Cycling on the wrong side of the road

[Sixmile]

I don't think I have ever seen any one cycling on the wrong side of a main road before until this week, when I have seen it twice. The first time I was driving down a 60mph limit A-road when a lady was cycling towards me, I had caught a glimpse of her about 30 seconds before and thought she was actually a pedestrian but no. I did think of turning around and waiting for her at a safe place to ask what was she thinking. I couldn't believe what I'd seen.

Then today, I was cycling down a B-road about 5 miles from home when a man was riding up an incline towards me. I did say that he should be on the left side but he just waved and kept pedalling up the hill. On the other side, the guy could easily freewheel at 20mph without any effort, a car could legally be coming towards him at 60mph therefore a chance of a 80mph collision. The speed of a 60/20 collision when going the same way is halved at 40mph, which of course would still be severe.

What are these folk doing? Is this something that any one else has ever seen? Perhaps is this a result of more people taking up bicycles as a mode of transport and just not being aware of how to ride on main roads? Either way, I worry for such cyclists who are putting themselves at greater risk but not adhering to the basics of the highway code.

 

[Drago]

Yeah, I've seen it a few times. Usually kids or teenagers, but sometimes people old enough to know better. How they lived to get that old was a mystery.

 

[HLaB]

It could be folk who have been walkers or at least only read that section of the code which advises them to face traffic when there's no footway so they see it well i advance and step out of the way and as such they have no comprehension of the cycling code

 

[numbnuts]

Migrants

 

[Johnno260]

Walkers or runners I think, usually they run/walk on the opposite side, maybe they think the same applies with bikes.

Either way it’s another demonstration of the stupidity that seems more infectious than the virus.

 

[Gunk]

My lad does it all the time, he seems to think he has a right to occupy the whole road and nothing is ever going to come in the other direction.

 

[Sixmile]

Yeah, I've seen it a few times. Usually kids or teenagers, but sometimes people old enough to know better. How they lived to get that old was a mystery.

I've seen some groups of teenagers on the roads who are all over it, with no road etiquette but this was different. As you say, old enough to know better and heading directly in the path of oncoming vehicles.

It could be folk who have been walkers or at least only read that section of the code which advises them to face traffic when there's no footway so they see it well i advance and step out of the way and as such they have no comprehension of the cycling code

That was the strange thing, especially in the first instance, there was a footpath which runners and walkers would generally use on that A-road but no, this lady thought it best to ride the wrong way down the road.

Migrants

Certainly not in both cases that I have seen.

My lad does it all the time, he seems to think he has a right to occupy the whole road and nothing is ever going to come in the other direction.

I could understand riding on the wrong side of a narrow, deserted country road where you rarely see or hear anything other than the odd tractor but it's shear recklessness in my eyes to do it on major roadways.

 

[DSK]

I see it a fair bit but, its usually the same ones. Just peoples mentality I guess and you can't change that. Self selection in my opinion.

 

[Sharky]

Just as bad are pedestrians who walk on the left (uk), along country roads with no pavement and don't even look behind when a car approaches.

 

[raleighnut]

Some people are idiots

Spoiler

shock horror

 

[Cycleops]

They do it all the time down here. Seem to think it’s actually safer. I’ve even had a head on with one guy when I was on the bike. More worrying is that the moto riders do it too and that’s besides jumping red lights or just ignoring them and yes I’ve had a collision with one of them too.
Very few police around so they think they can get away with it.Even if they do get caught the money, probably less than ten quid, goes straight in the copper’s pocket .

 

[Drago]

Certainly not in both cases that I have seen.

I have heard how you invariably check the passport of any person you see doing this.

 

[Brooks]

I live in a one way street and we'd get a few cyclists going down it the wrong way, but since lockdown I can't believe how many ignore the no entry signs. Families with young kids doing it seems so much worse to me somehow.
It's hard championing cycling when so many motorists see cyclists behaving like complete planks.

 

[Baldy]

I saw someone last winter on my way to work at 40.30, black cloths, no lights, wrong side of a duel carriageway in the middle of the road. I only saw him because he was silhouetted against a sign.

 

[oldwheels]

Couple of years ago I was heading from Barcaldine towards Benderloch on the A828 and a couple on Bromptons came towards me, one on each side of the road. As I passed I made some comment to the woman on my side to the effect that she must be mad being on the wrong side on a very busy and fast traffic road. This would be just before the new path was made up. Suicidal but they must have got off with it as there were no reports af accidents that day.