I ride with traffic. If you regularly ride against traffic, please stop doing that.
With traffic…
…and NOT against traffic, not wearing a helmet, riding with no hands, wearing headphones, and on the phone or texting. I see these types of riders on a regular basis, and I wonder how long it will be before they weave just a little too far into approaching traffic.
OTOH, if you’re walking and there’s no sidewalk, it’s best to walk facing traffic. You can see the cars coming and move off the road if necessary.
With traffic. Why is this even a question?
If you’re bent on suicide, sure, go ahead and ride anyway you want. :rolleyes:
Other than that I would have to say that the first cop that sees you riding like that on a motorcycle is going to pull you over and write you a citation at the very least, or arrest you at worst.
Your sarcasm detector needs calibration me thinks.
Depends on the surrounding environment.
In the city, with slow moving traffic, many cross streets, bike paths, it may make the most sense to go with traffic.
Outside of the city, if you are riding on roads where traffic can come at very high speeds from behind you, you are completely at the mercy of the car driver if you ride with traffic. If you want to place your life in the hands of someone who may be texting, fiddling with their mp3, arguing with someone…go for it. If you would like to have a say in the matter, ride facing traffic.
I was uncomfortable riding with traffic because I couldn’t see what was coming up behind me. Guy at the bike shop recommended putting a rearview mirror on my helmet. Problem solved!
Legally, bicycles are road vehicles and must ride with traffic. Furthermore, this is the expected behavior, and thus it is unsafe to do otherwise. Only pedestrians should walk against traffic, for the reasons you have alluded to.
How could you obey any other rules of the road? All other rules assume you are driving/riding to the right, and would be meaningless while riding against traffic.
In a situation where you knew this put you at more risk, would you do so simply because it was legal?
I wouldn’t say that it is quite as simple as that…
And you would be wrong because there is no realistically conceivable situation where following these basic rules would put you at more risk.
Safety on the road requires that all of the actors involved follow the same set of rules and know what is expected from the other actor involved. (Barrelling through a green light is safe only because I know to expect that others will stop at the red light facing their direction; if I cannot trust that then what happens?) On my bike, including on roads where traffic can come at very high speeds from behind me, I am protected by the fact that my actions and the actions of the driver are largely predictable as we both understand what the rules are. If I was riding on the wrong side of the road I have now become an unpredictable agent which forces the other actor to decide upon their action based on a best guess of what I might or might not do. Those driver actions are now harder for me to predict. I have, by ignoring the agreement, placed both of us at risk (me moreso of course).
Dude, you already had this argument in the Things that you can’t fathom people not understanding thread.
That is true. But, this discussion seemed to be lacking much argument from that side. Are you only allowed to discuss something once?
You’re biking down a rural highway at dusk. The road has turns, but the occasional car that comes through whizzes by at 55-65 mph. Would you prefer to see if the car is moving over to avoid you or just hope for the best?
I have biked down a rural highway at midnight with large trucks going by at 70.
No way in hell would I do that against traffic.
Why? If they see you, they see you. If they don’t, you’re dead if you’re going the same way. Going the opposite way, you may end up in the ditch. I know what I’d prefer.
Whether they hit from in front or behind, you’re dead. The added 15 mph of speed going toward them is not going to make a difference.
From that thread I see that misterW is concerned about avoiding the person aiming for him from behind and thinks he could better dodge that crazy if he could see them aiming at him at a relative increase of speed of roughly 30 to 35 mph (the 15+ that I am driving away from the car that I am now driving towards it).
Ooookay.
I wonder though how he would handle the coming upon another cyclist riding on the correct side of the road?
As far as that windy rural road goes … I would prefer that the car knows where to expect me and that I know where to expect it and that (s)he has a much time as possible to respond in a way that they are prepared to respond. Yes I trust that drivers are not aiming for me and confident that 1) I am dead either way if they are and 2) driving on the wrong side of the road may be just what it takes to trip some psychotic over into road rage and do it.
In your scenerio which would you prefer: the driver and you approaching each other around a curve at a relative speed of 75 mph (his 60 and your 15) each in a split second guessing what the other is going to do, or the driver approaching at a relative speed of 45 mph having that slightly longer split second to respond in an action that requires no guesswork to move a bit away from the shoulder?
Yes like Rick I have cycled on those roads. I like living. No way would I be on the wrong side of the road. The added 30 mph net and the having to decide what I might do in a WTF moment both would make it much more likely that I would be hit than if I was where I am supposed to be.
I know i’ll only be adding to the chorus here, but i feel obliged to do so.
Against the traffic, are you serious!?
That’s insanely dangerous, and unless you’re biking in Somalia has to be illegal.
For gods sake man, don’t do that.
Following the law gives you and the people around you the highest level of safety. You are wrong.