On Wednesday, April 14, 2021 at 12:51:02 PM UTC-7, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 4/14/2021 2:05 PM, jbeattie wrote:
On Wednesday, April 14, 2021 at 8:28:17 AM UTC-7, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 4/13/2021 10:11 PM, John B. wrote:

So... even though cyclists know that they are doing wrong the persist
in doing it? And education is going to correct this?
No, they _don't_ know they are doing it wrong. They generally think
they're safer riding facing traffic. That's why our club has a handout
explaining why it's actually more dangerous.

Your club should hand out of the state driver's manual -- or you can use the Oregon bicycle manual. https://www.oregon.gov/odot/programs...ist-manual.pdf
I've handed out the latest edition of _Street Smarts_ to club members.
I'll pass out more of them tonight to new members. I've passed out
previous editions in the past.
And where do you find these dopes? By the time people get to the club or group ride level, they generally have a fundamental understanding of the traffic laws -- and if they don't, they generally understand that they should follow the other riders. Do you actually have participants riding on the other side of the road?
No, Jay, you're confused. I never said the people riding wrong way were
members of our club. Our members know at least that much, although some
need to learn some details. (There are always new folks joining.)

I've found the wrong-way dopes riding on my street, riding in upscale
residential neighborhoods near me, riding on residential collectors a
mile or two away, riding on the main streets in the city center, riding
the roads in the big metropark, riding near the university, riding on
suburban shopping arterials - you name it. And it's not just my area. I
remember riding a solo century in middle Pennsylvania and having to deal
with a wrong-way rider coming at me on a busy road. I said "You're on
the wrong side of the road!" so he chewed me out.

Especially ironic was the group of about five middle aged guys riding in
an upscale neighborhood near me at night. All five riding wrong way, not
a headlight among them. But they knew about safety! They all had helmets!

Well, its obvious that those guys were risk compensating. Whenever I wear my helmet I say, "what the hell; I'm impervious. Let's go do some night riding with no light on the wrong side of the road."

I see tons of cyclists every day, well at least I did before the plague, and the only people riding on the wrong side of the road were homeless or DUII cyclists on BMX bikes -- or just assholes, like the guy headed straight at me doing a wheelie. I can't remember the last wrong-way cyclist who didn't fit into one of those categories. Maybe Ohio needs better driver's training.

However, I was leaving my driveway last night and was almost run down by a little peleton riding up my street. I had to sprint to get away. They were on both sides of the street because there is no centerline. Imaginary centerline violation! Interestingly, the hill in front of my house is Strava segment. My street doesn't go anywhere except down into the neighborhood, so these are just neighbor cyclists duking it out.

-- Jay Beattie.