Actually it’s not. That’s the point of it being a law. Your intentionally disobeying the law in this case potentially puts others at risk in addition to yourself as they are forced to respond to your reckless action. You have not that right.
So they can step out of the road entirely if a vehicle is coming their way.
As anyone driving a car is used to dealing with overtaking other vehicles, yes I would.
Putting myself into the perspective of the driver you would be biking directly towards, I do not believe I would continue to drive towards the biker. If I were unable to fully move into the oncoming lane to pass the cyclist, I would stop my car. And probably make many exasperated gestures. You would be putting driver after driver into situations for which they have not prepared themselves. This is because what you would be doing is both dangerous and illegal.
A good option to have.
My department’s latest annual Wrong Way report was generated entirely by bicyclists on the wrong side of the road who were struck by right turning vehicles at intersections.
Yeah, you want to be traveling in the same direction as traffic. Also, all of the traffic signs that you need to obey are on the opposite side of the road, as well as intersection controls.
(bolding mine)
You’re protected?! Really? :dubious:
Poor choice of words, IMHO.
And correct you are, sir. I had completely forgotten about posting in that thread. :smack:
Thanks, misterW. 
I was feeling like the ‘Lone Stranger’, for a minute there. 
As for the question, “I wonder though how he would handle the coming upon another cyclist riding on the correct side of the road?”
Ummmm… You’re both on bicycles. It’s not like you’re approaching each other at 35+mph, in a 1,000+lb vehicle, with all of the distractions and decreased visibility that are inherent in such. Move to the right a little, you can see if you have the time and room, to do so.
Annnnd, HOW is this any different from riding on a bicycle? 
Granted, if you’re riding a bicycle at ‘Tour de France’ speeds you’re not going to be able to just “step out of the road entirely”, without risking taking a tumble.
Even if you are riding at ‘top speed’, you should still have time to bail off the bike and out of the roadway to keep that car that’s hugging the shoulder from smearing you all over their grill/windshield. Of course, that’s on the condition that you’re looking ahead.
The comments about “You can hear the car coming.” and the “You should use a mirror.” advice isn’t very realistic, IME.
Can those who are stringently pro-riding against traffic check their local regulations and see if this is, in fact, illegal in their areas? Just curious.
I have, it is. Here, look it up in the California Driver’s Handbook (PDF)
It’s on page 60.
It is also part of the uniform vehicle code, so I would expect all states the law is pretty much the same.
This is a bit of a generalization. In my location, for instance, I have the option of being a road vehicle or a pedestrian. If my bike is on the road, I must follow all standard road laws, including the direction of travel. If my bike is on the sidewalk, I need to treat myself as a pedestrian, including laws about crossing streets, etc.
Because I’m not riding a bmx nor am I a trick rider so instead of lithely hopping over the curb like the graceful dancelike person I am, I smash the front wheel into it and crash my bike?
Riding with traffic ftw.
More to the point they can do so instantly. Even walking as fast they can, or jogging a pedestrian can side-jump, side-step, and many other maneuvers that are simply not possible on a bicycle. Bikes are nimble, but they cannot pull the moves a pedestrian can do if need be.
When a car approaches, pedestrian is expected stay where he/she is, or step towards the curb. Either way, the correct action for the driver is the same and straightforward: veer away from the curb.
But a cyclist riding against traffic? There’s a good chance he/she would realize that he/she is in the wrong position in the road, and veer right. Or veer towards the curb. How is the car driver to know??
I can’t believe I actually have to type this out, but those are the same reasons you should ride your bicycle with traffic.
If I’m the driver or cyclist you are either going into the ditch, or out into the oncoming traffic, or meeting me head on. I will not pass on the wrong side unless I have no option. I will not move into the centre of the road for your sake.
I find myself in this situation semi-regularly as a cyclist ie facing dumbass other cyclists on the wrong side of the road. I just keep as far to my (ie the kerb) side of the road as possible. Half the time they also head for the kerb and we end up playing chicken before stopping face on. At which point I yell “WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!” At which point they typically go red in the face and apologise and slink away. If they have the temerity to attempt any sort of argument they get “I AM SICK TO FUCKING DEATH OF BEING TARRED WITH THE SAME BRUSH AS SHITHEAD CYCLISTS LIKE YOU. GROW UP. IF YOU DON’T KNOW THE ROAD RULES GET OFF THE FUCKING ROAD!”.
I’ve never had anyone attempt any further comeback at that point.
And one that you generally do not have when mounted upon a moving bicycle that cannot sidestep onto a curb or dart into the space between parked cars. Which, along with the other things pointed out in this thread, has your steadfast insistence upon riding (not walking – there’s a world of difference) against traffic appearing as incredibly asinine to the rest of the world
Sometimes when everyone else says you’re wrong, it’s because you are indeed wrong.
Not only that, but I assume a bicyclist riding the wrong way is probably not the most skilled rider. It’s something I expect from a little kid on a dead end street, not an adult out in traffic. I would not expect such a rider to have the skills or mental agility to get out of the way of oncoming traffic without it showing up on the news.
As per my post #3, the law in Texas requires that bicycles abide by the same rules of the road that pertain to motor vehicles.
FWIW, Houston doesn’t seem to have a very large number of bicycle commuters, at least not that I’ve noticed. Certain areas of the city do have a higher proportion of daily bicycle riders, and the ones that I do see, follow the law and ride with traffic.
Due to the fact that roadways and driving habits have changed over the years, I’ll concede that my past riding style is no longer appropriate and that my thoughts on where to ride are just a ‘carry over’ from my youth. :smack:
(During which time Houston DID NOT have any bike lanes, and in some parts of town, even sidewalks were pretty scarce.) :eek:
To be perfectly honest, it’s been decades since I needed to ride a bicycle as a means of transportation, and for that matter, I don’t even own one anymore. 
You can all put the pitchforks back in the barn and extinguish your torches, now. 
As so many others have pointed out one way or another, traffic consists of two groups of moving objects, vehicles and pedestrians. Things that move on wheels, such as cars and bicycles are vehicles, and they are all subject to the same basic set of rules. These rules are there to facilitate for others to interpret your actions regarding turning etc.
It’s late, and the posters’ names are all blending into one another, but I just realized… are there really more than one of you arguing for riding against traffic?
I’ve almost hit cyclists twice while driving my car. Both times they were coming down the wrong side of the street.