn the streets into a confusing mass of every-which-way bicycle riding! It'll still be a lot safer and better for the environment than perfectly organized car traffic!

Joggers are still pedestrians, and bicycles are still vehicles, and they should not be treated the same. We have laws for a reason. If you don't like a law or group of laws work with the system to change them. But you still have to obey them until they are changed.

It's like I said - there is no law against being stupid!

I had one a few weeks back, who was going for "the idiot trifecta". She was:

-Riding on the wrong side of the road.

-Riding at dusk, with no headlight, or lights of any kind.

-Riding with helmet...dangling from the handlebars. I can never figure this one out. I guess they intend to put it on real fast, on their way to the pavement. She was no kid either, I would have guessed her to be in her 40's. Totally blank facial expression. No one home, at all.

To avoid her, I had to move well into the lane. Luckily, traffic is light in this area, at this time. This was in Newton Highlands, MA. This is a city with a high average household income, where most of the population is college educated. So yes, idiots are everywhere.

So because it's not convenient for you to make the three legal left turns your going to brake the law and endanger your and possible other's safety by riding against traffic. How would you like it if a motorist took that same idea and was driving in the wrong way because it would "easier" to make one right turn then three left? You'd probably be one the first ones calling for his/her head on a platter.



There is a massive difference between the potential damage a car can cause and what a bicycle can cause and so there is no reason to equate the two. Sometimes, or even usually, the vehicle code requires both cars and bikes to follow the same rule: but that's just because lawmarkers are too lazy: those of us on the ground are still allowed to use our brains and recognize that the two are very different vehicles and common sense can tell us that there are lots of rules that we need to strictly enforce for cars but don't need to really worry about as much for bikes because the result of each violating that law is very different.


Joggers are still pedestrians, and bicycles are still vehicles, and they should not be treated the same. We have laws for a reason. If you don't like a law or group of laws work with the system to change them. But you still have to obey them until they are changed.

You think things "should" be one way, and I think they "should" be another way. We have many options when we don't like a law, including working within the system, working from outside the system (as our founding fathers did), and simply ignoring that law and suffering whatever consequences come our way because of that. I'm partial to the last option. (FYI, i don't ride on the wrong side of the road).

When I yelled at him

So, some guy is just riding his bike the same way he has millions of times and some dude in a helmet and a fancy bike starts yelling at him. How well would one expect that to work?


When you finally get stopped by the cops for your illegal riding, I hope that they give your excuse all the attention that it is due.
I hope you always stop at every stop sign. I hope you never speed (on a bike or a car). Otherwise, you'd be a hypcrit.

The "it's illegal" argument for bicycling stuff tends to be a very weak one. Especially, if that argument is made by yelling.

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I don't see the occasional wrong-way rider as a big deal. After all, we have to make the same accommodations for joggers, who are taught that it is in fact best to run against traffic.

The bicycle-riding against traffic is generally quite different than the "jogger" one. Not only are the speeds typically very different, the "jogger" has options to avoid traffic that a bicyclist doesn't have. That is, it's a weak argument to equate the two.


Let's turn the streets into a confusing mass of every-which-way bicycle riding! It'll still be a lot safer and better for the environment than perfectly organized car traffic!
You almost had me convinced that there was some sense in your position!

There is a massive difference between the potential damage a car can cause and what a bicycle can cause and so there is no reason to equate the two. Sometimes, or even usually, the vehicle code requires both cars and bikes to follow the same rule: but that's just because lawmarkers are too lazy: those of us on the ground are still allowed to use our brains and recognize that the two are very different vehicles and common sense can tell us that there are lots of rules that we need to strictly enforce for cars but don't need to really worry about as much for bikes because the result of each violating that law is very different.

A person on a bicycle has just as much potential of injuring or killing a pedestrian as does a car. We've seen the posts here where it's been reported. Yes, both forms of vehicles have different properties, but they both have the potential to injure or kill a person. And given that potential isn't it better to err on the side of caution?



You think things "should" be one way, and I think they "should" be another way. We have many options when we don't like a law, including working within the system, working from outside the system (as our founding fathers did), and simply ignoring that law and suffering whatever consequences come our way because of that. I'm partial to the last option. (FYI, i don't ride on the wrong side of the road).

Yes we do. And what if part of those consequences is that bicycles are banned from all public highways and restricted to MUPs and bike trails? We've seen that cities have enacted laws doing just that. Or someone taking your advice and getting themselves killed?

if you spend your life trying to teach idoits, you will live a stressful and pointless life.

just move on..

There are far more idiots than you can possibly take care of. Just look at BF for instance...

So, some guy is just riding his bike the same way he has millions of times and some dude in a helmet and a fancy bike starts yelling at him. How well would one expect that to work?


I hope you always stop at every stop sign. I hope you never speed (on a bike or a car). Otherwise, you'd be a hypcrit.

Yes, I do and no I don't as I do not drive a car. The last time I did drive a car was way back in high school in drivers ed.


The "it's illegal" argument for bicycling stuff tends to be a very weak one.

It's generally illegal to some things because they've been proven to unsafe. So how is the "it's illegal" argument "weak?"


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The bicycle-riding against traffic is generally quite different than the "jogger" one. Not only are the speeds typically very different, the "jogger" has options to avoid traffic that a bicyclist doesn't have. That is, it's a weak argument to equate the two.

Yes, I do and no I don't as I do not drive a car. The last time I did drive a car was way back in high school in drivers ed.
You mean you completely stop the bike and put your foot down every time? You've never exceeded the speed limit on your bike?


It's generally illegal to some things because they've been proven to unsafe. So how is the "it's illegal" argument "weak?"
It's weak because wrong-way riders don't get ticketed for it (at least, it's very rare that they do). The wrong-way rider has ridden that way millions of times. His experience "proves" that is safe.


A person on a bicycle has just as much potential of injuring or killing a pedestrian as does a car. We've seen the posts here where it's been reported. Yes, both forms of vehicles have different properties, but they both have the potential to injure or kill a person. And given that potential isn't it better to air on the side of caution?
This is a poorly framed argument in many ways.

Count this person as an "Ugly Hood Ornament waiting to be perched". Alway stay out of the way of stupid people. They'll end up getting the "learning curve" quickly.

A person on a bicycle has just as much potential of injuring or killing a pedestrian as does a car. We've seen the posts here where it's been reported. Yes, both forms of vehicles have different properties, but they both have the potential to injure or kill a person. And given that potential isn't it better to air on the side of caution?

Sorry, but they absolutely do not "have as much potential of injuring or killing a pedestrian". One weighs 4000 lbs. and one weighs 20 lbs. Yes, I'm sure there are rare cases where a bicycle kills a pedestrian but it's much, much, much less likely than a car doing so and the statistics will prove this.

Sure we can "air"[sic] on the side of caution anyway, but we shouldn't get as freaked out when a bike does something stupid as when a car does.

I was trained in bicycle safety at West Point, New York in 1962. I was taught to ride on the left hand side of the road so I could see and avoid the cars.

Is it everywhere or is it just here in Brampton, ON where stupidity and ignorance of bicycle traffic laws is rampant?

90% of cyclist in New Orleans ride against traffic. Their logic, when I am foolish enough to ask, is not exactly insightful. Basically, they want to SEE the car that's going to KILL them. The only thought that makes any sense is the fact that getting doored to death is actually reduced! The driver of the parked car is actually looking in the right direction to see the cyclist, and the door opens in a less injurious manner for a contraflow cyclist.

Other than that, I am not even going to start listing the dangers of riding against traffic. That has been beaten to death in several other threads. Just by the numbers, during my 4 mile commute to Downtown NOLA (I am just behind the 9am rush) I can get to work with less than 20 cars passing/interacting with me because I am riding darn near the speed limit anyway. If I took the same exact route contraflow, 2000 cars would interact with me. :eek: Eff THAT!

"There is no right side of the road. I ride where I f**king want. Okay?"

An in-your-face jabrone! Sounds like home...

I was trained in bicycle training at West Point, New York in 1962. I was taught to ride on the left hand side of the road so I could see and avoid the cars.

The problem with that is that this assumes that the responsibility of a bicycle on the road is to get out of the way of cars, not to share the road with them.

If you wear a mirror, you can still see the cars, but you're also taking 30+ MPH out of the equation if you do get hit (you're going 15 MPH away from them instead of 15 MPH towards them).

The only roads that I find any significant salmon populations on are the residential or collector (25/35mph) streets with bike lanes which get used as a two way cycle path. I just stay out of the bike lanes on those streets and there is no issue then.

I had one a few weeks back, who was going for "the idiot trifecta". She was:

-Riding on the wrong side of the road.

-Riding at dusk, with no headlight, or lights of any kind.

-Riding with helmet...dangling from the handlebars. I can never figure this one out. I guess they intend to put it on real fast, on their way to the pavement. She was no kid either, I would have guessed her to be in her 40's. Totally blank facial expression. No one home, at all.

To avoid her, I had to move well into the lane. Luckily, traffic is light in this area, at this time. This was in Newton Highlands, MA. This is a city with a high average household income, where most of the population is college educated. So yes, idiots are everywhere.

Yeah, I've seen a few people riding with their helmets hanging from their handlebars and had to wonder why.

I think the more we think of bikes similar to pedestrians - in the sense that they almost always should be given right of way over cars and should have a right to go almost anywhere - the more dead bike riders there will be. Let's turn the streets into a confusing mass of every-which-way bicycle riding!

I have to assume you were being satirical here, but just in case, I fixed this for you.

My survival depends on the order and predictability that derive from following the rules of the road, so I will have to abstain from partaking in your anarchistic fantasy.

Have you seen this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dqibvh96Og

Things certainly are different in other countries. But it isn't exactly "every-which-way bicycle riding".

What evidence exists that it's safer? As far as I understand, the rate of traffic fatalities in "third world" countries is quite high.

Anyway, while this is the standard in some countries (not something I was disputing), no country is returning to that state of affairs. And it is also quite unlikely to happen in the US.

Things certainly are different in other countries. But it isn't exactly "every-which-way bicycle riding".

What evidence exists that it's safer? As far as I understand, the rate of traffic fatalities in "third world" countries is quite high.

Anyway, while this is the standard in some countries (not something I was disputing), no country is returning to that state of affairs. And it is also quite unlikely to happen in the US.

Wow, that is one royal Charlie Foxtrot. How many accidents with and without fatalities do they average a year?

. How can people be so breathtakingly stupid?

Is it everywhere or is it just here in Brampton, ON where stupidity and ignorance of bicycle traffic laws is rampant?

Stupidity is like Cancer. No political, geographical or socio-economic boundries can contain it. With people like that on two wheels it's no wonder motorists think we're all crazy.