Which side should I be on when I'm running backwards?
Which side should I be on when I'm running backwards?
Which group were you in?
mr38 wrote:
Which side should I be on when I'm running backwards?
The underside.
As a longtime runner who's been cursed at, swerved at, had bottles/can thrown at me, ended up on the hood of a car making a turn that didn't bother to check for pedestrians, I absolutely want to see approaching traffic. Even so, you can't assume you're safe as with the runner who was on the left shoulder only for a driver to cross from the right to left (oncoming) side of the street to run him over.
If you must run on the road, all other things being equal, its better to run facing the traffic as you can see it in front of you and take evasive action more quickly if necessary.
Obviously don't run in the road if there's a better option.
Are there no traffic rules for pedestrians in Colorado?
Of course they're hardly ever enforced anyway. Every now and then someone gets fined for crossing the road in a wrong place but that's it. I've never heard about anyone getting fined for walking the wrong shoulder. Yet, the actual written rule exists (at least it does in most places) and it makes immediate sense if you think about so why relegate this to etiquette.
When a runner or a cyclist is killed on the roads, I try to find out the details so I can avoid a similar situation. Overwhelmingly, the most dangerous places for runners are intersections and running with your back to traffic. Accidents at intersections usually involve a car turning into a runner or a car running a red light in an empty lane when the cars in the other lanes are stopped, blocking the runner's view of the open lane.
Remember that woman who was killed in Texas while attempting a cross country run about a year ago? She was running east bound with her back to traffic in the early morning. Google street view showed that there was a wide dirt shoulder on the right side of the road where she was running and almost no shoulder at all on the left. Plus, she was making a right turn maybe a half mile ahead. You'd think that with an 8' wide shoulder, she would have been safe. Tragically, she was killed by a hit and run driver.
I quit running on roads 10 years ago. I sold my motorcycle 3 years ago. At an intersection waiting for the left turn light, I counted drivers looking at their phones as they came by. It was more than half. Add a few drunks and dopers to mix and it's just not safe out there.
haha I was there wrote:
It's definitely safer to stay on the left so you can see oncoming traffic. Noah's outburst happened maybe 2 miles in, with a large group starting out together, getting passed by a dozen or so in his group. So it was sort of chaotic. That said, this was 8:15 on a Sunday morning on a dirt road with maybe one car passing every 10 or 15 minutes. The drivers were polite and patient. Runners were good at calling out "car up" or "car back" but the group was not consistent with staying to the right or left. But note there were other groups out there, including CU Buffs, running on the right side of the road, not the left.
Running opposite of traffic is always a good plan.
Knowing the area and where these run groups tend to go on weekends, this makes perfect sense. Again, this has been going on for decades and nobody has been hurt as a result out there that I've ever heard. People who live out that way and travel those roads in cars know what to expect. Maybe it's not ideal, but it's part and parcel of being a runner or cyclist in an outdoors/running mecca and choosing group activities. Most people are chill and let these things simply pass without incident. I had a buddy killed while cycling on Boulder roads (in town) and I can see the nature of the beast; being out on rural dirt roads has its own flow. If you want to spend your time "fighting city hall" then sure, tee off on socials ad nauseam. Don't know why dude is cranky and wanting to be citizen traffic cop. If only WADA would declassify THC as performance-enhancing, he could hit the OP or munch an edible and find relaxed contentment. On the same token, ND lives in Boulder and could finally get in on meditation and let go of this sort of petty fixation. Just pony up for one of those TME-branded singing bowls.
When running on roads, run/walk against traffic (in the USA, runners should keep to their left side of the road). Single file when in a group.
As mentioned previously, many states require this by law.
If there is a sidewalk or bike/pedestrian path available next to the road, run/walk on that not the road.
BUT when on wider bike paths or sidewalks or bike/pedestrian routes, everyone (including runners) should keep to their right side of the path (keep right in the USA) except when passing.
Bicycles are different, and you should always ride with traffic when on a bike. Some states by law give bicycles all the rights and responsibilities of licensed motor vehicles when used on roads.
If you are hit by a vehicle when walking/running/biking, survive the collision, and a case goes to court, your odds of winning a favorable decision increase tremendously if you were obeying regulations and traveling responsibly.
Anybody ever use the Garmin Varia before? I never go without it on my bike. It’s helped me identify quiet cars that are electric/hybrids.
I’ve actually ran with it before by sticking it in my cycling jersey back pocket. I have to do this as we visit my wife’s parents cabin annually in a really rural area. You have to go on a narrow, windy road for 2 miles before entering the trail system (If not, you’re trapped in un-runnable forrest). Anyways, they can probably make a runner version using a heart rate strap or so that you can stick it to.
On rural, generally gravel, roads where the average time between cars passing is 1 minute or more, I tend to alternate sides of the road so that I'm running 50% on the left and 50% on the right. One benefit is that I spend time running on both sides of the camber of the road. I also note the wind direction and run on the side where I'll eat less dust if a car does pass. Gravel roads are loud, so even electric vehicles make noise and 4WD trucks make a lot of noise. If I hear a fast-moving vehicle, I usually move to whichever side of the road offers the vehicle the most room to stay on their right side of the road. If they slow to raise less dust, I wave thank you as they pass.
In town, I always run on the left side, pedestrian/bike paths, or sidewalks.
As much as possible facing oncoming traffic. Just makes sense. I don't understand how people can run with their lane of travel. Also, I run 98% of the time with my dog. As a hunting dog, she heals on my left side (opposite side of my shooting hand). Facing oncoming traffic keeps her safe as well.
Just last week I experienced a driver who wasn't paying attention and crossed the white shoulder line. Although they corrected in time and got back into their lane, I could see it all happening and had time to get further away from the road and closer to the ditch.
Droddy & Stinson's Communal Bong wrote:
If you’re out alone on rural roads, does it really matter?
And is there really any point in tweeting about it?
Ultimately, it's outbursts like this and the ones about his lacking sponsorship (not the case at present, apparently) that disconnect him from average runners. Which becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.