Originally Posted by
Rootman
Arkansas Razorback Greenway, every inch of it is meant to have travelers on the right, walkers, runners, bikes. Keep right, pass on the left. Signs all over the place.
I was headed south and nearly collided with a cyclist headed north. He was pretty much in the middle of the MUP, weaving over the line. I shouted "heads up" to which he moves to his left even more and heads straight for me. I came to a stop and braced myself. He came to a halt too, his front tire to the right of mine nearly one full wheel diameter, nearly off the pavement facing me. We were practically standing next to each other.
I asked what he was doing.. He said the sigh back a ways said that cyclists should keep left. I said NO, EVERYONE keeps to the right. I asked where the sign was and he said it was at the last large street crossing. I went around him, he continued on the left going the opposite way. I got to the crossing and stopped and looked back. Sure enough, there was a sign. CYCLISTS KEEP LEFT. I scratched my head a bit and then realized. The MUP was common here, 12' of concrete for all to use, at this point it split off to a sidewalk on the right (as you head north) and a sharrow lane for bikes in the street on the left. So, what the sign was saying, walkers keep on the sidewalk to the right, bikes use the sharrow on the left. The normal KEEP RIGHT rule was still in place, so the goof I about ran in too was taking it too literally. I emailed the Arkansas Greenway commission advising them of this confusing sign. It's still there to this day.
So, it happens, sometimes the cyclists is at fault, sometimes it's an interpretation of something. Anyway, I'm always careful when riding this section because of that. In the OPs case it was just a goof riding too fast not paying attention. Good luck trying to convince him otherwise. The OP probably did the right thing, just let it slide. I would continue to shout HEADS UP and KEEP RIGHT, just watch this dummy like a hawk. Hard to do in the dark, I know. But I can't picture too many people being on the OPs route at that time.
In the 'British Empire' we drive on the left. Not many seem to know why. It was an old knoght's agreement so they could pass on horseback without clashing swords..
These days we have the same problem with cyclists on MUP's (as you call them). Because pedestrians walk a road on the right - toward on-coming traffic. This so they can see the vehicles approaching near them. But vehicles drive on the left.
Naturally a bicycle should always be on the left, but some have taken to their pedestrian stance, due to pedestrians choosing to walk on the right! Our council have tried painting arrows in some places (left forward), but we have over 100 miles in this little town, and nobody knows who the arrows are for.
Me, i'm using a vehicle, so i keep to the left of on-coming vehicles, but go to the right of on-coming pedestrians. Just as i would on a road.