I’ve been noticing this for a good couple of years or so now, but can’t figure out what possesses people to do it. Alright, you might say we cycle on the LHS – fair enough. But in t’old days we were told to face oncoming traffic at every opportunity. That’s still the way I walk/run – feels much safer.

But literally 90%+ of people I see are doing the opposite. What’s that all about?

It struck me as odd too but current advice from places like the scouting organisation are if there a number of people you are better on the LHS of the road. I guess this carries over to people on their own.
I still tend to face the traffic, then I know when to jump out of the way.

Mind you I walk on the traffic side of the pavement when with my kids (& ensure they are as far from the traffic as possible) but notice that a fair number of people do not do that either.

Continuing evidence of the general lowering of standards…

People are idiots.

That’s your answer.

When walking on a road with no pavement, (on either side) who has right of way when a car comes? should the pedstrian jump out of the way, or should the car slow down/stop?

Increasing levels of thickness ie more if the lower class type people making it out in to the countryside beyond their comfort zone.

The car should slow.

I walk on the right, unless it’s a bad corner and visibility of oncoming traffic is bad then I might move to the left depending on the corner.

Yep, must all be lower-class thick-tards 🙂

Surely only an issue where there are no pavements?

If pavement one side, walk on it
If both sides use either – the car shouldn’t be on it
If no pavement then walk/run facing the oncoming traffic

You cycle on the same side as the traffic because you ARE traffic.
Unless you’re on the pavement, which is fine if (a) you’re a child or (b) it’s a designated cycle path

I suspect that it’s a simple matter of ignorance. People don’t know that it’s better for them (and vehicles) if they run/walk on the RHS. It may seem counter-intuitive to many people.

If no pavement then walk/run facing the oncoming traffic

That’s the point I’m getting at … nearly everyone I see walking/running on the road these days is on the LHS.

Its becuase they don’t know what they are doing and have insufficient common sense to work it out for themselves.

They must be absolutely crazy. I make sure I always run down the centre line so that everybody can see me.

But what if there is a pavement?
What side do you walk on?
On my lunch time walk around s’park, I walk on the left of the pavement, which makes sense to me as we all ride/drive on the left, but not everyone seems to be as logical and sensible as me.

Nope, even if there’s a pavement I always run straight down the middle of the road. I love the adrenalin buzz and the look of fear as cars swerve round me. I think it helps them become better drivers.

Do they also have earphones in so that they can’t hear the traffic approaching that they can’t see, and dress in dark colours so that it can’t see them?

spacemonkey – Member

If no pavement then walk/run facing the oncoming traffic

That’s the point I’m getting at … nearly everyone I see walking/running on the road these days is on the LHS.
So you’re moaning about people doing the RIGHT thing?

Er.. THEIR left, surely?

Sounds like confusion. Are we talking about YOUR LHS as you approach them (and their right) or THEIR LHS (and your right as you approach)???

On my lunch time walk around s’park, I walk on the left of the pavement, which makes sense to me as we all ride/drive on the left, but not everyone seems to be as logical and sensible as me.

Do you put your hand out when you want to turn, as well? 🙂

On a side note, why when people are walking towards you on say a fire road, they are on your RHS, they see you coming along on your LHS and move over to your LHS too? Just stay where the **** you were!

So you’re moaning about people doing the RIGHT thing?

My original point was about people walking/running on the LHS, i.e with their back to traffic.

JD (like everyone else here (except the Sparkly one)) said they should walk/run facing traffic … to which I agreed, i.e. why is ‘everyone’ not doing the ‘right’ thing?

We have a fair few unpathed roads around where I live and I tend to find myself walking down the lefthand side too these days (and yes I was under the impression that you’re meant to face oncoming traffic). I have to say though that I find I feel safer that way and that traffic gives me much more clearance when passing from behind than it does when I’m facing it (where the onus seems to be on me to get out of the way). It might be a bit of a ‘head in the sand’ approach but it seems that drivers take more responsibility when they realise that I can’t see them. Traffic seems to make little effort to move out of the way when I’m facing it (I’ve even had a ‘yoof’ accelerate and move in towards me when facing the traffic).

Where corners are concerned I move to whichever side gives the best view.

Where we live most of the roads have no pavements and are derestricted, and yet they still walk on the wrong side (i.e. backs to traffic flow). I’ve not hit one yet after a blind corner, but that’s more by luck than judgment. Remember those old public safety films? Surprised they don’t have those on the subject.

Side note #2
Why do runners always seem to use the road round my way, even when there is a pavement on both sides? **** eejits.

perhaps the roads are less uneven than the pavements, with all those dropped kerbs for people’s drives & disability-aware bus stops & drain covers & dog eggs & stuff 😉

Care in the community cuts.

But yes ‘I can see you and you can see me’ A lady was out running tonight, she was on the left and wearing an iPod, but she looked very nice so that’s okay.

Richmars
+1

Bigyinn
+1

It’s even worse with a pram. It’s fun trying to hold the inside line furthest away from the road as someone tries to force you to move. Mr Kip has intentionally run into people as he holds his pavement space!!

I thought it was just me who noticed this trend, I ride 16 miles a day to work on Milton Keynes redways and there is a couple of guys ( on £100 heaps with squeaky chains) who cycle on opposite side of the redway to everyone else, one guy even rides up the road through loughton on the wrong side every bloody day, I’ve tried telling him but he don’t seem to get it, so every morning at around 740am I have a near collision with the same idiot,

Another thing if you watch is when people especially the youngsters ( shows age) in cars come to a t junction they always look left first then start to pull out before looking right !! Mental ? My wife has also noted and commented on this in the past ? At least it will be a quick death? I think they just check the side they consider themselves to be joining not realising that you might want to check nothing is going to come through the door and smear them through the front seats ,

Darwin will sort the chaff don’t fear

As skiboy says; I’ve noticed the ‘look left, then pull out’ syndrome. It’s bad enough on a bike, but when you’re doing 30-50mph in a ton or more of car it’s scary. Had it happen coming up my road, a car sat at a junction on the left, I see the driver looking left, and just as I’m starting to wonder the f***wit pulls out still looking left! Only stopped and looked at me when she heard my tyres screech and I stopped about a car’s length from her driver’s door. her expression seemed to indicate she was confused by my being that close on that side of the road. Stupid cow.
Oh, and I was within the 30mph limit, if I’d been going faster my car would have been embedded in hers.

The more important question is what on earth are these people doing running on the road in the first place (given the lack of pavements implies countryside where we have these nice things called footpaths)?

Given kayaking comes up on here occasionally, I feel the need to point out that on the river you kayak (row, canoe, “drive”) on the right.

ah thats an easy one aracer,

you get seen a lot more if you run on the road, ”how ultra cool am i running” ”i’m going to keep this up for at least a week in my new gear” ”i walk when no one is looking,i think i may go to the gym, i won’t get out of breath there”,

every morning i have to pass what was once a kids activity land centre and is now a ‘kiss gym’ with a outdoor activity land, makes me vomit, why oh why do people join those places, if you want to get fit you don’t have to pay !!

It’s a European plot, and is all part of a conspiracy to get us eventually to drive on the right. However these dastardly foreigners are very clever and know that we’ll notice if they try to make us do it all on one day. So right now it’s just fifth columnist pedestrians but it won’t be long before the drivers and cyclists who have been recruited start as well and then one day you’ll wake up and find were all on the right.

Don’t say you weren’t warned.

WTF is a kiss gym??

http://www.kissgyms.com/

24hr, hmmmmmmmm that’s handy

If you do a lot of your running on the road the constant camber can cause imbalance in your gait with consequent problems. Ideally run on grass, but if you are restricted to largely road then I suggest you vary it, where it is safe to do so. Where I am there are plenty very quiet country roads, so if I’m on straight sections, with good visibility, then I am happy to run on the left.

No doubt some nit-wit will suggest running down the middle . . . .