Bikers going the wrong direction in bike lanes...

[PDoz]

Just curious if any of you run into bike riders in the middle of the street (riding the right direction) when there is a clearly marked bike lane a few feet to the right. I live in a tourist area with many bikers on the hotel rental bikes and they just take over the road. What is the proper response from someone operating a motor vehicle? I have yet to honk...

" run into" ??? Without honking first?

 

[Taylor57]

" run into" ??? Without honking first?

I should have asked, "have you come across" my bad

 

[Gordon71]

There are no bike lanes along the road where I live. There are bike and hiking trails and problems there are some bike riders ignore the stay right except to pass rule.

 

[Asher]

Just curious if any of you run into bike riders in the middle of the street (riding the right direction) when there is a clearly marked bike lane a few feet to the right. I live in a tourist area with many bikers on the hotel rental bikes and they just take over the road. What is the proper response from someone operating a motor vehicle? I have yet to honk...

I do that sometimes. The bike lane is rutted or debris laden. Or... it's too skinny and its in the door zone of parked cars... I'm passing a slower cyclist... I'm turning left

You live in a tourist area. Best accept it. People come to relax and be a little dumb and carefree. Pretend you're working at disneyland.

Everyone using the road 'takes over' the road.

 

[jangles]

IN THE OLD DAYS IT WAS recommended to ride against traffic which to me makes more sense . My question is why the change , what makes a person think he's safe from traffic coming behind him ? When riding against traffic you at least have a chance of getting out of harms way if one comes at you . Who ad why changed the game .

 

[Tars Tarkas]

IN THE OLD DAYS IT WAS recommended to ride against traffic which to me makes more sense . My question is why the change , what makes a person think he's safe from traffic coming behind him ? When riding against traffic you at least have a chance of getting out of harms way if one comes at you . Who ad why changed the game .

Interesting question, but I'm not sure it has a firm basis. My guess is that someone thought riding into traffic was a better idea and recommended it, but I doubt it was ever any kind of official, legal recommendation. I agree that the idea was out there more so than today. Maybe some school districts recommended it on their own "authority" for kids riding to school, or something like that.

TT

 

[Tars Tarkas]

Google something like, "riding bikes on the left side of the road," and see for yourself. There are a ton of sites with lots of info. Executive summary: it's the law to ride on the right in all 50 states, and you are much more likely to be injured or killed riding against traffic.

TT

 

[mogulskier]

Around where I live, we have bike lanes, but they are sporadic, non-uniform, and inconsistent, but there is a push to create more bike lanes, and it is happening, albeit very slowly. Until we get them in bigger numbers, you are forced to share the road with car traffic. With few exceptions, everyone rides with the direction of traffic. Ever since Covid, there are many more bikes out there now, and drivers are adjusting to it.

In places where there are dedicated bike lanes that were built as part of road construction, I've never seen anyone riding the wrong direction unless it is to pass.

I've never felt comfortable riding opposite traffic. I do it sometimes to avoid a traffic light intersection, but just for a block maximum. I just see it as too risky and increases the risk of an accident. I feel more comfortable riding with traffic. While true that I can't see the traffic behind me all the time, I think drivers are conditioned to seeing bikers riding along side them, and almost have an automatic response to drive around them in tight spaces.

 

[mogulskier]

Riding a big fatty helps with this.

Had one person cross midblock with a dog ahead of her on a fully stretched 30 foot extension leash. Dog was on my side sidewalk, person was on opposite side sidewalk. Fortunately the sun was behind me so I could see the leash. Yelled at her that apparently I care about her dog more than she does.

Try gas dirt bikes passing you on the right in the bike lane when you're stopped at a red light and they're blowing it. At least they didn't pop a wheelie next to me (that was 50 feet down the road). No plates on those bikes.


...and then yell at you for not saying "on your left" as you pass them for the fifth time on your noisy knobbies, your bike fully in the motor vehicle lane.

Guilty. I mean c'mon, how can you have a SM or Dirt Bike and not wheelie? We are all hooligans inside

It is a trade off. eMtb's need to have knobbies, but we also need to commute to work or casual riding on pavement. Sucks, but it is what it is. And they are a bit noisy.

 

[indianajo]

IN THE OLD DAYS IT WAS recommended to ride against traffic which to me makes more sense . . Who ad why changed the game .

My 1966 Texas driver's license manual (found it last week) says bikes ride on the right of outer car lane. Says pedestrians walk on the opposite side facing traffic.

 

[jangles]

I was talking the 50s in Il .

 

[FlatSix911]

Ah yes, the poor bike lane etiquette I have posted about ad-nauseum in this forum. The worst incident of that scenario happened to me at about 6am. Jogger with his back to me jumped into the bike lane with no time for me to avoid him. He had headphones and never bothered to look back. I passed him without a collision but it was by a hair. Next morning I saw the same jogger on the opposite side of the street jogging against traffic. Anyway, here are my frequent bike lane experiences/peeves (and I've experienced every one of these):

• wrong-way cyclists
• joggers, pedestrians, skateboarders with backs to traffic and who often have headphones and who have no idea a cyclist is behind them
• joggers running facing traffic who refuse to give bicycles right of way (ie move out of the bike lane)
• anyone - cyclists, pedestrians, joggers ... who move into bike lanes without looking for oncoming traffic - usually for me it is a pedestrian focused on his/her smartphone
• dog walkers on the sidewalk with dogs on long leashes and dog walkers who leave dog poop in the bike lanes
• city police department which leaves trails of horse poop in the bike lanes - I'm not really bothered that the equestrian patrol sometimes uses the bike lanes but really horse poop is a hazard for a cyclist
• gas powered scooters or gas powered kit bikes in the bike lanes - mainly because they spew fumes and exhaust
• auto drivers who pass me only to make a sudden right turn in front of me
• bus drivers who frequently sit idling blocking the bike lanes (when they have clearly marked bus spaces to park in which leave the lanes free)
• food trucks that set up shop for sidewalk customers illegally blocking the bike lanes
• cyclists who blow past me while I sit waiting for a red light (they blow through the red light) only then to slow me down when I catch them after the light turns green
• pizza/food delivery vehicles that use the bike lanes for short term parking - same for FedEx, UPS etc
• folks who live along bike lanes who set their trash bins on trash pickup day in the bike lanes

I'm probably leaving a few things off the list. But yes, sometimes the urban bike lanes in heavier trafficked areas are almost unusable or are even less-safe than riding in traffic.

Please considering adding Pickup Trucks Rolling Coal at cyclists in the bike lane...