Which side of a path?

"waffle" wrote in message
...
how about you apply a little common sense and try to answer the question
yourself. here's a hint - if you ride on the right hand side of the road
what's going to eventually happen to you?

When I am cycling along on the left of a cyclepath and someone approaches on
the same side as me I shout to them "A gauche m'sieur!" When they say
"Pardon?" I say, "oh sorry, thought you must be a foreigner. We ride on the
left in this country y'see!" :-)

Simon

"Jinx" wrote in message
...

[snip]

My wife dragged me around Bluewater the other day christmas
shopping. Whilst
she shopped I lurked out on the walkways and observed the flow of
pedestrian
movements. It quickly became clear that most - but not all -
pedestrians
choose to pass to the right.

[snip]

Pedestrians used to walk on the left. I have a Punch cartoon about
it, dating from the 1940s. In other countries where they drive on
the left, such as Japan and Australia, they walk on the left. I've
often had foreigners comment to me about how odd it is that people
don't walk on the left here.

I think the changeover took place in the 1970s, when Brit's started
going on package tours abroad. All those arrogant German tourists
not getting out of people's way subliminally converted the Brit's
without their even noticing. The odd thing is, when you ask anyone
about it, most people will deny choosing any particular side at all,
fiercely defending the right of free born Englishmen to walk any way
they want to

The London Underground standard is to keep left on the flat, and
right on stairs and escalators. The Highway Code - it's the very
first rule - says keep left on pavements, except on one way streets.
Rule 2 gives the rule for pedestrians on bike paths.

Jeremy Parker

Geoff Pearson wrote:
Is there any convention on which side of a path or track to ride on when
facing oncoming cyclists? Round here people seem to ride on the right as
much as the left - annoying. There are lots of cycle tracks and dual-use
pavements with regular opportunity for collision.



i think part of the problem, certainly round my area, is the quality of
the cycle path- i dont actually use em there that bad but when i have to
during rush our there very lumpy and im often moving over sides to avoid
debris on the path. theres a white line down the middle suggesting a 2
lane thing but one side theres just room for 1 bike and on the other
theres room for 2, also it doesnt help that the emergency phones are
actually on the path. but as a rule i think we should stay on the left
when passing and when its totally clear take the side with least
potholes and debris



--

Geoff Pearson wrote:
Is there any convention on which side of a path or track to ride on
when facing oncoming cyclists? Round here people seem to ride on the
right as much as the left - annoying. There are lots of cycle tracks
and dual-use pavements with regular opportunity for collision.

Rule 136 of the Highway Code says "keep to the left"
(http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/14.shtml).

BUT: rule 48 says

When using segregated tracks you MUST keep to the side intended for
cyclists. (http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/03.shtml)

Perhaps the people you encounter are following this rule?

(This is the main reason why I avoid segregated tracks.)

--
Gareth Rees