RANT: Seriously, how hard is it to run on the correct side of the road.

Tyrone ReXXXing wrote:

messi wrote:

Yeah, but traffic can't see you as you approach one of those 165 intersections you have to negotiate on the normal 5 mile run. .

I know, we see this type of thread once a month, and every time the morons say: ONLY/ALWAYS run on the left side of the run/against traffic. And EVERY time I reply:

if you are on a course that has the following factors:

1) wide shoulder/breakdown/parking area where there is no traffic (i.e., it is unlikely a driver will hit you from behind)

2) you are crossing a lot of intersections

3) and/or can run some of your run on the sidewalk

It's CERTAINLY better to run WITH traffic not against, because if you do not, every damn time you cross an intersection, drivers entering your road will be looking the opposite direction from where you are coming, and there is a good chance you will be hit as they floor it to enter onto your route. This is, obviously, why cyclists ride WITH TRAFFIC.

Now if there are no sidewalks on your route, very few intersections, kinda narrow road, yeah, run against traffic, sure.

yes - 101 wrote:

Concerned Citizen wrote:

Seriously, how hard is it to run on the correct side of the road. i came upon a group of 3 runners this morning running on the wrong side of the road. I told them as much and they said they knew. Really? It is not a suggestion to run on the correct side of the road, it could save your life. I told them i had been hit by a car doing what they were doing and the police man told me it was against the law. Nothing.

We have to be smart out there people. Run with your left foot against the curb!!

It's unbelievable how obvious this is yet people still ignore it.

What people don't understand is this: If someone is drunk/stupid and driving recklessly, you have a better chance of living if you see them coming at you and can react as opposed to if you don't see them at all.

Probably the most blatantly obvious thing I've said all year but it clearly has to be said.

mileage_man wrote:

much older guy wrote:

A pickup truck coming from behind decided to buzz me within a couple of feet (ha, ha), and I never knew he was coming until he was past me. If I had stepped towards the road at the wrong moment, that would have been the end. You need to be able to see oncoming traffic.

I think this might just be different for different people. I usually run on the right side of the road, and in 17 years of running I have never been surprised by a car. I notice cars from a couple hundred meters out, and monitor them as they approach me. I'm roughly as aware of our relative positions as if I were facing the car.

You also have more time to react when you are running with traffic, since the cars are approaching you 16 mph slower. So for example if cars are traveling 24mph, you have twice as much time to react. If cars are traveling 40mph you have 1.5x as much time to react. (This all assumes 7:30 pace.) So for someone who is aware of the approach of cars from behind, why not take advantage of this?

There are cases when I do run against traffic, like if it's really noisy (severe thunderstorm, guy mowing his lawn, etc) or if traffic is heavy enough that monitoring every passing car is too annoying (for me, that's about one car every 5 seconds or more) or if I'm distracted because I'm joking around with a group or lost in thought. But I usually feel safer running on the right, because I have more time to react, so that's what I do.

mileage_man wrote:

much older guy wrote:

A pickup truck coming from behind decided to buzz me within a couple of feet (ha, ha), and I never knew he was coming until he was past me. If I had stepped towards the road at the wrong moment, that would have been the end. You need to be able to see oncoming traffic.

I think this might just be different for different people. I usually run on the right side of the road, and in 17 years of running I have never been surprised by a car. I notice cars from a couple hundred meters out, and monitor them as they approach me. I'm roughly as aware of our relative positions as if I were facing the car.

You also have more time to react when you are running with traffic, since the cars are approaching you 16 mph slower. So for example if cars are traveling 24mph, you have twice as much time to react. If cars are traveling 40mph you have 1.5x as much time to react. (This all assumes 7:30 pace.) So for someone who is aware of the approach of cars from behind, why not take advantage of this?

There are cases when I do run against traffic, like if it's really noisy (severe thunderstorm, guy mowing his lawn, etc) or if traffic is heavy enough that monitoring every passing car is too annoying (for me, that's about one car every 5 seconds or more) or if I'm distracted because I'm joking around with a group or lost in thought. But I usually feel safer running on the right, because I have more time to react, so that's what I do.

Tyrone ReXXXing wrote:

messi wrote:

Yeah, but traffic can't see you as you approach one of those 165 intersections you have to negotiate on the normal 5 mile run. .

I know, we see this type of thread once a month, and every time the morons say: ONLY/ALWAYS run on the left side of the run/against traffic. And EVERY time I reply:

if you are on a course that has the following factors:

1) wide shoulder/breakdown/parking area where there is no traffic (i.e., it is unlikely a driver will hit you from behind)

2) you are crossing a lot of intersections

3) and/or can run some of your run on the sidewalk

It's CERTAINLY better to run WITH traffic not against, because if you do not, every damn time you cross an intersection, drivers entering your road will be looking the opposite direction from where you are coming, and there is a good chance you will be hit as they floor it to enter onto your route. This is, obviously, why cyclists ride WITH TRAFFIC.

Now if there are no sidewalks on your route, very few intersections, kinda narrow road, yeah, run against traffic, sure.

some advice wrote:

Tyrone ReXXXing wrote:

I know, we see this type of thread once a month, and every time the morons say: ONLY/ALWAYS run on the left side of the run/against traffic. And EVERY time I reply:

if you are on a course that has the following factors:

1) wide shoulder/breakdown/parking area where there is no traffic (i.e., it is unlikely a driver will hit you from behind)

2) you are crossing a lot of intersections

3) and/or can run some of your run on the sidewalk

It's CERTAINLY better to run WITH traffic not against, because if you do not, every damn time you cross an intersection, drivers entering your road will be looking the opposite direction from where you are coming, and there is a good chance you will be hit as they floor it to enter onto your route. This is, obviously, why cyclists ride WITH TRAFFIC.

Now if there are no sidewalks on your route, very few intersections, kinda narrow road, yeah, run against traffic, sure.

This. I would also add on quiet winding roads I cross the road frequently to avoid a driver's blind spot.