sukram

I'm guilty of it almost every day I commute. On the Queens side of the 59th St. Bridge I go one block the wrong way so I can head north on 27th Street. The alternative is to go a few blocks west, then north, then another 4 blocks east to get back to 27th.

It's not an excuse, but the problem is access on either side of the 59th St. Bridge (like many others in NYC) just wasn't well thought out (if at all) for cyclists. There's a ped path that's almost totally unused which they could convert into a nice 2 way greenway for cyclists and peds which would allow far better access for cyclists who want to head east and/or north on the Queens side. They need to do something about the Manhattan side too.

In general, I don't ride against traffic, but I'm as guilty as the next wrong way cyclist.

cooleric1234

That's funny, I'll have to remember that.

Moogie

So, what do you do if there is a wide bike trail on only one side of the road (where one would expect to find a sidewalk), but nothing on the other side? Ride the trail one way, and the road the other? Ride the road both ways?

There is one street that has a wide marked bike/pedestrian/parking lane on one side, a narrow unmarked lane on the other. Plus, on both sides there is a sidewalk. I've never seen anyone use the narrow lane, and bikes and people are going both ways in the wide lane and the sidewalk on the same side of the street. What a zoo!

I agree when bikes are in the road, it only makes it more dangerous for others if they ride the wrong way. It makes drivers believe that bikes are unpredictable, and shouldn't be treated like motorized vehicles since they don't all act like vehicles should.

Stujoe

I have only passed a couple. I didn't say anything because the shoulder was more than big enough to accommodate both of us but I did go to the right and make them ride closest to traffic when we passed. If someone is going to get hit, it might as well be the guy going the wrong way and not me.

syn0n

I dislike wrong way cyclists, but luckily where I ride most of them stay on the sidewalks so the rest of us can use the street safely. In the event one of them is on the street going the wrong way, I make it clear I'm not stopping because I'm using the road correctly. In the car I flash the brights because the speed differential is rediculous, and they really put themselves in danger. I don't want to scare them/cause them to crash but I want them to know it's dangerous.

Allen

Wrong way cyclists are the norm around here. We have no bike lanes, and only have sidewalks in downtown proper, so these folks are riding in the road into oncoming traffic. I think smoking is a more intelligent activity.

chtorr

The majority of people I see in my area on bikes are on the sidewalk. If they're on the road, though, they're usually on the wrong side. I can't figure it out. I have seen people riding to my place of work which is on a two lane highway, going against traffic, at night, with no head or tail lights. It is insane.

I always try to explain to people about reaction time, how riding with traffic gives cars much more reaction time than riding against traffic. And, it's the law.

My six year old just learned to ride her bike and I constantly talk to her about staying on the right side of the road and being predictable (at her age, she only rides with me or her mom). Start them early, and maybe it will stick with them.

Bushman

ah just mount two M9 Bayonets on your bar ends and charge ahead into the wrong way cyclists. They'll get it

donnamb 

I don't move at all. They don't belong in the bike lane. There is no way I'm going to risk myself to enable another person to engage in illegal behavior. Wrong way cycling is illegal here. I am not a risk-taking cyclist, nor am I a particularly aggressive person or adrenalin junkie, but I have played chicken on many occasions with wrong-way cyclists. I'll continue to do it, too. I think they're very surprised that a woman calls their bluff. They're more than welcome to swerve out into the street on a head-on course with some motor vehicle. That's their choice. That said, I don't yell anything at the wrong-ways so long as they're not affecting me in any way. Sometimes actions speak louder than words.

Of course, I'm not so stubborn that I'd never rule out an emergency bail if necessary.

chephy

Is it a trail or is it a lane? The answer is different for the two. I don't know why so damn many people confuse these two different notions?

If it's a trail, it's obviously meant to be ridden on in both directions. If it's a lane (i.e. part of the roadway), then STAY TO THE BLOODY RIGHT. Please.

bmclaughlin807

I am.

Crankforward

I encountered a wrongway a few nights ago .Pitchblack two lane 60 mph speed limit road with really nice wide paved sides . I have my lights on infront and my strobes going in back so he saw me and passed about 20 mph . He startled me badly but I still managed to yell WRONGWAY at him as he flew past.

gkb

around here, i'm generally the only commuter i see on the roads until i get to campus. if i see anyone else on a bike, they're on the sidewalk, which drives me crazy. when i get to the campus area, i tend to run into a lot of wrong way bikers.

the ocp's tend to know where they should be riding though.

bmclaughlin807

Of course. Straight to the nearest starbucks, where they unload their bikes, enjoy their lattes, hang out for a couple hours, then load their bikes back up and drive home.

stokell

So glad to see so many people complying with the Highway Traffic Act. In many places there are contra lanes for bikes on one-way streets. That seems to make a lot of sense to me, but until they are everywhere I will continue to ride for one block the wrong way as it keeps me from riding up a really nasty hill and then riding half way back down. The people who put up one way signs don't cycle.

As far as commenting on people's riding, I'd leave that to law enforcement, otherwise you will get a lot of abuse thrown at you.

BigMacFU

Most don't know. In the bronx, this is very common, I just yell "Other Side" or "Otro Lado" depending on the neighborhood.

genel

What bugs me are the riders at night, dark clothing, no lights, no reflectors, wrong way, two lane road with no shoulders, 55 mph traffic.

Death wish.

jonathan180iq

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA.

Pinche gringos y sus ideas idiotas.

jonathan180iq

Yeah. but those guys are usally in jeans and on a girl's BMX bike and they don't know how to spell the word "helmet".

nmanhipot

On Holcomb Bridge Road near 400, right? I've seen this guy multiple times and talked to him once. No helmet either. Dude's suicidal.

nmanhipot

There's one less wrong-way cyclist here in Atlanta as of about 7:30 AM this morning. A car pulling right out of an apartment complex probably never saw him coming. Here's hoping he makes a full recovery and gets back on the bike WITH traffic. Oh, and a helmet and lights would be good, too.

I-Like-To-Bike

Feel better now, Mr. Smugster?

bikebuddha 

No this guy was on the south 120 loop in Marietta. I scared to think there's two people in metro-Atlanta that believe that this is the proper lane position.

jonathan180iq

I'm a poor man's cyclist too, but I know well enough to wear a helmet and educate myself on how to ride in traffic.

squeakywheel

Ride a 40 pound junker and play chicken.