Originally Posted by
350htrr
I
t all depends on speed, if you are cycling at walking speed, no, you do not increase your chance of being hit by a vehicle, maybe, you
actually would/could be reducing it....
BUT... any faster …. Yes you do
actually increase the risk factor, JMO as a vehicle driver too, not just as a bicyclist…
(Ignoring the question of why one would want to ride at a walking pace, why not just...walk???)
Hmm, not sure how you would reduce your chance of being hit by riding at a walking pace. The hazards I listed still apply. Riding a bike, you cannot stop as quickly as a pedestrian can, you cannot change directions as quickly, you cannot accelerate as quickly, you're taking up more space, etc... (not to mention the possibility of keeling over à la Arte Johnson). Most of the reasons for walking facing traffic simply do not apply to riding a bike. Which is why traffic laws require cyclists to ride in the same direction as traffic, and why it is recommended that pedestrians, in the absence of a sidewalk, walk facing traffic.
No practice is safe in every possible scenario. We're responsible for using our judgement to keep ourselves safe. Sometimes that will mean riding against traffic, but most of the time it won't.
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