It must be spring. All the knuckleheads are in bloom!
 

So here's the deal. I'm biking along on the shoulder, WITH traffic, when I see, coming toward me, like a bat out of heck, a cyclist. He sees me, and immediately shifts to his left, allowing me to go around him, in traffic. I'm divided on this, but not about that cyclist being a knucklehead. I don't think I should have to scoot into traffic that I can't see, he should, simply because he can see it. But it feels counter intuitive to shift to my right, even though that is the safer move for me, and let him ride closer to the oncoming traffic.

Luckily, and against all odds, you survived your harrowing ordeal. ;)

I had a similar experience recently while riding home from my gf's house one morning last week before work, it was about 5am and I turned onto my street (very dark, no street lights on the corner) and there was a woman riding a bicycle toward me in the wrong lane with no lights. Luckily I noticed her before I ran into her as my headlight didn't shine on her because of the angle of the corner (it's not a 90 degree turn). I didn't say anything to her but I kind of think I should have, I'm shocked she hasn't been hit yet if she rides like that often. The street I turned off of and she was turning onto is a very busy street.

I get to my right and either force them to go into traffic or stop.

shudda stopped and let him discover his mistake

No love for salmon here. I don't play their games, I just continue riding in my path and they always get out of the way. I usually try to get a "You're doing it wrong!" out in passing.

This. On the morning commute one day in January, some guy was coming right at me on the shoulder of the highway; little traffic, plenty of room, he was all over the place. I held my line, and when he saw what I was doing, skimmed the lane.

I still told him, "You're supposed to ride WITH traffic, bud."

saw a salmon last week in a nearby neighborhood. Older respectable looking male. Probably thought I was doing it wrong. I should have straightened him out, but I was late for work, as usual.

happens pretty often, disconnected with the spring, lol...

It's a shame that there are dumb cyclists who cannot get a good grasp on logic. :(

I share in your frustration. PLEASE - use your common sense, people!

Maybe you should get a mirror so you know what traffic is coming behind you.

chandtp -- really? He should have a mirror to move into potential traffic to avoid a scofflaw? How about a reasonable expectation that people pull head out of ass before placing it in a bike saddle? Maybe more of these folks will discover they don't need the tractor seat on their bike if they did.

There will be infinite numbers of clueless scofflaws from now til the end of time - it's better to be able to handle them safely than to stubbornly expect to get your way every time. Blame them, sure, but a mirror can only help.

Salmon, treat them just like any other obstacle in your path. Look over your left shoulder, wait for a gap in traffic, signal and merge with traffic.

The salmon are doing it wrong, but it is easier to just go around them.

I see them on my commute now and then. I usually don't even need to say anything since they have this apologetic look on their face. Most of the time they'll even say "sorry" or "thanks". I'm sure they've gotten fussed at by other riders.

I see them all the time on my commute. Just another obstacle.

They're just another obstacle in the shoulder. Pass it on the left. If you can't safely move left, then stop before you get to him and let him stop too.

Well said!

Riding against traffic is such a common misconception around here that I've had motorists yell at me that I'm on the wrong side. Pretty ingrained, despite the arrows that the city paints in bike lanes.

No, he should get a mirror so he knows what's going on around him. Avoiding a scofflaw is a possible use, but avoiding debris on the shoulder / bike like is another possible application.

Unfortunately, reasonable expectations are often unrealistic.

I can tell it's spring 'cause I'm back in shorts and fingerless gloves while all these new people are out w/ 2 layers each of pants and gloves, scarves, and balaclavas.

I don't see many of them, and am glad for the Magicshine when I do.

Do a shoulder check - you should be able to see the traffic now! Yes, it's annoying, but not much worse than illegally parked cars, trash cans, etc.

and i was thinking ya'll mad till i see ya'll from over the pond :)

I always ride under the assumption that all following traffic wishes to mate with me, or in the case of female traffic that it wishes to turn in front of me thereby forcing me to mate with it. I do not use a mirror, knowing that I will then spend too much time looking into it and end up in an involuntary mating position of my own making.

As a result, the shoulder check has become my finely-refined weapon against undesirable mating. Spring being mating season, this practice also aids me in gathering further data regarding pedestrians whom I consider to be legitimate mating candidates having come out of the woodwork after winter. :)

Oh yeah, that too. I love the effect my dual MS have on salmons so renamed them "Salmon Blasters"! But now it's daylight when I ride :(

Yeah, where you live EVERYBODY rides and drives the wrong way...

OP here. It was near twilight during said incident, and my mirror, that I like, only fits on my cool-as-all-get-out, old fogey wraparound shades, and I don't wear them at night, so... Next time, I will try the old scoot to the right and stop maneuver, see what happens. Be safe!

Cool. They always see me before I see them. Especially the ninja salmon.

around here even the sidewalk, walmart bike riding kitchen porters and homeless know its proper etiquette to take the outside of the lane if theyre going in the wrong direction