Originally Posted by
Al Criner
I may get flamed for this, but walk facing the traffic, folks. If there is dirt or gravel next to the trail you should walk on that when the trail is busy. Seriously, whenever possible don't put yourself in a position where bikes are sneaking up on you or slaloming around you. Even a slow bicyclist is going a lot faster than you are walking.
I'm convinced ear buds are a disaster. When walking, running, bicycling your situational awareness is really important. If you have your back to the oncoming traffic and ear buds in, you make yourself sort of blind, deaf and distracted.
No flame here, since if it's not crowded I don't care as a cyclist which way they're walking. But I've always been curious about one thing when I come across this. What's your plan when you're walking on the left side and bicycle traffic is approaching from behind, which would be on your right side, and there's also foot traffic or bicycles heading at you in your lane? You don't jump right I hope, so it's step off? Stand your ground? If there's a railing or some other impediment to getting off the path, what happens then? If you just stop, and they stop in front of you waiting, the face-off seems like it would be kind of awkward. Does that ever happen?