jon c. 

I ride in the lane frequently and always with the law.

Runners are not a problem anywhere I ride. There's one road with a bike lane where I'll encounter a runner once in a while, but the numbers are never large enough that's it's any trouble to just go around them. Where I live there are no sidewalks. Cars, bikes, runners, walkers, golf carts, atvs and the occasional horse seem to share the roads without issue. But it's a lot easier when you get out of the city.

Spinay70

I would just avoid as best you can. Any kind of provocation or snark will be met with a retort (you are in chicago after all) so its best just to pedal past and forget it. Just another obstacle to avoid.

Thats my $.02

Spinay70

devianb

In general it shouldn't be an issue but there are times when it is. There is one particular road by the University that is really popular. It is a narrow 2 lane road with no shoulder. So at lunch time or closing time around 4-5pm you have joggers/walkers/cyclists on either side effectively making the road one way with only a few cars being able to get past each other. Traffic gets backed up easily. It is a real cluster F**k sometimes.

spelger

i don’t think the op is wrong to complain. It is a pain in the arse.

Un related to mr lion’s comment I don’t think pedestrians have the right to the road when a side walk is present. Could be wrong though on that.

Bigbus

Hasn't anyone ever heard of "JAY WALKING"? It's when a pedestrian is encroaching on a motor vehicle's right of way! Bicycles should be obeying the rules of the road similar to a motor vehicle not a pedestrian.

bikingtotown

Anyone for a friendly game of chicken? I would just hug the right side of road as u approach them and try to leave yourself a gap in traffic to weave around jogger. Probably hard to time right in heavy traffic.. Cars are suppose to slow down but wouldnt count on it. If it's a slower road crank hard and ride w the cars.

livedarklions

Every time I have encountered this, it has been no problem to adjust and move on. I had a driver take a right turn at a three way intersection, cross two lanes of traffic and nearly plow right into me in the breakdown lane on the opposite side of the highway today, so excuse me if I feel like a little perspective on how unimportant this pedestrian in the lane issue is is in order.

no motor?

We've got sidewalks on both sides of the street here, and there are a number of people who prefer to walk in the street instead of on the sidewalk. Who knows why they do it, but they usually get out of everyone's way.

OBoile

IMO people that run on the road when a sidewalk is present are pretty silly. They've traded a slight decrease in risk of repetitive stress injury (that could be offset by purchasing a shoe with more cushioning) for a slight increase in the risk of being hit by a car. Not a good trade off IMO.

For people walking, it's even worse since it isn't high impact.

Having said that, they have the right to be there where I live, even if they are being stupid. So, go around them safely and continue on your ride.

Lemond1985

Maybe, at some point, these walkers and joggers will decide that the side of the road just isn't quite smooth enough for them, and they'll decide to start walking right down the center of the road. "Vehicular Walking", is what they'll call it.

gringomojado

Here it is against the law to ride a bike on the sidewalk downtown at any age, and above 8yo in residential areas. Peds will yell at cyclists who get on sidewalks, why not vice versa?

Now we have scooters and electric scooters to deal with and "mobility" carts
Modern Times?

gm

TimothyH

So we have aggressive drivers and aggressive dogs.

Then we had aggressive roadies in their full kits with their sizzling tires.

Now we have aggressive clubs aggressively blocking the MUP aas others try to ride past bars and aggressive former college football players aggressively claiming to have acted aggressively toward the MUP blockers in return.

Now we have aggressive walkers? Someone in this thread even complained about aggressive mothers pushing strollers aggressively.

What's next? Maybe a kid with a lolipop will stick his tongue at you? Watch out for those aggressive butterflies!

Just hit the runners with your purse next time.


-Tim-

bakerjw

I don't see this too often. The people that I usually see on the road are picking aluminum cans out of the ditches.

When I run, it is on the road but we have no sidewalks out here. When I do some city 5Ks, it is hit or miss as to where there are sidewalks or not. But, I like the roads over the sidewalks. I'll keep an eye out for hurtling purses.

livedarklions

Some of this is seasonal--a couple of weeks ago, it was aggressive turtles all over the MUP, this week it's been thuggish baby rabbits.

burnthesheep

So, the asphalt vs. sidewalk thing..............it's a dogmatic almost troll level epidemic in the running world.

I post on a triathlon site, and it took me breaking out the mechanical vibrations engineering book from college and posting a sample problem where I sub'd in the value for shoes and asphalt vs. concrete to prove that it has nothing to do with the "impact".

Suddenly, the conversation shifted to sidewalks having cracks and not being as level.

So, I mentioned that trail running and youth cross country running is a thing.

Basically, people are tribal AF in whatever they do and go to flat-Earther science denial levels of delusion to defend "their ways".

If someone just told me "I run on the street instead just because I like it, no other reason".........I'd be like....."ok, just watch for cars". But the mental gymnastics people do is just amazing.

gear64

Regarding a few posts seemingly sympathetic to the pedestrians.... Somewhat dated (2005) so not positive it's current, but don't assume it's legal for pedestrians to be in street. Snippet of MO code:

300.405. Pedestrians Walking Along Roadways(1) Where sidewalks are provided it shall be unlawful for any pedestrian to walk along and upon an adjacent roadway. (2) Where sidewalks are not provided any pedestrian walking along and upon a highway shall when practicable walk only on the left side of the roadway or its shoulder facing traffic, which may approach from the opposite direction.

And for us...

300.347. Riding bicycle on sidewalks, limitations - motorized bicycles prohibited. (1) No person shall ride a bicycle upon a sidewalk within a business district; (2) Whenever any person is riding a bicycle upon a sidewalk, such person shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian and shall give audible signal before overtaking and passing such pedestrian; (3) No person shall ride a motorized bicycle upon a sidewalk.

And finally my preference is to treat MUPs much more as a sidewalk than street. It's fine to ride there, but it's not a time trial course.

livedarklions

My points about this being nothing worth focusing on are neither "sympathetic" nor legal. Literally everyone on the road does something illegal from time to time, and some people do so routinely (e.g., speeding, driving through crosswalks, driving through a light that just turned red). Some of those illegal actions create hazards, some don't or the risks they create are so trivial that it isn't worth griping about. When I said I've been put in danger more often by falling and fallen branches than I have pedestrians and joggers in the roadway, I wasn't kidding. I was kidding about avoiding turtles being a bigger hazard, but not by much.

I think we need to pick our battles--this is not the kind of stuff that's actually getting people hurt or killed, so it's a stupid fight to pick.

CyclingFever

In my experience the middle aged women group fitness walkers are the worst. Going three-wide taking up the whole path acting shocked and surprised that a runner or cyclist may be passing them moving a fast speed than them.

livedarklions

Man, I should have seen that coming--degenerating into demographic nonsense.

Please tell us all about this offensive shocked and surprised reaction. Do they vomit? Call you speedy-pants? Click their tongues? Wave a handkerchief and say "well, I never!" Do they hurt your feelings?

CyclingFever

My observations aren't that deep to get offended bro. I'm sure there is an equal pay rally or something you can attend.

Hondo Gravel

Those rattlesnakes have the right of way on the gravel roads. Cyclists and runners don’t argue with them. But those darn wabbits! Who do they think they are!

CyclingFever

Aggressive squirrels who can't make up their mind which way they want to go.

livedarklions

Lame defense of a lame comment. Congratulations, sis.

livedarklions

NYC cops just hit a rabbit with a hammer for the rabbit's protection. Vision Zero!

CyclingFever

Like I said. It's not that deep to take too serious.