urbanknight

And the other 49 states?

popeye

"And the other 49 states? "

From the feds:

#
# Pedestrians should walk facing traffic so they can see oncoming vehicles. Bicyclists should travel with the flow of traffic in the same direction as other vehicles.

https://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/portal/site...earSelect=1999

vladav

Did you miss my rant against cyclists running race tires on public roads? I think most 'serious' cyclists take way too much leeway with the 'practicable' clause. That said, it can serve to get the word out about cyclists right to the road if handled diplomatically.

Hypocritical? IF I represented the BF opinion at large, then possibly; but I never made such a claim so no, not hypocrital as far as I can tell.

And a cyclist's presence on the road poses almost zero danger to a motorist - Runners & Cyclists pose mutual dangers to each other when sharing the road. The situations you posed are not analogous.

urbanknight

Impressive!
They should say "must" instead of "should" though.

exRunner

unbelievable...

I am so glad that on this island: (in general, there are a few exceptions)

1) no serious cyclists ride on MUPs at any speed.
2) We don't have bike lanes, so there is no confusion about where a bike belongs in the road.
3) Runners and cyclists realize that we are all on the same team and the vehicles are the bad guys, so we accommodate each other as best we can.

The asphalt-concrete argument is about as silly as it gets. It is all relative, as a famous person once said. Compared to the cushioning in running shoes the difference in surface hardness is immaterial. Most runners avoid the sidewalk because it is dangerous. Doors open, people step out of stores without looking, they are cracked and broken, they suddenly end in the middle of a block, etc.

And finally, for a bunch of people that think they should be treated like any other vehicle on the road, there are certainly some people that would rather be treated special when it comes to yielding the right of way to a pedestrian, which a runner is even if they are in the road.

fbxcore

You could ride that one fixed gear that was posted in the road forum a while ago that had real bull horns in lieu of bullhorn bars. They would probably move then.

urbanknight

So you're saying they're jay walking?

exRunner

Thats the best you can do?

urbanknight

Yes

Sorry

Carry on

StanSeven

If someone has such bad knees, just give up running.

Actually that's a old myth. Do you really think asphalt is so soft compared to concrete that it makes a difference running?

Denny Koll

Most of it is the uneven surface of the sidewalk, although there is a distinct difference in hardness of the two surfaces. If you run a lot of miles you want to put as little stress on your joints as possible.

If you have never been a serious runner you wouldn't understand..it's common knowledge in the running community.

Energizer Bunny

Well, there are usually ruts, dips, poles, etc. that are located on the sidewalk which make it an obstacle to run on a sidewalk. And as to running against traffic, that's because there are many careless drivers who dont give any regard to runners. So to avoid this problem, you run against traffic so YOU the runner can have visual contact with the drivers, so that you can get out of the way of careless drivers.

PS. not all runners will get out of the way.

swak

The only bike lane in Calgary has cars parked on it 98% of the time.
The other 2%, cars are driving down it.

So roads and MUP

I visit Arizona, specifically scottsdale, yearly, and am amazed at the support for cyclists etc. down there. If it wasn't a pain to drag my bike along with me, id love to ride down there.

JohnDThompson 

Lately the MUP here has become popular with the Little League parents to drive on so they don't have to schlep their stuff a couple hundred feet to the field. What part of "No Motorized Vehicles Allowed" is unclear? With a couple dozen healthy and energetic kids and a handful of parents/coaches available, what's the problem with having the kids and adults carry the stuff from the parking lot to the field?

urbanknight

Outrageous! Petition the government to add those poles spaced out about 3-4' anywhere a driveway meets the MUP. They won't be using it then. If you word your letter to explain that you fear for you and other people's safety, they are likely to jump on it to avoid a lawsuit.

bccycleguy

I live in a not very bike friendly town, and the local municipal government thinks that it pulled a fast one on the Provincial government by getting some funding grants to put in bike lanes. When I heard this I said "Great, We're finally joining the modern world".

Well, the Bike lanes are in but there's not a sign in sight anywhere saying anything about bikes. They are de facto paved sidewalks for pedestrians / paved shoulders for parking.

I'd be happy if joggers were the only problem I had to deal with.

noisebeam

Do it, do it, do it. You can also rent. You won't just be riding in Scottdale. Probably next winter is the next best time to try.

KRunner

I'm a collegiate runner and part time cyclist at this point, but in the couple thousand miles I run a year all the times I've been hit/my teammates have been hit by cars as well as the countless close calls, its been 99% when we are on sidewalks, cruising out to cross an intersection, cars don't look for runners on sidewalks anymore than they look for cyclists to be coming through an intersection at such and such speed. We do most of our runs/long runs on the roads and bike paths when possible, It's all about making yourself visible and giving yourself enough time to react to cars.

I was taught early on to always run against traffic, and to single up when a car/bike/whatever is coming your way. Though it doesn't surprise me that there are idiots out there that don't get over.