Wrong Side Of the Path
#26
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Found this sign in Portland.
#27
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If it looks like it will happen again, just stop in the correct lane position. Stop early so he has plenty of time to react. If he gets close, and it is not clear if he will hit you, scream as loud as you can. I like to yell " heads up" if someone still does not get it soon enough, I yell "wake up". Not good, some people may get mad. But I don't care, it's better than a collision.
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I love how these threads always degenerate into some grand inquisition with the goal of blaming the OP for the mishap.
Y'all weren't there, and there isn't a black box to minutely pick apart the details.
Oblivious guy wandering further and further into your lane is not a one-off problem--it's possible to discuss how you handle it without jumping to accuse the OP of doing it wrong.
Y'all weren't there, and there isn't a black box to minutely pick apart the details.
Oblivious guy wandering further and further into your lane is not a one-off problem--it's possible to discuss how you handle it without jumping to accuse the OP of doing it wrong.
how do you feel about car driver that LOOK AT YOU and still RUN INTO YOU, while STILL LOOKING AT YOU, shouldnt laugh or blame them?
#31
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your left or mine?
#32
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It was an object in front of him that he had taken the most obvious step to evade--moving as far to the right as he could. Being sane, I wouldn't anticipate that someone would do something as stupid as cutting off the very small amount of the path I had left to complete the pass safely. You don't know what the timing was, whether leaving the path was a viable option or if stopping would have prevented him from getting hit.
If somebody swerves right in front of you in an unpredictable manner, it doesn't really matter than you were seeing them the whole time if the final swerve happens too close to react.
You weren't there, you're talking through your hat when you assign blame.
#33
Senior Member
I was in a precarious position once facing another cyclist in a potential head-on or close pass situation.
I was on the wrong side of the pathway having just passed a pedestrian or a jogger. The on-coming cyclist just did the same thing and we were facing each other trying to get back into our respective positions on our right side of the path. We didn't see each other beforehand because we were both coming around a bend.
I forgot if I swerved quickly enough or if I had decided to stop and let him swerve around me.
Anyways, the collision was averted.
I was on the wrong side of the pathway having just passed a pedestrian or a jogger. The on-coming cyclist just did the same thing and we were facing each other trying to get back into our respective positions on our right side of the path. We didn't see each other beforehand because we were both coming around a bend.
I forgot if I swerved quickly enough or if I had decided to stop and let him swerve around me.
Anyways, the collision was averted.
Last edited by Daniel4; 12-05-18 at 07:50 PM.
#34
Cycleway town
I'll move as far to my side as possible, leaving them enough room for a bus, but sometimes they just panic in their commitment to the side theyve taken and will plant themselves into the bushes before choosing the huge open road on their side. There's just no helping one of those.
#35
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Arkansas Razorback Greenway, every inch of it is meant to have travelers on the right, walkers, runners, bikes. Keep right, pass on the left. Signs all over the place.
I was headed south and nearly collided with a cyclist headed north. He was pretty much in the middle of the MUP, weaving over the line. I shouted "heads up" to which he moves to his left even more and heads straight for me. I came to a stop and braced myself. He came to a halt too, his front tire to the right of mine nearly one full wheel diameter, nearly off the pavement facing me. We were practically standing next to each other.
I asked what he was doing.. He said the sigh back a ways said that cyclists should keep left. I said NO, EVERYONE keeps to the right. I asked where the sign was and he said it was at the last large street crossing. I went around him, he continued on the left going the opposite way. I got to the crossing and stopped and looked back. Sure enough, there was a sign. CYCLISTS KEEP LEFT. I scratched my head a bit and then realized. The MUP was common here, 12' of concrete for all to use, at this point it split off to a sidewalk on the right (as you head north) and a sharrow lane for bikes in the street on the left. So, what the sign was saying, walkers keep on the sidewalk to the right, bikes use the sharrow on the left. The normal KEEP RIGHT rule was still in place, so the goof I about ran in too was taking it too literally. I emailed the Arkansas Greenway commission advising them of this confusing sign. It's still there to this day.
So, it happens, sometimes the cyclists is at fault, sometimes it's an interpretation of something. Anyway, I'm always careful when riding this section because of that. In the OPs case it was just a goof riding too fast not paying attention. Good luck trying to convince him otherwise. The OP probably did the right thing, just let it slide. I would continue to shout HEADS UP and KEEP RIGHT, just watch this dummy like a hawk. Hard to do in the dark, I know. But I can't picture too many people being on the OPs route at that time.
I was headed south and nearly collided with a cyclist headed north. He was pretty much in the middle of the MUP, weaving over the line. I shouted "heads up" to which he moves to his left even more and heads straight for me. I came to a stop and braced myself. He came to a halt too, his front tire to the right of mine nearly one full wheel diameter, nearly off the pavement facing me. We were practically standing next to each other.
I asked what he was doing.. He said the sigh back a ways said that cyclists should keep left. I said NO, EVERYONE keeps to the right. I asked where the sign was and he said it was at the last large street crossing. I went around him, he continued on the left going the opposite way. I got to the crossing and stopped and looked back. Sure enough, there was a sign. CYCLISTS KEEP LEFT. I scratched my head a bit and then realized. The MUP was common here, 12' of concrete for all to use, at this point it split off to a sidewalk on the right (as you head north) and a sharrow lane for bikes in the street on the left. So, what the sign was saying, walkers keep on the sidewalk to the right, bikes use the sharrow on the left. The normal KEEP RIGHT rule was still in place, so the goof I about ran in too was taking it too literally. I emailed the Arkansas Greenway commission advising them of this confusing sign. It's still there to this day.
So, it happens, sometimes the cyclists is at fault, sometimes it's an interpretation of something. Anyway, I'm always careful when riding this section because of that. In the OPs case it was just a goof riding too fast not paying attention. Good luck trying to convince him otherwise. The OP probably did the right thing, just let it slide. I would continue to shout HEADS UP and KEEP RIGHT, just watch this dummy like a hawk. Hard to do in the dark, I know. But I can't picture too many people being on the OPs route at that time.
#36
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Riding home Tuesday, having survived Highway 101 once again, I was cruising on the MUT in the right lane, when I encountered a gentleman riding towards me on a busted up BSO towing all his earthly possessions; he had earbuds in, and his head turned away from me, whistling to a dog across the road (more likely trying for the attention of the young woman with the dog). He was wandering freely side-to-side, so I started yelling. Loudly. More loudly. Nearly screaming and 5 feet apart, he suddenly noticed me and swerved back into his lane, with an alarmed 'Oh!' Stopping wouldn't have helped, though I did slow (and was prepared to dodge), and I couldn't get off the trail, because there was a smelly marsh pond immediately to my right. So, men, please pay attention to the task at hand. Thank you.
Stupid human tricks.
Stupid human tricks.
#37
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Really...??? pretty well ALL the account's of things going wrong seem to add to ONE thing, people going too fast, in general... JMO...
#39
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Some of the people that I meet up with that are on the wrong side of the bike path seem to be the kind that are belligerent and are challenging me to keep right where I should be. I keep right and even stop on the right side if I have to, so they have to pass me on the left.
#40
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Some of the people that I meet up with that are on the wrong side of the bike path seem to be the kind that are belligerent and are challenging me to keep right where I should be. I keep right and even stop on the right side if I have to, so they have to pass me on the left.
#41
Cycleway town
Arkansas Razorback Greenway, every inch of it is meant to have travelers on the right, walkers, runners, bikes. Keep right, pass on the left. Signs all over the place.
I was headed south and nearly collided with a cyclist headed north. He was pretty much in the middle of the MUP, weaving over the line. I shouted "heads up" to which he moves to his left even more and heads straight for me. I came to a stop and braced myself. He came to a halt too, his front tire to the right of mine nearly one full wheel diameter, nearly off the pavement facing me. We were practically standing next to each other.
I asked what he was doing.. He said the sigh back a ways said that cyclists should keep left. I said NO, EVERYONE keeps to the right. I asked where the sign was and he said it was at the last large street crossing. I went around him, he continued on the left going the opposite way. I got to the crossing and stopped and looked back. Sure enough, there was a sign. CYCLISTS KEEP LEFT. I scratched my head a bit and then realized. The MUP was common here, 12' of concrete for all to use, at this point it split off to a sidewalk on the right (as you head north) and a sharrow lane for bikes in the street on the left. So, what the sign was saying, walkers keep on the sidewalk to the right, bikes use the sharrow on the left. The normal KEEP RIGHT rule was still in place, so the goof I about ran in too was taking it too literally. I emailed the Arkansas Greenway commission advising them of this confusing sign. It's still there to this day.
So, it happens, sometimes the cyclists is at fault, sometimes it's an interpretation of something. Anyway, I'm always careful when riding this section because of that. In the OPs case it was just a goof riding too fast not paying attention. Good luck trying to convince him otherwise. The OP probably did the right thing, just let it slide. I would continue to shout HEADS UP and KEEP RIGHT, just watch this dummy like a hawk. Hard to do in the dark, I know. But I can't picture too many people being on the OPs route at that time.
I was headed south and nearly collided with a cyclist headed north. He was pretty much in the middle of the MUP, weaving over the line. I shouted "heads up" to which he moves to his left even more and heads straight for me. I came to a stop and braced myself. He came to a halt too, his front tire to the right of mine nearly one full wheel diameter, nearly off the pavement facing me. We were practically standing next to each other.
I asked what he was doing.. He said the sigh back a ways said that cyclists should keep left. I said NO, EVERYONE keeps to the right. I asked where the sign was and he said it was at the last large street crossing. I went around him, he continued on the left going the opposite way. I got to the crossing and stopped and looked back. Sure enough, there was a sign. CYCLISTS KEEP LEFT. I scratched my head a bit and then realized. The MUP was common here, 12' of concrete for all to use, at this point it split off to a sidewalk on the right (as you head north) and a sharrow lane for bikes in the street on the left. So, what the sign was saying, walkers keep on the sidewalk to the right, bikes use the sharrow on the left. The normal KEEP RIGHT rule was still in place, so the goof I about ran in too was taking it too literally. I emailed the Arkansas Greenway commission advising them of this confusing sign. It's still there to this day.
So, it happens, sometimes the cyclists is at fault, sometimes it's an interpretation of something. Anyway, I'm always careful when riding this section because of that. In the OPs case it was just a goof riding too fast not paying attention. Good luck trying to convince him otherwise. The OP probably did the right thing, just let it slide. I would continue to shout HEADS UP and KEEP RIGHT, just watch this dummy like a hawk. Hard to do in the dark, I know. But I can't picture too many people being on the OPs route at that time.
These days we have the same problem with cyclists on MUP's (as you call them). Because pedestrians walk a road on the right - toward on-coming traffic. This so they can see the vehicles approaching near them. But vehicles drive on the left.
Naturally a bicycle should always be on the left, but some have taken to their pedestrian stance, due to pedestrians choosing to walk on the right! Our council have tried painting arrows in some places (left forward), but we have over 100 miles in this little town, and nobody knows who the arrows are for.
Me, i'm using a vehicle, so i keep to the left of on-coming vehicles, but go to the right of on-coming pedestrians. Just as i would on a road.
#42
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Hah, all these cool near miss stories. I'm honestly laughing. My story is about the time I almost hit a little boy who looked like he just got off training wheels. I was about to pass his parents and called out Left! They called out to him and he stopped after doing a partial u-turn right in front of me. I clipped him with my pedal and ended up doing a face plant on the side of the path.
#43
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We gave a traffic engineer here in Eugene that could help you out with proper lane positioning.
#45
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This was exactly here. Maybe he thought it was one-way and he was teaching me a lesson, but I'm not having it right there because a couple of years before, a 65 year old lady - experienced touring cyclist - was killed just past there by some idiot on the wrong side.
Last edited by wphamilton; 12-17-18 at 10:24 AM.
#46
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The UCI has rules for everything. Do they even require handlebars? The feet aren't very close to the pedals either.
One might expect that on a major descent, but this path was fairly flat.
#47
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If it's not handlebars, then it is a Jetsons' Jetpack. As worn by Elroy and Astro. (Admit it, you can hear the exhaust sound.)
-mr. bill
-mr. bill
#48
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Why is the oddly-positioned cyclist appears to be broadcasting some kind of energy rays from the top of his head to the backside of the pedestrian ahead?