Ride with or against traffic flow? Which is safer and why?

[Master-Yoda]

In most civilized countries where drivers respect cyclists, this would be a simple question to answer. It's logical to assume that the safest would be to ride your bike with the traffic flow and obey all traffic laws just like a motorized vehicle has to.

 

Not only in SA but in many other countries a large percentage of drivers have no respect for the traffic laws and don't give a damn about cyclists. Taxi drivers are and in my opinion, a bunch of killers on the road and I hate to stereotype all taxi drivers but what I really mean is that 99.99999% of them don't give a damn about you and your bike. A few weeks ago one taxi driver almost knocked my daughter over, she couldn't go any further off to the left and he literally gave her centimeters of space between his taxi and her handle bar.

 

So my question is, and as you've already been anticipating, why would you ride on the left and not on the right and against traffic if it gives you a better chance of survival? There's cyclists getting hit by cars from behind every single day and sometimes families get "taken out" with one swift blow by a lunatic, drunk or idiot that shouldn't be driving in the first place. Wouldn't you want to be leading the pack with your family safely behind you and at least have a chance of reacting should some crazy idiot decide to move out of his lane (to his left)?

 

I'm seriously considering riding on the right as each day I ride my bike I get more and more convinced that my family and I are safer on that side on the road..

 

Vote and post your comments/thoughts/suggestions..

Edited November 14, 2013 by 3dclaude

[Butterbean]

It's illegal.

 

Done.

 

[jannosmit]

Keep left, pass right.

[Witkop]

Road = car

pavement = bicycle

bushes = pedestrian

 

Remember every motorist is a pedestrian without his car.

[Master-Yoda]

It's illegal.

 

Done.

It's also illegal to drink and drive and take out people on the road and the question which is Ride with or against traffic flow? Which is safer and why? and not if it's illegal or not.

[Letum911]

Cycle on the left, pedestrians walk on the right... It's easier to dodge only cars than dodging pedestrians and cars!!!

[Witkop]

riding against the traffic is not going to save you either. car speed + bike speed = speed of impact so 100km+40km = 140km against 100km-40km=60km

 

Safer would be to take the ipod out of your ears, stop cycling abreast and avoid single carriage ways in rush hour traffic. Obviously, this will reduce your risk, but there will always be an idiot in a car on your unlucky day. But then they may also be lightening as well.

[shaper]

 

It's also illegal to drink and drive and take out people on the road and the question which is Ride with or against traffic flow? Which is safer and why? and not if it's illegal or not.

You are not querying or discussing other legalities your question is which is right and riding against the flow is illegal and when you meet a cyclist going in the legal direction, what will you do, have a head on or as you are in the wrong move out into oncoming traffic so that the legal cyclist may pass...or will you force him into the traffic because of your selfish mindedness... As you have shown by dismissing the comment by saying there are lots of other things illegal.

 

If you are at that point in your life where you no longer feel safe commuting by riding your bike... Then drive your car!

['Dale]

Friday Fight Club material.

Keep bumping this thread.

 

 

Edited November 14, 2013 by ' Dale

[Master-Yoda]

You are not querying or discussing other legalities your question is which is right and riding against the flow is illegal and when you meet a cyclist going in the legal direction, what will you do, have a head on or as you are in the wrong move out into oncoming traffic so that the legal cyclist may pass...or will you force him into the traffic because of your selfish mindedness... As you have shown by dismissing the comment by saying there are lots of other things illegal.

 

If you are at that point in your life where you no longer feel safe commuting by riding your bike... Then drive your car!

 

You're missing the point and by a mile and unless one day you have someone like YOUR CHILD that gets whacked by a car/truck/taxi from behind, only then will you realize that things might not work how you thought they did. My questions and concerns are valid, as valid as your comment to "then drive your car" may be. And as for oncoming cyclists, why would you assume that I'd somehow react differently to moving over to let him/them by? Yes because that's what I or anyone that respects others while commuting on the road would do and I sure as hell wouldn't have a problem moving over for another cyclist.

[Butterbean]

 

 

You're missing the point and by a mile and unless one day you have someone like YOUR CHILD that gets whacked by a car/truck/taxi from behind, only then will you realize that things might not work how you thought they did. My questions and concerns are valid, as valid as your comment to "then drive your car" may be. And as for oncoming cyclists, why would you assume that I'd somehow react differently to moving over to let him/them by? Yes because that's what I or anyone that respects others while commuting on the road would do and I sure as hell wouldn't have a problem moving over for another cyclist.

 

You've now gone and proven that you want your point to be put across and you refuse to listen to opinions and facts disproving yours.

 

Thanks for that. At least we know so less trolling to be had.

 

It's illegal, and if you think bending the rules for safety is ok in any way, then you've just condoned every single driver who does the same.

 

Ooooh! This is the chance to try my latest derogatory name!

 

Douchenozzle.

 

Goodnight.

Edited November 14, 2013 by AfdElite

[shaper]

 

 

You're missing the point and by a mile and unless one day you have someone like YOUR CHILD that gets whacked by a car/truck/taxi from behind, only then will you realize that things might not work how you thought they did. My questions and concerns are valid, as valid as your comment to "then drive your car" may be. And as for oncoming cyclists, why would you assume that I'd somehow react differently to moving over to let him/them by? Yes because that's what I or anyone that respects others while commuting on the road would do and I sure as hell wouldn't have a problem moving over for another cyclist.

I don't think I am missing the point as you are trying to twist all to make the justification that it is right to do something illegal.

 

Advise how you are going to let someone by when the cyclist and oncoming traffic are both going in the legal direction and you have nowhere to go as you cannot pull into oncoming traffic. You assume you can be respectful and move over as the road is empty and there is room for you to do this and in all probability this will not be the case as you will have walkers on one side, a cyclist straight ahead who is in the right and who has the right and fast moving traffic on the other side. Let's see you be respectful then and move over head on into oncoming traffic!

 

Do a search on what you propose in the forums, it has been discussed at length as well as what has happened when people who do cycle in the wrong direction do not pull over!

 

I reiterate, if you no longer feel safe on a bike on the roads, then use another form of transport that you do feel safe in, rather than trying to justify and seek agreement here for doing it.

 

You won't get the support you are seeking...

[Skylark]

Ride against the traffic on your bike IN SOUTH AFRICA??

Darwin awards....

 

The energy dynamics is also wrong, some really weird forces will be buffeting you when cars go flying past, you will not going in the flow so instead of being pushed in a forward direction you will be pushed directly off balance and maybe into oncoming traffic.

 

[Master-Yoda]

You've now gone and proven that you want your point to be put across and you refuse to listen to opinions and facts disproving yours.

 

Thanks for that. At least we know so less trolling to be had.

 

It's illegal, and if you think bending the rules for safety is ok in any way, then you've just condoned every single driver who does the same.

 

Ooooh! This is the chance to try my latest derogatory name!

 

Douchenozzle.

 

Goodnight.

I'll ignore your attempt to insult me and I'm sorry to say, you will have to try better if you want to get under my skin

[Uni]

Legalities aside, I drive along garden road in midrand every day where there's lots of commuters. Most sections of the road does not include a shoulder, it becomes an interesting gauntlet when there's cyclist of both sides of the road, and 2 cars trying to pass.

 

Logically the fact that you can see what's coming at you and depending on your ability to take evasive action in time, I'd say you would be safer as it seems most accidents are as a result of being hit from behind. It would also allow you to see a car wanting to turn in front of you rather than into you. I don't ride on the road a) my skills are lacking and b) it freaks me out that I can't see behind me.

 

I've seen civilians and taxis drive so close to a cyclist I'm amazed they manage to stay on their bikes, so there's many guilty parties. But there's way too many people that don't care about road rules, and another group that don't understand them.

 

 

[Master-Yoda]

Ride against the traffic on your bike IN SOUTH AFRICA??

Darwin awards....

 

The energy dynamics is also wrong, some really weird forces will be buffeting you when cars go flying past, you will not going in the flow so instead of being pushed in a forward direction you will be pushed directly off balance and maybe into oncoming traffic.

Maybe I should have explained this better, we ride mountain bikes and not road bikes so we're not always on the roads. We do occasionally need to either cross the roads or ride short distances and although I didn't include this info, I am referring to riding on the roads in these conditions. Of course if referring to road riding then it's a different story..