Wrong-way cyclists?

[Pedal Wench]

I hate to have to ask this, but what do you do when you are approaching a cyclist riding on the wrong side of the road (riding against traffic and coming at you?) Obviously, they're in the wrong, but I still need to get around them safely. What side should I pass them on? Pretend they're a pedestrian and pass on my right/their right? Pass them as if we were alone on a road and pass them on my left/their left? The game of chicken that I'm doing now isn't good for anyone!

[Trek Rider]

I treat them as a pedestrian and go past them on my right.

[kf5nd]

I scream at them in English and Spanish:

"Other side ! Otro lado!"

[cyclingshane73]

I treat them as a pedestrian and go past them on my right.

I'll second that along with a very loud, "Wrong way, Stupid!" :mad:

[scarry]

I aim straight for them while slowing down, and force them to stop. Then they get an education from me. Wrong way idiot.

[Daily Commute]

I move as far to my left as traffic will permit, into the next lane, if possible. But I think Stiffee's idea is a nice addition.

[supcom]

Move well to the left as soon as possible so the guy cannot mistake my intentions.

[operator]

Slow down a bit, usually its not a problem. People cycling the wrong way don't have an extremely long life span.

[TechJD]

I'll second that along with a very loud, "Wrong way, Stupid!" :mad:

well maybe they arent stupid
maybe it's was a disition to do this for what ever reason
I do it here to protect my kids as I dont think they are safe crossin a 3 lane road twice in a mile
expectly as beginer cycleist

[John E]

I understand TechJD's comment. There have been isolated, brief, VERY rare scenarios under which I have had to resort to wrong-way cycling. However, whenever I have to do so, I proceed very slowly, cling to the curb, and motion to right-direction cyclists to pass me on the traffic side. If there is a sidewalk or pedestrian path, I will use this, again very slowly, courteously, and cautiously, instead of riding "upstream" in a bike lane.

With very few exceptions, wrong-way cyclists are dangerous. When you approach one, move as far from the curb as you safely can, and gesture to him/her to move curbside.

[blendingnoise]

I usually just stick my line and stay to the right letting the other guy coming the wrong way stop or if they see a space in traffic behind me to move out and pass me. This way I don't have to worry about cars coming up from behind me or changing lanes into me and I let the guy going the wrong way who has a clear view of the traffic judge what to do. I also do the same if I find myself cutting up a oneway street sometimes and let the guy going the right way stay his line.

What do you all think is safer to do in city traffic?

[kb0tnv]

I usually just try to pass them like normal peds. If they are wearing a helmet or look like a regular cyclist then I will tell them. Others who have beat up bikes I don't. I think they think I am the weird one Last time I told a person that they were riding the wrong way they said, "Oh Well". It is like they don't care...but without proper education when kids are younger what do we all expect to get?

- Peace

[PaulH]

I also treat them as pedestrians -- pass on the left of them. I also growl out "Wrong Way!" in my best Darth Vader voice. They react exactly the same as if I had said "Potato Chip!" or "Confetti", which is to say, slightly puzzled indifference.

Paul

[Raiyn]

The messed up thing is when I was a kid in elementary school (20+ years ago) we were TAUGHT to ride the wrong way. Thankfully, not too long aftertwards, I was informed that the law states to ride with traffic and the materials we were using were out of date. My point being that these people were taught to ride "upstream" and while I think they're moron's for doing so it's not entirely their fault.

What a soft position from me - I must be getting sick.

[Ganesha]

Adults, I pass them on the right, after all they are the one who want to see the traffic coming at them.

[caloso]

The last time this happened, I think I yelled "Right side! This is not England!"

(Which makes me wonder whether any of our UK, Oz, NZ, etc., friends yell "This is not America!")

[Gurgus]

This thread reminded me of that movie "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" when Steve Martin and John Candy are driving on the wrong sied of the highway. "Your going the wrong way!" "How do they know where we are going?"

when I was in gradeschool in the early eighties, they told us to ride opposing traffic. I thought it was a stupid idea then and I think it's a stupid idea now.

[Guest]

I continue straight ahead. There's no way anyone is going to get me to swerve into traffic because they are idiots. I also yell at them and tell them they're on the wrong side of the street. I had some lady call me a "stupid b!tch" once when I told her she was going the wrong way. Well, I turned and followed that heffa and scared the crap out of her. Never saw her in my neighborhood again either, and certainly not on the wrong side of the street.

Koffee

[Litespeed]

Great comment Koffee ! I just stay to the center of my bike lane and force them out into traffic. I figure they can see any cars coming and they can take the risk. I'm not an agressive cyclist at all so I don't make any verbal comments to them at all, at least not within ear shot. I wear a mirror but I'm still not risking my life over theirs. It seems I have seen a lot more wrong way cyclist in the last couple of months, can't figure out why. All I know is that they are obviously not serious cyclist, street people usually or kids. :eek:

[seacycle]

What do you do when you see an entire GANG of people coming at you on bikes the wrong way.
This happened to me this summer. It was a group of 5 or 6 young women riding abreast, no helmets, clueless, etc. This was during a day trip to Block Isalnd, which is full of cyclists in the summer, and they had to notice that 99% of the many people on bikes were riding on the other side of the road. I would have had to swing out into heavy traffic to go around them.....no way was I going to do that because of their ignorance. I held my line and slowed down as I headed straight for them. They were a little startled, but not as much as they should have been. I finally came to a stop in front of them and as they passed me in the opposite direction on both sides I said, "Wrong side of the road, girls" in a stern voice. I was angry and wanted to say something far worse, but they were so dumb, it would have been like yelling at a herd of brainless animals.

[kelly223us]

I yell at them...."It's just like driving a car"!! You are on the wrong side of the road!.......If I am going slow enough, I remind them ....."This is a good way to get yourself killed!"
......But as it was said in a earlier reply, some people just don't care, and the others don't know any better.

[Ryan]

No offense but come on you really can't figure out what to do on your own? Do what you feel safest doing.. Next you'll be asking which sock you should pull on first in the morning..

[Chris L]

I just judge the situation on it's merits. However, normally I'll already be on the "traffic side" of them, so I just hold my line there. I rarely get overly bothered by it anymore. As Raiyn said, many so called "bicycle safety officers" are teaching this trollop now, and I know for a fact that most people in this part of the world are too stupid to know any better. I just deal with it as it presents itself.

[madpogue]

My usual: "We drive on the right in this country."

[eric w]

I try not to get too confrontational with most situations that I run into. I feel the need in cases like these is to stay your line and make them pass you.
However when i'm feeling argumentative I get in their way, make them stop and let 'em have it. It might not make them change their habits but at least I told 'em what was on my mind.

where I live only homeless people, crackheads, and newbie college kids ride on the wrong side of the road.

[Seeker]

I scream at them in English and Spanish:

"Other side ! Otro lado!"

You mean you actually have situations where people that require warnings in spanish are actually on the road? Okay I know I'll end up flambe'd over this one but just this morning coming home I passed a guy on the wrong side of the road riding on the sidewalk when there was a nicely painted bike lane right there. I notice a lot of times some of the cyclists from "south of the border" will stick to the side walks even when there are bike lanes, and yeah when there isn't a sidewalk you can usually find them riding against traffic. Wonder if their experiance growing up learning bike safety was same as when I was a kid. I was taught all this happy BS as a kid. Still remember the local kids show that would give safety tips like "Stay on the sidewalk and ride against traffic so you can see the cars coming." Shame on you Cadet Don and Kitirik.

[Daily Commute]

well maybe they arent stupid
maybe it was a decision to do this for what ever reason
I do it here to protect my kids as I dont think they are safe crossing a 3 lane road twice in a mile
expectly as beginner cyclist

I know you have the best of intentions, but what you are teaching your kids could get them killed. If they can't ride across a three-lane road twice in a mile, they should walk their bikes on the sidewalk for the length of the road. They could also ride in the correct direction to a safe crosswalk, carefully dismount, cross as a pedestrian, then remount and go back the other way.

Once again, you have the best of intentions, but your advice is putting your kids at risk.

Edit: If you want to train them to ride on that road as safely as possible, try taking them out on a Sunday or some other time when traffic is very light. They can figure out where most of the hazards are and plan their path along the road.

[rule]

Hold my line...watch to make sure that they don't do anything stupid...shout 'going the wrong way is the quickest way to die out here' as I pass.

If Spanish is required I shout 'hay un partido en mis pantalones'.

[Weasel]

Don't really have that problem here, as virtually everyone rides on bike paths next to the pavement. There are however, plenty of "thicko's" who ride on the said bike paths the wrong way. My way to deal with it is to simply carry on and let them get out of the way. I normally grumble something under my breath as they pass, but I generally put up with it because I love bikes and not cars :) .

[Pedal Wench]

No offense but come on you really can't figure out what to do on your own? Do what you feel safest doing.. Next you'll be asking which sock you should pull on first in the morning..

Sorry to have bothered you, but putting my socks on wrong won't kill me. Being forced out into traffic might. "Do what you feel safest doing..." is fine advice, but I didn't know if there was an accepted rule/law to make this safer than the head-on game of chicken that usually occurs. I was just trying to get a feel for which side people use to pass in this situation, in an effort to make me a better and safer cyclist. Isn't that the point of this forum?

[AndrewP]

People riding the wrong way usually hug the curb. Since I ride about 3 ft from the curb, I only have to move out a few more inches to avoid them.

[John E]

People riding the wrong way usually hug the curb. Since I ride about 3 ft from the curb, I only have to move out a few more inches to avoid them.

This is, of course, the best-case scenario, but it assumes a certain amount of road width and also that the wrong-way cyclist will not swerve toward the center of the road.

The biggest problem I see in this entire thread is that some of us, at least some of the time, attempt to pass wrong-way cyclists curbside, as though trying to turn the bike lane into a miniature 2-way street, whereas others try to do so on the traffic side. By itself, this ambiguity can lead to a head-on collision. Although I understand the motivation in both cases, I almost always decelerate, try to hold my normal line as closely as possible (e.g., traffic side of a bike lane), and let the wrong-way cyclists fall (so to speak) where they may, often with a diplomatic-but-firm verbal warning and chastising.

[shokhead]

If i'm on the street,i make sure they ride to my left into traffic. Yesterday riding on the bikepath i'm riding in the right lane coming up on a kid going the same way in the left lane,headphones so loud he isnt hearing anyone. He's riding center line to his left side so i dont know whats next. I slow to about 10mph to pass and of course he comes into my lane to pass somebody walking in his lane,he never looks behind him so i almost stop,he goes back into the wrong lane and i get by him. I know these guys know its wrong but cant figure out why they do it. It scares me i'm the one thats going to get hurt.

[operator]

One guy exiting St George St. almost hit a stupid cyclists going the wrong way on a bike path on said street. Almost hit me too. When I passed him I said "wrong way buddy!". He went on as if nothing happened.

[natelutkjohn]

AAUURGHHHH!!!! :mad: :mad: This thread really plucks a chord with me! I see wrong way riders every single day I ride here and it is the most irritating thing! I don't agree with riding on the sidewalk, but if you're gonna break the law and ride on the wrong side of the road in traffic, why not go one step furthur and at least not put another cyclist in grave danger with your ignorance/stupidity and ride on the sidewalk. But as to what I do, I move to the left as well. I figure they are already clueless enough, if I try to go to the right they will have no idea what to do and we will both end up being hit by a car.

Just another little bit of steam release:

A couple of weeks ago I was driving down a failry busy road (35mph speed limit, but in reality, much faster) and I was in the middle lane with a semi on the right of me and a large box truck right in front. Well, some complete and utter moron with an undeniable death wish comes riding his bike against traffic BETWEEN me and a semi-truck on my right! It was right around a bend and I never even saw him until he was right there! OH MAN! Was I steamed at how dumb that was! (not to mention the heartattack I almost suffered) It just makes bikers look like idiots...gggrrrrrrrrrrrr. I know that sounds over the top and unbeleivable, but never doubt the heights that an ignoramous will climb to stand out.


Alright I'm done :)

[operator]

Hell no, if you're going to break the law and ride against traffic, please do it where speeds on a road approach 100kph. Dont' kill/maim needless pedestrians or cyclists.

[shokhead]

This morning i'm on the bike path,pretty crowded. About 6-8 high school girls track team and a 25 year old or so male coach with them. Of course they are joging in both lanes and coming right at me and i have no where to go but stop. They get five feet from me as i am almost stopped and on a dime they turn around and go the other way. Just about then a group of about 8-10 riders are coming down towards them and start shouting bike and slow up. As they ride down the middle of the girls as they are still in each lane and the coach saying nothing they go by and say,you guys need to be in one lane and off they go and the coach turns and says what! I'm even with him and being nice{Young girls and all} i say,he said if you guys could get in one lane,we can get around you guys easier. The coach yells,we were turning around buddy! Two things i could have did and i choose to ride. Then of course the lady with the dog on no leash and after it goes for my leg,she says sorry. To fricken late for that.Still got in 40 but man,it was heavy traffic at 7am.

[HereNT]

I see a lot of wrong way bikers in the bike lanes downtown here. I usually move out to the left towards the oncoming traffic - it seems like often I'm the one with the lights, and I try to warn the cars. When I see them on lanes where the bike goes with the traffic, I also move out and take the lane as we pass so that they don't get in a head on collision.

I was talking with the temp at work the other day, he's been thinking about a bike for getting to work. He said he thought it was safer to ride on the wrong side of the street, against traffic, so he could see the cars. I told him that he's a lot more likely to be dead in the event of an accident doing that. A car hitting you from the front does a lot more damage than a car hitting you from behind.... Neither is good, but at least if they hit you from behind, you and the car are moving the same direction, which minimises the actual force of the collision...

[operator]

The real reason its not as safe as going the "right way" is because drivers are surprised and confused by wrong way cyclists.

[Chris L]

I Neither is good, but at least if they hit you from behind, you and the car are moving the same direction, which minimises the actual force of the collision...

It also gives them more time to see you.

[LittleBigMan]

I look behind to make sure traffic's clear, then I ride out into the middle of the lane.

They always get the message about where I'm passing, but I wonder if they get the message about where they are supposed to ride.

[LittleBigMan]

Wonder if their experiance growing up learning bike safety was same as when I was a kid. I was taught all this happy BS as a kid. Still remember the local kids show that would give safety tips like "Stay on the sidewalk and ride against traffic so you can see the cars coming." Shame on you Cadet Don and Kitirik.
That's interesting. I guess it depends on where/when you grew up.

In mid 1960's Rockville, Md., I vividly remember my first bike ride to school. As I rode up the sidewalk, I began to hear shouting. More and more people joined in until I realized they were shouting at me.

Get off the sidewalk! they were all shouting. From then on, I learned to ride in the street.

What amazed me is that about 30 years later, when I hit the street again on my bike as an adult in Atlanta, everyone started shouting, Get on the sidewalk!!

:rolleyes:

[turtlendog]

I had this happen on Fri. when I was doing 35 or better. I was out to within 3-4 ft of the yellow lines before the kid stopped zig-zaging.

Thankfully there was no traffic to complicate the matter!

[Rowan]

And y'all wonder why I push the cyclist education barrow. And y'all think it's a good idea to get more people on bikes when they behave like this. P-u-h-l-e-e-e-e-z-e.

Do something to support spending on the promotion and delivery of cyclist training. Gee, even take a training course yourself and become an instructor.

Then you won't have to complain when bike riders don't do the things you expect or want them to.

[Rowan]

No offense but come on you really can't figure out what to do on your own? Do what you feel safest doing.. Next you'll be asking which sock you should pull on first in the morning..
I wonder if high schools in the US run classes on respecting your elders? If they do, you could do the course, Ryan... when you've grown up a little bit.

[catatonic]

I usually just give them a "Dude, your more likely to get hit going against traffic" as I go by.

I've had a few f yous sent my way, but really at that point who cares...if they dont want to change their ways, let them become roadkill. I fully support darwinism, and won't slow down the efforts of people like that to prove it's validity.

[Chris L]

Do something to support spending on the promotion and delivery of cyclist training. Gee, even take a training course yourself and become an instructor.

Then you won't have to complain when bike riders don't do the things you expect or want them to.

Sadly, I don't know if I could hold down a job around here teaching cyclists to do things that aren't written in the text books, which seem to suggest riding against traffic. In anycase, as I said before, it doesn't really bother me that much. I've got enough problems with people driving against traffic (or that mess in Broadbeach this afternoon, good job I'm on a bike, otherwise I'd probably still be there).

As Catatonic said, if they want to become roadkill or the subject of an experiment in natural selection, let them go right ahead. At least on a bike they're unlikely to take me with them.

[John Ridley]

I've only been commuting for two years, and I really only see serious cyclists on my route, so I have not met any wrong-way cyclists. I've seen a few in other areas of the state though.

It seems to me there's only one way to deal with them. Treat them as obstructions, just like if there were a traffic barrel in the street. I'd pass them on the left (going farther from the curb myself). *I* am part of traffic, they're an obstruction. The wrong-way cyclists I've seen are invariably staying very close to the curb, whereas I will take the lane when necessary. If it's not safe for me to move to the left, I guess I'd stop, and see what they do. If they slow down as well, it might be a good chance to have a few words with them.

[rykoala]

I had a real bugger this morning, some guy on an old 10 speed riding the wrong way on a dangerous s-curve on a busy street. I wasn't about to move out toward traffic to pass the guy so I hug the curb and make eye contact, so as to say "YOU go around." The guy holds his course (collision course that is) and eventually I am FORCED to go around him. As I go around him, he comes to a stop, and I said "Hey man you're going the wrong way!" I didn't look back to see his response but I was a bit pissed. I'm just glad some mario andretti wannabe wasn't hugging the curb right then. It happens all the time.

[LittleBigMan]

No offense but come on you really can't figure out what to do on your own? Do what you feel safest doing.. Next you'll be asking which sock you should pull on first in the morning..
Wrong-way cyclists are "doing what they feel safest doing."