Originally Posted by
urbanknight
Well, this thread is a waste. I personally think it's a good idea for peds to face traffic, but I've heard and give merit to the arguments on both sides. But really, as long as I'm paying attention to what's in front of me, it doesn't matter which direction the person is going.
CA State law:
21956. (a) No pedestrian may walk upon any roadway outside of a business or residence district otherwise than close to his or her left-hand edge of the roadway.
(b) A pedestrian may walk close to his or her right-hand edge of the roadway if a crosswalk or other means of safely crossing the roadway is not available or if existing traffic or other conditions would compromise the safety of a pedestrian attempting to cross the road.
So walk facing traffic unless you start with traffic and can't cross the road safely OR are in a neighborhood, then you can walk anyway you want, unless there is a sidewalk...
It's also illegal for peds to be in the road or bike lane if there is an "adequate pedestrian facility" i.e. sidewalk, dirt path, clear bit of grass, etc
