Hope this is the right forum. I'm beginning to see more joggers running in on-the-street bike lanes. I think the few I'd seen were running in the direction of traffic (not sure though!), but last week I saw one running against it (towards me). Since I don't ride a lot on the streets, I'm wondering what is the accepted "protocol" for them? Is it a free-for-all, or are they mostly running in one direction when in on-street bike lanes? This is in Arlington, VA.

I haven't seen any joggers, but I've yelled at two pedestrians on M Street this week who thought the bike lane would be a good place to stand with their back to traffic and use their cell phones. No protocol as far as I know, but loud cussing.

i see a few out here. they have always been running toward me. i usually check the traffic behind and move out into the traffic lane to avoid a collision. on occasion they have moved up onto the directly adjacent sidewalk when they see me.

Passed a white-haired fellow walking with traffic in the bike lane yesterday. Saw him a long ways off and he never once looked back to see what was behind him, not even when I rang my bell multiple times as I approached and then passed him. Four lanes plus turn lane road with no sidewalks.

Could be Pentagon workers .. drone vengeance from the sky if irritated, may result..

What's a bike lane?(no we really don't have anything close to those)

Airzound should sort them out.

Only happened to me once, I tried giving her a mean look to show my displeasure but she responded by giving me the cutest and sweetest smile I had ever seen that it totally disarmed me. I'm so ashamed.

Sounds like the movie proposal for a rom-com starring Zooey Deschanel.

Asphalt is softer and smoother than concrete so many runners prefer the street to the sidewalk. And pedestrians should travel against traffic rather than with it.

It might be annoying, but in practice it's usually not a big deal. I treat them as any other hazard in the bike lane: look back, put out a hand, and move out of the bike lane until I pass.

I come up behind and buzz them as closely as I dare. I figure a few 20 mph sideswipes should give them a hint.

+1 ! Was going to suggest the very thing.

I don't mind too much when they are in the bike lane as I can go around them, but peds of any sort really irk me in the protected bike lanes. Part of why I don't like the protected lanes, most of the time it only takes one fool to completely block them. Luckily, I very rarely see joggers and there's only three blocks of my commute in a protected lane.

If it's a MUP, not much you can do. If it really is a bike lane, I would angrily grumble "get out of the bike lane" as I passed.

If it's a real problem, slowing down bike traffic, then contact the municipality to fix it.

I look at joggers like motorist look at cyclist. If they are salmon (running towards me) I don't mind them at all. The idiots with headphones running with traffic I buzz!

I am also a runner and sometimes do run in the bike lane in the opposite direction. I've only done it in lower traffic areas, though, so neither of us is really at any risk. Sometimes when I am running and see a cyclist coming (bike lane or not), if I can see far enough to know there are no vehicles coming from behind him/her, I'll move toward the center of the road so that he/she can stay right. I figure I can see behind them better than they can, so why not.

Joggers in bike lanes I don't mind too much - it's the people that park their cars in the bike lanes that get me.

I use the same approach as Caloso with joggers. I don't buzz anyone, partly because it's a jerk move, but mostly because joggers are just as liable as the rest of us swerve, or stumble, or otherwise act erraticly at the worst possible time.

In this State I think it's a violation to run/jog in the bike lane. However, running against traffic is good, advised. Bikes ride with traffic, runners against. As a daily runner, I'll say it is 100 times better to run against multi-use traffic, you see what's coming and adjust accordingly. Just like bikers, runners will swerve a little; or perhaps stop, do a u-turn. It's much safer to see traffic coming than coming up from behind.

some bike lanes are poorly designed.

for example, in my city we have some new lanes that are cut from the right lane of a four lane street. its very confusing to the motorist to have a half lane and a full lane of travel.

for joggers, i give them their lead. usually anyone jogging in a bike lane is a real runner; not some schmuck sporting under armor for the first time. real runners know what to do - anticipate; hug a line and make eye contact.

but, i'm a runner so i'm a bit biased.

This is always what people say but I don't think there's any real facts behind it. If I'm passing a jogger going the same direction, it's my responsibility to merge into the traffic lane safely and pass the jogger just as if he were a slower bike rider. But if he's coming at me like a salmon I don't know which way he's going to move or which way I'm going to go around him... it's dangerous. If the road is clear I'll pass way wide, but if there's a lot of traffic I'll just slow down and give him a look that means "commit yourself to a move one way or the other, and BTW you shouldn't be here".

Joggers can be as erratic as loose dogs, it's hard to know just what they're going to do. I usually stop right next to the curb and wait it if they're too unpredictable.

Used to be a runner.

Protocol for runners is to run against traffic when running on the street. They could be in the street for a multitude of reasons, some people like the feel of asphalt, others (like when I used to run) don't like having to dodge telephone poles, crappy paving and other peds.

Would much rather have them coming at me then to somehow make it around them with high speed auto traffic on one side where they are unlikely to hear me and more likely to randomly swerve for whatever reason.

I've heard that for years and I used to run quite a bit, but never noticed a difference. One good reason to avoid running on sidewalks is that driveways, etc. are not level and that'll mess with joints.

I can tolerate joggers, but I've seen people walking dogs in bike lanes. Sometimes 2 people and 3 dogs, so these are not dog joggers. I don't understand WALKING in a bike lane at all.

Highways are more Fun..

This.
And note there is a distinction between jogger and runner.

before this thread gets too friendly,

i run and bike on many multi-use paved paths. bikers are the biggest ****** out there, hands down. EXCEPT for the commuting biker, and this is not a political save. commuting bikers and runners seem to share the very same etiquette and are generally very considerate as a respective bunch.

and to be clear, not all rec bikers are ******. but among the ****** out there, the large majority is in the rec-bike crowd.