N_C

Wife & I were on our way out to do some shopping. We were on I-29 south bound. We see a cyclist riding on the shoulder against traffic. This idiot was on a nice looking road bike, bike jersey, shorts, helmet, the whole nine yards. I called the non-emergency number to report this. Not only is this illegal but it is very unsafe. Granted he was on the shoulder which gets very narrow on the bridges he'd have to cross. And further up from where we saw him the exit entrance ramps are the combination style. Where traffic can take the exit & on the same lane/ramp traffic can get on the interstate. A great way to get sandwhiched between 2 cars going highway speeds. This was also as the sun was setting as well. He was not that visable.

Call me a busy body if you'd like but this was pure dangerous stupidity. We took the north bound side home. Did not see him, so hopefully an officer got him off of the interstate.

twahl

Good call in my book. I called the local non-emergency on a couple of kids on gas powered scooters today...weaving in and out of the two lanes going their direction on a 4-lane that carries traffic routinely traveling at 45+. Not trying to get them in trouble, trying to save them from their own stupidity.

pakole

I say goo job as well.

markf

good call, someone could have gotten hurt trying to avoid him on the bridge or on one of the entrance/exits you describe.

flipped4bikes

He may be in full kit, but he's not all there, ya know? Every cyclist that I've seen on Interstates has been pulled over by cops here in the Northeast. Aside, are bikes allowed on certain sections of Interstate in the West?

LilSprocket

I've noticed a lotta that

sunofsand

Great job. Did you also manage to report all the speeders as they pass, too? Im sure there must have been at least ten within that same stretch of road.

San Rensho 

Why didn't you call the cops on the guy in the SUV that told you to get on the sidewalk and stalked you? Darwin will take care of the wrong way cyclist and calling the cops just reinforces in the cops minds that cyclists are ALL law breakers and further erodes our image.

savage24

I don't usually agree with N C, but I will this time. Good call. You may have saved another motorist a lot of emotional trama.

Five years ago this week (I remember because it was a few days before RAGBRAI), I nearly hit a suicidal woman walking on the interstate at night - scared the crap out of me! I was shaken up for a couple of days. Some poor soul behind me did hit her and his windshield was caved in right in front of the drivers seat. The other day there was a guy hit and killed walking against traffic in the road. The news said police had received a call about him and were on their way when they got another call that he had been hit.
It ain't no fun re-living the sight of some dumbass splattered on your windshield when you close your eyes and try to sleep at night.

I-Like-To-Bike

I suspect that the OP thinks playing the role of the "good cyclist" and sic'ing the police on the Untermensch cyclists will boost his own standing amongst those who dislike all cyclists, "good" or not. Doesn't work.

To answer another poster; cycling on the shoulder of the Interstate in some states is legal; or at least it was when I bike commuted on I-80N (now I-84) in the late 70's near Hermiston OR. There was no such thing as wrong way cycling on the shoulder, though going in the same direction as traffic is certainly easier on the eyes in the dark and creates less intense wind turbulence.

savage24

flipped - I have no first-hand knowledge but I seem to remember reading that in some places where there are no other suitable roads for cyclist that it is allowed.

N_C

South Dakota is a state where cyclists are legally allowed to ride on the interstate. There are very few secondary roads with services between towns.

As far as I know a cyclist is not allowed to ride on any of Iowa's interstates or roadways with minimum posted speed limits.

genec

Yes they are. My commute includes a small section of Interstate 5. It is allowed and it is the only way to get there.

Other areas where the Interstate is the only road, bicycles are also allowed.

GGDub

In Nevada, we had to ride on the 1-80 if we wanted to get west out of Reno and it was legal.

OP, did you ever stop to consider this person may have gotten on the interstate going the right way and then decided it was a bad idea and he/she wanted to get off and was heading back to the nearest exit?

Probably not.

N_C

Doesn't matter. He never should have got on the interstate. I doubt it anyway. He was close to an exit & heading away from it. If he was heading back the way he came why did ne not take the exit he was closest to?

Oxymoron

People still routinely bike on I-84 in Oregon. This is through the Columbia River Gorge - it is by far the flattest way past Mt. Hood. The alternative would be to bike the highway over the mountain in the road with the trucks. On I-84 at least there is a paved shoulder, although sometimes you are pinned in between a wall and traffic with not much room. I saw some tourers and racers, but a lot of apparently homeless with everything they owned on their bike. Bikers seemed to go with traffic. You can park on the shoulder there too to go hiking.

There are no interchanges to deal with on that stretch. I would hate to bike past one of those. The law says on on-off ramps you have to follow the ramp off and then back on for your own safety. I like that they allow people to bike on the interstate because I think that even with the higher speeds, having a paved shoulder is safer. We have NO paved shoulders in Iowa, even on many divided highways, except I-80 and that is illegal to ride on. It is the exhaust from the constant stream of vehicles that would bug me on a busy interstate.

That is a tough call about reporting a wrong-way rider. Good to get them off the road, but it does attract the attention of cops - some of whom want to help, some who want to harrass. I hate seeing all the drunks who lost their licenses tootling around town riding up the middle of the lane the wrong way. They wont even get out of the way for other cyclists. I dont bother calling the local small town cops because they are related to, or friends with, everybody and will not enforce ANY laws EVER (unless you aint from around here) - thus stop signs, seat belts and child restraints are optional here. There is nothing like living in a town with 85 year old drivers blowing every stop sign despite the fact you are entering the intersection on your bike with the right-of-way - but I am digressing.

I apologize for the lack of apostrophes but when I use one on my replies I get a search screen - WTH?

-Clay

GGDub

Sure it matters. Would you like it if you made a mistake and in the midst of trying to correct that mistake, were harrassed by the police because someone thought it was their civic duty to tell on you? I myself (and I'm sure several of us has), have made mistakes on a bike wrt ending up on a dangerous road, simply because I was unfamiliar with the area.
BTW, why did it matter that they were on nice bike and in full gear? I sense a bias here...

nova

Its the same every where. Where ever theres a residence on a apparant interstate its legal to ride or walk. Youll generaly see such areas in older cities or parts of cities. Here theres a stretch of interstate 21 that is like this. Theres a half dozen or so homes along a 2 or 3 miles stretch that have been their sence before the interstate was put through.

Speed go from 55/65 to 45/55 and it goes from typical highway/interstate of 2 lanes each direction to one per direction. It still has the typical break down lanes making it alot wider than a typical main road infact its nearly 4 lane widths.

Its realy quite plesent to ride on. Haveign a full lane to your self on a bike can sure be lots of fun stay a little right of center useing say first 3rd of the lane and you can have cars passign you at 60mph with like 10 foot of clearance heh.

nova

From what you describe im guessing this isnt a rare section of interstate with homes that have drive ways leading on to it. On these rare stretches its legal to ride bikes on them but no where else. Generaly they are clasified as routes like interstate 21 goes from interstate to route down south of me about 20ish miles do to some very old homes that are there. Speed drops acordingly. Personaly i try to avoid roads where the speed limit is 55 or above. More often than not theres a better and often times faster route to where im going so why risk my neck on a 55 mph road when i can take the 35 mph one where ill be doign 25+ on the long flat/downhill.

The guy you reported was foolish to ride there unless he had no other choice. In full kit its obvious he did not just break down in his car and was going to get gas or some such.

bmclaughlin807

If it was a mistake, the guy was off the road and long gone before the cops got there... if it was intentional, for whatever reason, the cops would have issued him a warning or ticket, and educated him on why what he was doing was so stupid.

Either way, the OP did the right thing.

If it had been someone driving a car the wrong way on the interstate would you have a problem calling the police to report it? I think not.

GGDub

Bad analogy. A car takes up a whole lot more space and goes way faster. If you think this was justified that's cool, but I hope you've got the non-emergency # on speed dial since the last time I checked, there's a whole lotta people driving faster than the speed limit on the interstates...

geo8rge

I personally think that there should be road signs. Perhaps a few "Share the Road", "Bicyclists must ride on the right" type signs.

chocula

I like this one:

bmclaughlin807

And you called MY example a bad analogy???? What the **** does a car speeding have to do with a cyclist riding the wrong way on a road he's not supposed to be on?

N_C

No this is not a rare section of interstate. 55 to 65 mph, an average of 40,000 vehicles a day use it. There were plenty of other choices. Granted they involve going north then back to the south to get to the down town area. I realize he may not be from this area & not familiar with where he can ride. But common sense should have told him to ask directions or buy a damn map.