cycling on the wrong side of the road

Out doing various errands this morning. Driving (so shoot me...) today as
large mileage to do in short space of time. I'm driving along one of the
lanes near me, on the way to doc's to get Mr Wafflycat's prescriptions & the
dispensary closes early today. Up in front, two teenage girls on bikes,
heading in the same direction as me - but cycling on the wrong side of the
road. *AAARRGGH!* So I slowed down as I approached them, wound window down &
called out "Girls, you are cycling on the wrong side of the road and that is
highly dangerous" as I passed them. Cue girls stopping, getting off bikes &
standing in grass at verge.. Bloody good job they did, as just then a large
HGV came round the right-hand bend just in front. After picking up other
half's prescription, I retraced my journey, as I was hoping to see the girls
again as I hoped to take the opportunity to stop and politely tell them
*why* what they were doing was dangerous, and offer something positive such
as how to get a hold of Cyclecraft and where to find out about cycle
training. But no sign of them.

On Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:38:26 +0100, "wafflycat"
said in
:

Up in front, two teenage girls on bikes,
heading in the same direction as me - but cycling on the wrong side of the
road.

Everybody hereabouts seems to be doing it. Even the trams. All on
the wrong side of the road. I thought the Swiss would be better
behaved than that...

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

85% of helmet statistics are made up, 69% of them at CHS, Puget Sound

"Just zis Guy, you know?" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:38:26 +0100, "wafflycat"
said in
:

Up in front, two teenage girls on bikes,
heading in the same direction as me - but cycling on the wrong side of
the
road.

Everybody hereabouts seems to be doing it. Even the trams. All on
the wrong side of the road. I thought the Swiss would be better
behaved than that...


I bet that they are on the RIGHT side of the road :-)

Dave

Dave wrote:
"Just zis Guy, you know?" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:38:26 +0100, "wafflycat"
said in
:

Up in front, two teenage girls on bikes,
heading in the same direction as me - but cycling on the wrong side of
the
road.
Everybody hereabouts seems to be doing it. Even the trams. All on
the wrong side of the road. I thought the Swiss would be better
behaved than that...


I bet that they are on the RIGHT side of the road :-)

Dave


I've been told that in certain far eastern countries 'cyclists' behave
as pedestrians, ie cycle on the footway, and where there is no footway
cycle facing the on-comming traffic.

Not having been to such countries I can't confirm. Can anyone who is
more traveled than me, give better info?

Jim Chgisholm

J. Chisholm wrote:

I've been told that in certain far eastern countries 'cyclists' behave
as pedestrians, ie cycle on the footway, and where there is no footway
cycle facing the on-comming traffic.

Not having been to such countries I can't confirm. Can anyone who is
more traveled than me, give better info?

It's quite popular in BC, Canada for cyclists to ride on the wrong side of
the road (the left) on the hard shoulder.

I don't think it's sensible (especially because you need to get back on the
road when the shoulder becomes unusable or non-existent), but nobody seems
to complain.

~PB

"J. Chisholm" wrote in message
...
Dave wrote:
"Just zis Guy, you know?" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:38:26 +0100, "wafflycat"
said in
:

Up in front, two teenage girls on bikes,
heading in the same direction as me - but cycling on the wrong side of
the
road.
Everybody hereabouts seems to be doing it. Even the trams. All on
the wrong side of the road. I thought the Swiss would be better
behaved than that...


I bet that they are on the RIGHT side of the road :-)

Dave
I've been told that in certain far eastern countries 'cyclists' behave as
pedestrians, ie cycle on the footway, and where there is no footway cycle
facing the on-comming traffic.

Not having been to such countries I can't confirm. Can anyone who is more
traveled than me, give better info?

Jim Chgisholm

Not sure about the far east but I've seen it regularly with "recreational"
bike riders in the USA.

"Graham Harrison" wrote ..

"J. Chisholm" wrote :
I've been told that in certain far eastern countries 'cyclists' behave as
pedestrians, ie cycle on the footway, and where there is no footway cycle
facing the on-comming traffic.

Not having been to such countries I can't confirm. Can anyone who is more
traveled than me, give better info?

Jim Chgisholm

Not sure about the far east but I've seen it regularly with "recreational"
bike riders in the USA.

I've heard the same thing about Latin American countries, as an explanation
of why Hispanic immigrants to the US use the sidewalk or cycle against
traffic. Apparently the traffic laws in those countries classify cyclists as
pedestrians. US traffic laws classified bicycles as vehicles before
automobiles were more than a curiosity, and this was written into the
Uniform Vehicle Code for the entire country in the 1920s.

Not sure why "recreational" people on bicycles ride against the flow of
traffic in the US or the UK.

mark

It is,of course, the onset of the "silly season". The children are on holiday
and when they are not dropping their bikes outside shop doors and other
"pedestrian" areas they are cycling all over the place with total disregard
for cars, pedestrians and other cycles.

Travelling on off road, "cycle routes", "tracks", " cycles ways" become even
more hazardous and it is sensible to avoid them even more than usual.

As always children are blissfully aware that they are immortal!

I do find that the most dangerous thing though is the protective Dad who has,
having pulled a BSO out of the shed, absolutely no cycling sense at all and
creates even more havoc by encourage his offspring to cycle as haphazardly as
he does himself -- and then gets upset when a near miss incident occurs which
is totally his fault!

So avoid cycle paths and watch out at any traffic lighted junction cos they
will zoom around all over the place

Have a nice summer!

( What summer -- this year reminds me of my time in Salalah in Oman when it
started raining in 23 June and continued more or less without stop until 20
September -- it might vary by a couple of days but clothes that weren't worn
often developed a gentle coating of mould! always had a light bulb in my
wardrobe!)

--
Trevor A Panther
In South Yorkshire,
England, United Kingdom.
www.tapan.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk


"wafflycat" wrote in message
...
Out doing various errands this morning. Driving (so shoot me...) today as
large mileage to do in short space of time. I'm driving along one of the
lanes near me, on the way to doc's to get Mr Wafflycat's prescriptions & the
dispensary closes early today. Up in front, two teenage girls on bikes,
heading in the same direction as me - but cycling on the wrong side of the
road. *AAARRGGH!* So I slowed down as I approached them, wound window down &
called out "Girls, you are cycling on the wrong side of the road and that is
highly dangerous" as I passed them. Cue girls stopping, getting off bikes &
standing in grass at verge.. Bloody good job they did, as just then a large
HGV came round the right-hand bend just in front. After picking up other
half's prescription, I retraced my journey, as I was hoping to see the girls
again as I hoped to take the opportunity to stop and politely tell them
*why* what they were doing was dangerous, and offer something positive such
as how to get a hold of Cyclecraft and where to find out about cycle
training. But no sign of them.

On Wed, 23 Jul 2008 11:38:26 +0100, wafflycat wrote:

Out doing various errands this morning. Driving (so shoot me...) today as
large mileage to do in short space of time. I'm driving along one of the
lanes near me, on the way to doc's to get Mr Wafflycat's prescriptions & the
dispensary closes early today. Up in front, two teenage girls on bikes,
heading in the same direction as me - but cycling on the wrong side of the
road. *AAARRGGH!*

This morning while walking to the train station a bloke riding a bike
along the road wearing rigger boots (not what I'd choose to ride a bike in
but never mind).
He then veered over to the wrong side of the road and I thought he was
going to ride along the pavement as almost everyone seems to do around
here but I was proved wrong - he rode about 250 yards along the main road
into town on the wrong side to talk to his friend.

Most of it he did in a 'cycle lane' so it wouldn't be dangerous if it
wasn't busy and if cars kept out of it. When the cycle lane ended, he got
off and walked his bike along the pavement next to his friend!

peter

On Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:04:52 GMT, "Trevor A Panther"
wrote:

What summer

Indeed !

-- this year reminds me of my time in Salalah in Oman when it
started raining in 23 June and continued more or less without stop until 20
September -- it might vary by a couple of days but clothes that weren't worn
often developed a gentle coating of mould! always had a light bulb in my
wardrobe!

Pianos sold in Hong Kong often also had a light bulb inside, for the
same reason.