How do you deal with wrong-way (direction wise) bicyclists?

Sir Ridesalot

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Jun 26, 2015, 4:08:05 PM6/26/15

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So there you are riding along the road minding your own business and enjoying your ride when some idiot on a bicycle riding the wrong way in your lane approaches. What do you do? Do you stop and let the idiot by? Do you cut to your right so the idiot has to go around you? Do you just hold your line and run the idiot down if they don't get out of your way?

Wrong direction riding bicyclists can be very disconcerting, even hazardous, to other bicyclists and moreso at night when they don't have either lights or reflectors as required by law. What's your favourite way of dealing with them?

Cheers

Duane

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Jun 26, 2015, 4:29:09 PM6/26/15

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Yell and point to your left letting them know you're keeping to the right.
And hope they're not wearing the ear buds that they likely are. I've had
one actually texting with earbuds causing me to bail into traffic.

--
duane

avag...@gmail.com

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Jun 26, 2015, 6:54:18 PM6/26/15

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bike paths are all 2 or more ways so ?

air horn

Joerg

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Jun 27, 2015, 1:56:51 PM6/27/15

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Signal appropriately :-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEqqvoSD2P0

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

jbeattie

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Jun 28, 2015, 12:06:18 PM6/28/15

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Ride right. Maintain speed and direction. Scream and yell. With runners in bike lanes, I go left. I scream at them to get the f*** out of the bike lane. I'm sick of having supposed bike facilities taken by runners, skateboarders, etc., etc. I don't scream if I'm within a mile of home, because it could be one of my neighbors. I scream on MUPs, but only because people can't hear me speaking in a normal tone -- that's when bike bells or Joerg's horn are good.

I'm constantly yelling at pedestrians downtown. They will blithely step off the curb and cross in front of me against a light -- I pass them closely, but that's just because I'm evil.

-- Jay Beattie.

-- Jay Beattie.

sms

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May 17, 2019, 11:59:41 AM5/17/19

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On 6/28/2015 9:06 AM, jbeattie wrote:

<snip>

> I'm constantly yelling at pedestrians downtown. They will blithely step off the curb and cross in front of me against a light -- I pass them closely, but that's just because I'm evil.
>
> -- Jay Beattie.

I yell at them, but in a different language so they don't know what I'm
saying, it's just the yelling in general that works, what you yell
doesn't have to make sense, just yelling something like "Where were you
born, on a bus?!" or just "Bolshevik!" seems to work just as well as
"you're riding on the wrong side of the road."

The pedestrians whose eyes are glued to their phone and don't watch
where they're going are a much more common problem than wrong-way cyclists.

Tom Kunich

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May 17, 2019, 3:22:52 PM5/17/19

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On Friday, June 26, 2015 at 1:08:05 PM UTC-7, Sir Ridesalot wrote:

You don't call him an idiot. You pull out and take a lane and pass them. Lead by example rather than speech.

Tom Kunich

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May 17, 2019, 3:25:41 PM5/17/19

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Jay, runners and pedestrians are suppose to walk opposite to traffic. You know that. Why would you yell? Shouting at wrong way riders instead of moving to the left and taking the lane puts the wrong way rider at risk - Want to try that in court? As an intelligent and experienced cyclist it is always far more effective to lead by example.

Sir Ridesalot

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May 17, 2019, 8:17:47 PM5/17/19

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Interesting that a nearly 4 years old thread is resurrected. LOL

First, I don't yell at them calling them an idiot. I keep the term idiot in mind though.

Second. When faced with a suddenly appearing wrong direction riding bicyclist it's not always possible to pull over into the next lane as there is already traffic there.

I had one very close call when I came around a corner on a curve leading to a different road and as I was checking over my shoulder to be sure it was safe to merge into the single lane in my direction of travel a wrong direction riding bicyclist suddenly appeared in front of me. Fortunately I had good reflexes and brakes and was able to stop in time.

Another time in a city 40 miles from me I was traveling along a main road at about 25 MPH when a wrong direction riding bicyclist darted out of a one way street with a blind corner. I hit him broadside and totaled my frame although fortunately by putting my feet on the bottom bracket and pulling very hard on the front fork I was able to straighten it enough to limp home.

I DETEST wrong direction riding bicycling IDIOTS who endanger everyone else using the road and give decent bicyclists a bad name. YMMV

Cheers

Sir Ridesalot

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May 17, 2019, 8:24:29 PM5/17/19

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I "lead by example" by riding in t he proper direction on the road.

If I can't safely stop or pull left to avoid a wrong direction riding bicyclist I'll pull to the inside so that the wrong direction riding bicyclist is the one who has to pull out into the next lane. At least if I hit them then they are the one most likely to get that run down feeling not me.

Why should I or any other bicyclist risk ourselves in order to try and avoid a wrong direction riding IDIOT who is breaking the law by riding in the wrong direction in the first place?

Cheers

John B.

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May 17, 2019, 8:38:30 PM5/17/19

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Over here wrong way drivers/riders are so common that there is
actually a protocol for meeting one. The wrong way guy does toward the
center of the road and the right way guy goes towards the outer edge
of the road.

To be honest they are largely found on what might be called limited
access roads where to get a city block that-a-way you would have to
ride 2 km. the-other-way to find a "U" turn opening in the median
strip.
--
cheers,

John B.

Frank Krygowski

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May 17, 2019, 11:03:41 PM5/17/19

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On 5/17/2019 8:17 PM, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
>
> I had one very close call when I came around a corner on a curve leading to a different road and as I was checking over my shoulder to be sure it was safe to merge into the single lane in my direction of travel a wrong direction riding bicyclist suddenly appeared in front of me. Fortunately I had good reflexes and brakes and was able to stop in time.
>
> Another time in a city 40 miles from me I was traveling along a main road at about 25 MPH when a wrong direction riding bicyclist darted out of a one way street with a blind corner. I hit him broadside and totaled my frame although fortunately by putting my feet on the bottom bracket and pulling very hard on the front fork I was able to straighten it enough to limp home.
>
> I DETEST wrong direction riding bicycling IDIOTS who endanger everyone else using the road and give decent bicyclists a bad name. YMMV

I've been tempted to slap their handlebar as they passed. I haven't done
it yet.

The weirdest experience with one was a 20-something punk on a BMX bike.
When I told him (not very politely) that he was on the wrong side of the
road, he turned around to chase me and threatened to fight me.

It was fun staying _just_ out of reach, cruising along as he spun
furiously trying to catch me.

--
- Frank Krygowski