Which side of a path?
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Is there any convention on which side of a path or track to ride on when facing oncoming cyclists?
Round here people seem to ride on the right as much as the left - annoying. There are lots of cycle
tracks and dual-use pavements with regular opportunity for collision.
"Geoff Pearson" <gspearson1647@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:bqvijk$26fvl2$1@ID-120835.news.uni-berlin.de...
> Is there any convention on which side of a path or track to ride on when facing oncoming cyclists?
> Round here people seem to ride on the right as much as the left - annoying. There are lots of
> cycle tracks and dual-use pavements with regular opportunity for collision.
Well if everyone stuck to the well known convention of staying to the left except when overtaking
<1> I think things would run more smoothly and safely. When our daughter was small we used to shout
"keep left" to her but it was really aimed at the dolts coming the other way.
<1> Except when riding technical off-road trails when consideration for what the on-coming rider is
doing comes into it.
Pete
"Geoff Pearson" <gspearson1647@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:bqvijk$26fvl2$1@ID-120835.news.uni-berlin.de...
> Is there any convention on which side of a path or track to ride on when facing oncoming cyclists?
> Round here people seem to ride on the right as much as the left - annoying. There are lots of
> cycle tracks and dual-use pavements with regular opportunity for collision.
Surely there is a _convention_, which is the same as on the roads - keep left. The problem is some
people who ride bikes on cycle tracks etc. seem not to have noticed... They are probably people who
have never grown up, in cycling terms, since they were children riding on the pavement without being
aware of custom and practice.
Rich
"Richard Goodman" <rich@NOSPAM.rsk.homechoice.co.uk> wrote in message
news:3fd361bc$1@news1.homechoice.co.uk...
> "Geoff Pearson" <gspearson1647@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:bqvijk$26fvl2$1@ID-120835.news.uni-berlin.de...
> > Is there any convention on which side of a path or track to ride on when facing oncoming
> > cyclists? Round here people seem to ride on the right as much as the left - annoying. There are
> > lots of cycle tracks and dual-use pavements with regular opportunity for collision.
>
> Surely there is a _convention_, which is the same as on the roads - keep left. The problem is some
> people who ride bikes on cycle tracks etc. seem not to have noticed... They are probably people
> who have never grown up,
in
> cycling terms, since they were children riding on the pavement without
being
> aware of custom and practice.
>
> Rich
>
>
Well you'd have thought it would be left in this country. Could have fooled me round here though.
Wobbling about on the pavement towards oncoming traffic seems to be another local convention. Quite
worrying when you are riding up the road correctly towards them.....
how about you apply a little common sense and try to answer the question yourself. here's a hint - if you ride on the right hand side of the road what's going to eventually happen to you?
On Sun, 7 Dec 2003 15:56:35 -0000, "Geoff Pearson" <gspearson1647@hotmail.com> wrote:
>Is there any convention on which side of a path or track to ride on when facing oncoming cyclists?
The far side of the kerb, the bit where the vehicles go
HTH ;-)
Guy
===
** WARNING ** This posting may contain traces of irony. http://chapmancentral.demon.co.uk (http://chapmancentral.demon.co.uk/)
Geoff Pearson wrote:
> Is there any convention on which side of a path or track to ride on when facing oncoming cyclists?
> Round here people seem to ride on the right as much as the left - annoying. There are lots of
> cycle tracks and dual-use pavements with regular opportunity for collision.
My wife dragged me around Bluewater the other day christmas shopping. Whilst she shopped I lurked
out on the walkways and observed the flow of pedestrian movements. It quickly became clear that most
- but not all - pedestrians choose to pass to the right. I assume this is to do with right
handedness being more prevalent. Where pedestrians passed to the left there was often more eye
contact and clearer body language showing intent as the less usual movement was 'negotiated'.
I think that many cyclists using paths where they are encountering pedestrians have adopted
pedestrian conventions which then brings them into conflict with cyclists who are using road
conventions.
regards
Malcolm
"Jinx" <urc.jinx.sheppey@xoxy.net> wrote in message news:<br1l3b$qjq$1@newsg3.svr.pol.co.uk>...
> Geoff Pearson wrote:
> > Is there any convention on which side of a path or track to ride on when facing oncoming
> > cyclists?
> My wife dragged me around Bluewater the other day christmas shopping. ...I lurked out on the
> walkways and observed the flow of pedestrian movements. It quickly became clear that most - but
> not all - pedestrians choose to pass to the right. I assume this is to do with right handedness
> being more prevalent. ...
I would imagine that this could also be to do with the convention that pedestrians walk on the right
hand side of a road with no pavement so that they face (and see) oncoming traffic.
best wishes james
> On Sun, 7 Dec 2003 15:56:35 -0000, "Geoff Pearson" <gspearson1647@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> >Is there any convention on which side of a path or track
to ride on when
> >facing oncoming cyclists?
>
I do find it extremely rare to come across an approaching rider. However I have noticed that
whatever the width of the path, I tend to ride about a half metre from the left hand edge (i.e.
where I normally ride relative to the road edge). This still applies when the path is only 60cm wide
or even 52cm wide! Just 10 days ago I did come across an on-coming rider, like me he was riding 50cm
from his left hand edge. The path being just 60cm wide we both moved slightly right. What position
do you adopt on narrowest paths?
--
IanB
n.b. as I subscribe to two large newsgroups it may be several days before I see a newsgroup response
"waffle" <usenet-forum@cyclingforums.com> wrote in message news:3fd46115$1_1@news.chariot.net.au...
> how about you apply a little common sense and try to answer the question yourself. here's a hint -
> if you ride on the right hand side of the road what's going to eventually happen to you?
When I am cycling along on the left of a cyclepath and someone approaches on the same side as me I
shout to them "A gauche m'sieur!" When they say "Pardon?" I say, "oh sorry, thought you must be a
foreigner. We ride on the left in this country y'see!" :-)
Simon
Originally posted by Geoff Pearson
Is there any convention on which side of a path or track to ride on when facing oncoming cyclists?
Round here people seem to ride on the right as much as the left - annoying. There are lots of cycle
tracks and dual-use pavements with regular opportunity for collision.
i think part of the problem, certainly round my area, is the quality of the cycle path- i dont actually use em there that bad but when i have to during rush our there very lumpy and im often moving over sides to avoid debris on the path. theres a white line down the middle suggesting a 2 lane thing but one side theres just room for 1 bike and on the other theres room for 2, also it doesnt help that the emergency phones are actually on the path.
but as a rule i think we should stay on the left when passing and when its totally clear take the side with least potholes and debris
"Jinx" <urc.jinx.sheppey@xoxy.net> wrote in message news:br1l3b$qjq$1@newsg3.svr.pol.co.uk...
[snip]
> My wife dragged me around Bluewater the other day christmas
shopping. Whilst
> she shopped I lurked out on the walkways and observed the flow of
pedestrian
> movements. It quickly became clear that most - but not all -
pedestrians
> choose to pass to the right.
[snip]
Pedestrians used to walk on the left. I have a Punch cartoon about it, dating from the 1940s. In
other countries where they drive on the left, such as Japan and Australia, they walk on the left.
I've often had foreigners comment to me about how odd it is that people don't walk on the left here.
I think the changeover took place in the 1970s, when Brit's started going on package tours abroad.
All those arrogant German tourists not getting out of people's way subliminally converted the Brit's
without their even noticing. The odd thing is, when you ask anyone about it, most people will deny
choosing any particular side at all, fiercely defending the right of free born Englishmen to walk
any way they want to
The London Underground standard is to keep left on the flat, and right on stairs and escalators. The
Highway Code - it's the very first rule - says keep left on pavements, except on one way streets.
Rule 2 gives the rule for pedestrians on bike paths.
Jeremy Parker
Geoff Pearson wrote:
> Is there any convention on which side of a path or track to ride on when facing oncoming cyclists?
> Round here people seem to ride on the right as much as the left - annoying. There are lots of
> cycle tracks and dual-use pavements with regular opportunity for collision.
Rule 136 of the Highway Code says "keep to the left" (http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/14.shtml).
BUT: rule 48 says
When using segregated tracks you MUST keep to the side intended for cyclists.
(http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/03.shtml)
Perhaps the people you encounter are following this rule?
(This is the main reason why I avoid segregated tracks.)
--
Gareth Rees
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