no motor?

Lately I've noticed more people walking in the roadway on the sidestreets of my commutes. There have been unused sidewalks on either side of the road, and often there have been cars parked on the side of the road. Which means the pedestrians (usually salmon) are choosing to walk (not run or jog) in the path of vehicles when they could be walking on empty sidewalks on either side of the road - I'm not sure why they're doing this. Has anyone else noticed this?

rex_kramer

Out here in Cali, I've noticed more and more joggers running in the bike lanes. Most logical answer to this new trend would be that these people are tripping over raised portions of walkway and the word is getting out that it's safer in the roadway. Either way, I don't give them an inch. Bad enough I have to dodge garbage cans, salmon, illegally parked cars and tree cutting crews. What's worse is that I'm seeing this behavior more on the expressways, where it's illegal for peds to even be on...because there is no sidewalk.

Scheherezade 

Pedestrians are supposed to walk salmon style when using the traffic lanes.

Seattle Forrest

When I see a pedestrian in a bike lane I'm using, I tend to get annoyed, but I also give them plenty of space when I pass. When I ride in the traffic lane, drivers tend to get annoyed, but I want them to give me plenty of space when they pass.

colleen c

That's pretty much expected from Zombies

There is this one guy who walks in the middle of the street in the residential every morning at about 5am pitch dark. He walks with traffic and frankly I am surprise he has not yet got run down from behind nor a city cop pull him over. Guy is weird. Surprise he hasn't told me to get on the sidewalk. I started to record some of my ride and I think I do have a clip of him in my archives. I'll post it if I find it.

groovestew

In residential areas I'll often see people walking, running, skateboarding, rollerblading, walking dogs on the roads where there are perfectly good sidewalks. I haven't noticed an uptick though. Happens often enough that it doesn't seem unusual.

Leisesturm

I am really surprised at the lack of pedestrian love being generated by this thread. Until proven otherwise I always assume that another human being has at least as much intelligence as I do. If I see a ped in the bike lane I do not get annoyed, there is more than likely a very good reason for them being there. Even if not, it costs me very little to swing into a traffic lane for the second it will take to pass them. Less, if they are salmoning. And since someone went there: how much space is enough when you are being passed by cagers? How would you react if there was a head on collision right in front of you because a well meaning driver gave you all the road he could? When I am being overtaken I ride on the fog strip and concentrate on keeping my speed and line while (hopefully) the overtaking driver concentrates on keeping all the vehicles in the vicinity (including mine) from being involved in a fatal accident. I haven't found at all that if I ride the strip that this invites buzzing. Nearly all the drivers that pass pull over the centerline regardless of my position in the road. Those that don't, wouldn't, and even if I was in the lane would probably risk a dangerous fully into the oncoming traffic lane pass because that's the kind of impatient moron that they are. Try it some morning, get on the fog strip before the point at which you have a six car pile-up behind you, and encourage those over-caffeinated cubicle citizens to slide past you without having to dodge oncoming traffic. See how much better they behave while they are passing. Same thing with the peds. Give them a nod or a wave and tell them to "get a bike!", but with a smile.

H

steve0257

Around here the pedestrians walk in the street because the sidewalks aren't continuous. Quite often in the middle of a block the sidewalk will just end, do the pedestrians don't even bother. They just walk in the street.

opal

I rollerblade in the road. I think it's like cycling - supposed to "act like a vehicle". Still, it's different because I'm slower than if I were on the bike, yet faster than pedestrians, though not faster than some joggers, and thus don't use the sidewalk. Also, I'm not very good at going over/around deteriorated sections of sidewalk (yet).