For the EMT's and ambulace drivers..............JOB SECURITY!

This is not meant to be sarcastic or anything negative at all. I just am trying to figure out something for myself and bring up a point that may be worth considering. Please don't take this the wrong way.

Do you have a car? Did you ever have a car? Don't get me wrong. I think not having a car in a city is very practical and a good thing for many reasons. I put 10 times the mileage on my bikes in a week than my car. I would do more if possible.

The only reason I ask, is I think this helps you understand the other persons point of view. In other words it helps you imagine what a driver thinks when he is close to you. I don't doubt that you can go quickly up the street and miss that car. My point is that most, if not all drivers will go through a second of panic when you are nearby going against traffic, then they don't know how to react. This makes them mad too. What are your thoughts on that?

I loooooove wrong way cyclists who want to take the inside of a passing situation.i.e. I am riding with traffic, (on a one way street I ride on the left) Wrong way in hurry guy coming, he leans to my left, putting me to my right, further out into traffic I cannot see. I am therefor burdened by this guy with oncoming cars and now him. Huge pet peeve of mine.

This does happen to me occasionally, It's a pet peeve of mine too.. Do you ride on the left on the one way because you are going faster than most traffic? I usually don't have slow speed traffic where I live. I usually do the right on one ways, but not always. I ride in an urban setting most of the time, the traffic is usuall going faster than I am. The wrong way riders I encounter are too young to have a drivers liscence, young enough so I can tell just by looking.

Do you ever wonder if the guy coming at you may not have ever driven a car?

I ride on the left for several reasons, The biggest is that left turning cars will have me right outside the drivers window, no "didn't see you in my mirrors" bit when I was in front of or next to the car and mirrors won't help anyway. Also you are right there for any exchange of "civilities" I have found that I am cut off by left turning cars much less than on the blind (right) side of right turning cars. Bad drivers don't need to guess how close they are to you from the other side of the vehicle, they are right next to you. Traffic is moving slow, but not always slower than me. When I think of wrong way cyclists in NYC, it is of the food delivery guys on Second Ave riding in the bike lane (on the left of the ave) the wrong way. I don't think they have US licenses and most likely did not in the country they immigrated from. I think there is a large degree of poverty and lack of education that motivates food delivery riders to more often than not ride the wrong way (or on sidewalks). I was thinking about this thread while riding last night breaking an uncountable number of traffic laws; when I do break rules, I am careful not stick it to anyone else, a legal ped, or another biker or a car.

Very interesting. A couple of good points that I never thought of before. I have to keep that in mind while riding. I go out and come back a few blocks of one way roads every time I ride. I live on one.

I don't insist on my right of way when cycling since the wrong way bicycle rider obviously has no clue. I move as far to the left as is safe to do so and let wrong way take the inside. I also calmly (really!) tell him he's going the wrong way. This technique has resulted in a safe, or at least uneventful, pass in every instance so far.

In the event I couldn't move left, I would tell wrong way I can't move, slow and hold my line. If nothing became of this, I would get out of the situation any way I safely could. It doesn't pay to be dead right.

I have almost hit wrong way in my car when I was making a RH turn on a red (legal in CA). I looked right to watch for peds, but there were none so my attention turned to the left. When a space opened up I went. Almost got wrong way.

While commuting one morning I witnessed an accident where this is exactly what happened. Fortunately, after minor first aid, wrong way continued on his way to school, carrying his bike. The car driver felt terrible, and I made sure to let him know that from what I saw, the bike rider was at fault. He never called me...I hope he didn't get sued.

I know in Philly it is legal to ride on the left side of a one way street (that has no designated bike lane) in the direction of traffic provided you are not "impeding the flow of traffic." I usually choose the left on one ways to stay out of the door zone as most of the parking spots seem to be on the right side of the street.

Well, okay I break rules too sometimes. I try to be the same way though. For example late at night at a stop sign where all traffic can be spotted, and there's nobody for blocks, I'll roll it. I got lucky one night. I actually stopped at a red light with no traffic, and after about 30 seconds a cop rolls up next to me and thanks me for not running the light. Not running it that night anyway!

I know a guy, AAA Advanced Driver graduate, LAB Effective Cycling graduate, on the board of our state bike coalition. Yet he managed to do the same damn thing. Took a right in his car and smashed head on into a wrong way cyclist.

Look out!

i must agree i usually obay all laws unless its 2 am and my light just went out then i find a side walk and ride it. i think it is not smart to go against the grain with a bike it makes us cyclist look bad to motorists and sets a bad example to the young ones

This is why many bike lanes in NYC are on the left side of One-Way streets. I always stay left unless there is a specific hazard to avoid. Also - to "Boston Wrong-Way" from earlier in this thread -- though you might not "encounter any problems" by going the wrong way 80% of the time, the cyclists you encounter the other direction are silently fuming. It's unnecessary, too. for every one-way street, there is almost always an equal and opposite one-way street. USE IT! Even if you don't "encounter any problems" another cyclist may and that just ain't right.

Well actually in Boston the street network is famously heinous so there often isn't an equal and opposite one way.

Nevertheless, I make wrong-way cycling a rare exception (sometimes you just find yourself completely painted into a corner and getting out will take like a block of wrong-way), I wouldn't imagine building my commute around it.