# Do NOT walk on the bike path. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 26, 2009, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-not-walk-on-the-bike-path/497694 "2009-05-26T16:03:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-not-walk-on-the-bike-path/497694/81 "2009-05-28T14:02:09Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > Hah. Instead of shouting “on your left!”, try “get off the damned bike path, you cretin!”, assuming it’s a dedicated bike path. I like where your head’s at. > [@stpauler](#): > > As for the OP, I’ve bitched about this exact thing a couple times on Straight Dope before. I obnoxiously use my bell whenever pedestrians are on the biking path (when it’s combined, state statute enforces audible announcements of overtaking, but not when it’s a designated bike path). Although, usually I find it’s the joggers and not the walkers that are guilty of this. Ooh, let’s run over joggers with our bicycles! ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-not-walk-on-the-bike-path/497694/82 "2009-05-28T14:09:01Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > Hah. Instead of shouting “on your left!”, try “get off the damned bike path, you cretin!”, assuming it’s a dedicated bike path. Works for me. 🙂 I do wonder if a workable alternative to “on your left” might be “stay to your right.” I’d be curious if the idiots suddenly get a whole lot smarter. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-not-walk-on-the-bike-path/497694/83 "2009-05-29T18:22:49Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > Thank you. If I say “on your left” it means that I will go to your left. It is my job to go around you. I’m totally ok with that. I don’t expect anything from you except not to move directly into the space that I just loudly announced I was going to be passing through. That’s nice, that’s all well and good. Out here in Los Angeles, we have the reverse problem. Bikers will ride on the sidewalks. I don’t blame thm for that, it’s a LOT safer than riding on the street in traffic. HOWEVER, I am not psychic, I do not have eyes in the back of my head, and I won’t feel a disturbance in the Force. To California bikers: Let me know you are there, and do it in a civilized manner. Do NOT almost run me over from behind and then glare like I’m some piece of shit. Don’t just go in an unswerving line expecting me to throw myself out of the way. If we have a crash, it was your fault. Also, “MOVE IT ASSHOLE” is not acceptable. I understand why you are riding on the sidewalk, but don’t be an asshole about it. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-not-walk-on-the-bike-path/497694/84 "2009-05-29T19:29:40Z")
Is there really that much pedestrian traffic in Van Nuys? What’s in Van Nuys, anyway? Buncha old studios and car dealerships, right? ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-not-walk-on-the-bike-path/497694/85 "2009-05-29T19:51:19Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Is there really that much pedestrian traffic in Van Nuys? What’s in Van Nuys, anyway? Buncha old studios and car dealerships, right? Oh, we have our pedestrians, and I’m often one of them. Yup, we got us a church, a saloon, and one day may even have us a town marshall. Yeehaw 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7993a0/32.png) [@Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamaika_a_jamaikaiake)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-not-walk-on-the-bike-path/497694/86 "2009-05-29T20:37:04Z")
> [@SteveG1](#): > > That’s nice, that’s all well and good. Out here in Los Angeles, we have the reverse problem. Bikers will ride on the sidewalks. I don’t blame thm for that, it’s a LOT safer than riding on the street in traffic. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: people in different cities should not post in the same “bikes vs. cars” threads. In Jersey City, I bike on the street. In New Brunswick, NJ, I biked on the street. But in Chicago, I biked on the sidewalk. Some of those streets were just not safe to bike on\*, and the sidewalks were usually pretty wide. It’s hard to describe the difference unless you’ve biked both. I imagine LA is closer to Chicago? I don’t bike at all in Manhattan… talk about not safe! ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-not-walk-on-the-bike-path/497694/87 "2009-05-29T20:39:19Z")
Oh, let me tell ya lady, as someone who lived in LA for over 20 years, bicycling in the street in Los Angeles is a great idea if you have no particular will to live. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-not-walk-on-the-bike-path/497694/88 "2009-05-29T21:36:51Z")
> [@Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](#): > > I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: people in different cities should not post in the same “bikes vs. cars” threads. > > In Jersey City, I bike on the street. In New Brunswick, NJ, I biked on the street. > > But in Chicago, I biked on the sidewalk. Some of those streets were just not safe to bike on\*, and the sidewalks were usually pretty wide. It’s hard to describe the difference unless you’ve biked both. I imagine LA is closer to Chicago? > > I don’t bike at all in Manhattan… talk about not safe! I have to say, it’s more like NY and Chicago. Dangerous. Like I said earlier, I understand why you are on the sidewalk. You don’t want to get killed. I understand. But, bikers don’t have to be jerks about it. Some are. ---
**Author:** ![Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7993a0/32.png) [@Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamaika_a_jamaikaiake)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-not-walk-on-the-bike-path/497694/89 "2009-05-29T22:03:06Z")
> [@SteveG1](#): > > I have to say, it’s more like NY and Chicago. Dangerous. Those are two different kinds of dangerous, though. > [@](#): > > Like I said earlier, I understand why you are on the sidewalk. You don’t want to get killed. I understand. But, bikers don’t have to be jerks about it. Some are. I know, I wasn’t disagreeing with you. I was just using your post to make a point to the thread at large. Admittedly, this thread has been better than earlier ones about people talking past each other (regarding regional differences), but I still wanted to put that warning out there. ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2009, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-not-walk-on-the-bike-path/497694/90 "2009-05-31T19:39:20Z")
> [@Sweetums](#): > > As a biker who often shares the rail trails with walkers and dogs, I have a few things to add. If I am coming up on you and say in a loud voice “on your left” or somesuch. The good thing to do is move to your right, or at least maintain your current coarse. Do not move to you left, in from of me, or if in a group do not scatter like sheep into two or more groups that I have to run a slalom through. When I hear this my first thought is total confusion, and then not 2 seconds later the bicyclist is upon me. Unless a person has combat like reflexes, there’s just not much to do here. ---
**Author:** ![Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7993a0/32.png) [@Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamaika_a_jamaikaiake)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2009, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-not-walk-on-the-bike-path/497694/91 "2009-05-31T20:11:20Z")
> [@neuroman](#): > > When I hear this my first thought is total confusion, and then not 2 seconds later the bicyclist is upon me. Unless a person has combat like reflexes, there’s just not much to do here. I think the post you are responding to is talking about shared use paths, where people should be pretty aware of this kind of thing. (In fact, the first time I encountered the whole “on your left” thing was the Lakeshore Drive bike path in Chicago). If you are talking about a regular sidewalk, then I totally agree with you. ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-not-walk-on-the-bike-path/497694/92 "2009-06-01T01:17:56Z")
> [@Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](#): > > I think the post you are responding to is talking about shared use paths, where people should be pretty aware of this kind of thing. (In fact, the first time I encountered the whole “on your left” thing was the Lakeshore Drive bike path in Chicago). If you are talking about a regular sidewalk, then I totally agree with you. I often use a multiuse rec path, and the number of people on that path who don’t understand “on your left” can be excruciating, especially in good weather. There seem to be a lot of noobs every time the weather gets good. Some hints: [ul] [li]Announce early, like 20-30 feet back[/li][li]Announce loudly, to reach the tuned-out. Bellow, in fact. You can’t be too loud in announcing your impending arrival.[/li][li]Be specific if you think the person you’re passing won’t understand. I will say, “I’m going to pass you on your left.”[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-not-walk-on-the-bike-path/497694/93 "2009-06-01T13:52:54Z")
Because everyone was dying of curiosity, yes, there were fuckwads all over the bike path again this weekend, including a family pushing a kid who looked to be about 35 in a stroller. There were also people in Segways. Yes, _Segways_. There should be a separate Pit thread for those jerks alone. Ya know, if it weren’t so clearly marked, I’d have thought I was on a regular sidewalk. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-not-walk-on-the-bike-path/497694/94 "2009-06-01T21:54:47Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Because everyone was dying of curiosity, yes, there were fuckwads all over the bike path again this weekend, including a family pushing a kid who looked to be about 35 in a stroller. There were also people in Segways. Yes, _Segways_. There should be a separate Pit thread for those jerks alone. Ya know, if it weren’t so clearly marked, I’d have thought I was on a regular sidewalk. Get yourself a 12V battery (a motorcycle battery should do), mount it on the bike, and hook up one of those airhorns like trucks have. Then ease up behind them, and see how many you can cause to shit themselves 😃 I know, its like all evil and stuff, but I bet it would be fun. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/47e85d/32.png) [@Captain\_Lance\_Murdoch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Lance_Murdoch)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2009, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-not-walk-on-the-bike-path/497694/95 "2009-06-06T05:34:13Z")
I was biking around Lake Phalen in St. Paul, MN where I used to live. Frustrated by the number of people walking in the biking lane some I swerved over into the walking lane to go around a bunch of pedestrians. At this point some fool yelled at me “this is the walking lane buddy!” Fucking dick. I went around the lake again in the bike lane. How many walkers do you think I saw in the biking lane? 74! Yes, 74. And that understates the issue as some of them were with baby carriages and were not not walking, but talking to each other with carriages facing so the entire path was blocked in both directions. These people never move when approached by bikers. I never saw the walking lane guy again to tell him of my count. By the way, a biker in the bike lane was struck and killed in Minneapolis last week. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2009, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-not-walk-on-the-bike-path/497694/96 "2009-06-06T07:00:24Z")
The other side - please bike in the bike path. Not everyone, I know that sometimes bike paths are awful. They’re badly maintained, they’re on crumbling bits of shoulder, they’re full of glass, etc. But this past week, I’ve come across two cyclists biking exactly where they shouldn’t. The city has just coated frequently cycled roads with [“Sharrows”](http://www.seattle.gov/Transportation/sharrows.htm), which is a stupid name, but a pretty clear signal to bikes and cars alike that that’s where bicycles are supposed to go. They have little pointy arrows to show direction. And they have pictures of bikes. These symbols are not hard to understand. So why, bicyclists are you going the wrong way (left hand side of the street) on the sidewalk? There’s a bike path. Use it. BTW, these cyclists were an abberation; the majority of bikers on the street were not being twits. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2009, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-not-walk-on-the-bike-path/497694/97 "2009-06-06T10:20:47Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > I’m not so sure it’s idiotic. > > Let me float this idea: In Kansas, when it snows a lot, some roads become very hard to see because everything is covered up. The only guidelines are the rows of telephone poles. Every now and then someone will spin out, and occasionally hit a pole. How often were poles hit? Far more often than is statistically probably. A study was done on why this is (sorry, no cite), and it was discovered that the last thing on drivers’ minds just before collision was “I must avoid that TELEPHONE POLL. I don’t want to hit the TELEPHONE POLL. That TELEPHONE POLL is the one thing I don’t want to hit.” They were so focused on the TELEPHONE POLL that subconsciously, they steered right for it. > > I think that “on your left” works the same way. When I hear that, my mind doesn’t say “Hmm, someone on my left. Probably a jogger or cyclist. They are coming up on my left, therefore I must move right.” All I hear is “left”, and so sometimes I move that way. Given a second or two to work out the logic, it’s clear what I need to do, but often I don’t have that second or two. My ears tell my muscles to react, and my brain plays catch-up a little later. That brief interval of time is plenty for a collision to occur, especially since most bikers/joggers don’t give a whole lot of forwarning. > > “But that’s dumb!”, you might be saying from the comfort and safety of your computer. And yes, from the comfort and safety of your computer, it certainly is dumb. But out on the street it’s a whole different thing. It’s part of it (like how shouting “duck !” or “careful !” will cause people to turn and look at you rather than ducking or moving out of the way), but to me, even factoring that out, “on your left !” is still ambiguous. I dunno if it’s because I’m a non-native English speaker, or maybe it’s just a convention I dunno about, but I would certainly wonder “wait, do I need to move to my left, or is he gonna pass on my left ?”. “Passing on your left” is only one more word, and non-ambiguous. Use that. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2009, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-not-walk-on-the-bike-path/497694/98 "2009-06-06T15:45:14Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > It’s part of it (like how shouting “duck !” or “careful !” will cause people to turn and look at you rather than ducking or moving out of the way), but to me, even factoring that out, “on your left !” is still ambiguous. I dunno if it’s because I’m a non-native English speaker, or maybe it’s just a convention I dunno about, but I would certainly wonder “wait, do I need to move to my left, or is he gonna pass on my left ?”. “Passing on your left” is only one more word, and non-ambiguous. Use that. We pass on the left in America. Roads, moving walkways, etc etc. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2009, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-not-walk-on-the-bike-path/497694/99 "2009-06-06T15:57:44Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > We pass on the left in America. Roads, moving walkways, etc etc. _blink, blink_ yes, I get that. Same here. I’m just saying, if I was walking about and going on my business, and I heard someone yell “on your left” from behind me, I’d wonder why and what he meant, I wouldn’t instantly assume 1) it’s a guy on a bike 2) who wants to pass me safely. My natural reaction would be to stop and turn around to try and figure what this is about and/or if the yeller is really talking to me. Like I said, if saying “on your left” is an accepted convention that only bikers use, only in this situation, that’s another referential entirely. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2009, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-not-walk-on-the-bike-path/497694/100 "2009-06-06T16:04:35Z")
As long as you don’t actually _move_ to your left, which would be borderline retarded IMO, you’re fine. The biker is going to go around you and just wants you to know you probably shouldn’t jump in front of him. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-not-walk-on-the-bike-path/497694.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-not-walk-on-the-bike-path/497694.md?page=6)