[Closed] Why do runners, run in the road against traffic?

So you can see what's about to run you down.

What the jammers said.

So they can see idiots in time to dodge them

What you're advised to do innit. Pedestrians/runners go against traffic.

Highway Code advises that pedestrians should walk against the flow of the traffic when there is no pavement. This allows them to see oncoming traffic.
https://www.gov.uk/rules-pedestrians-1-to-35/general-guidance-1-to-6

Now then - why do runners run on the road and not the pavement even when there is one?

I have a mate who does it on the bike...

Tarmac is very slightly more forgiving than concrete pavements. I can feel the difference after a run, or at least I think I can.

Why do cyclists cycle on the road and not the cycle path even when there is one?

Pavement was empty. Why not run on the pavement and greatly reduce the risk of being run over?

Now then - why do runners run on the road and not the pavement even when there is one?

As a runner (and a cyclist, obviously) I often wonder this. I know pedestrians can get a bit annoying but I quite like dodging around them.

Now then - why do runners run on the road and not the pavement even when there is one?

Can't say I've noticed that, but maybe the same reason we avoid cycle lanes (full of bumbling idiots, dog poo and pushchairs)?

Pavements are often uneven with kerbs and stuff, not great for running on.

Because that's what you're advised to do if walking or running on the road.

They may have been on the road because the path was uneven, dark, full of parked cars, slippy, wet, obscuring reversing cars coming out of drives or any of the above. Or maybe he/she had to step on to the road to avoid a pedestrian and simply hadn't yet re-mounted the pavement?

Really, there could be a million reasons if you think about it for five minutes.

I wouldn't run on roads as a matter of principle but sometimes it's much easier and safer.

And by 'runners' you mean one guy you saw doing it today, presumably for the first time in your life, hence the post. Not really a pattern or a trend is it?

He also tried to punch me and told me I was a Fing Wer as i moved into the road to avoid him. TBH thought he would jump on the empty pavement instead of expecting me to move but hey-ho...

I thought there was more training value in running in the opposite direction to the traffic....bit like swimming against the tide innit. Or is it because they know there's something up the road that some unwitting car driver is about to encounter?

OK, bye

So far I have:

1 - softer surface/easier on the knees
2 - more even surface
3 - highway code when no pavement

"OK, bye"

thanks for popping in

I think the "more even surface" is a load of rubbish, given the state of the roads and the amount of potholes. I'd rather keep to the pavement for this reason.

So you can see what's about to run you down.

This^
I live out in the sticks were there are no pavements and the roads are quite narrow. If you walk/run on the left hand side of the road you are far more likely to get "clipped" into the ditch by a car/van/lorry that doesn't notice you. If you walk on the right then you can directly see the oncoming traffic and take a dive if necessary. Just common sense really.

 

He also tried to punch me and told me I was a Fing Wer as i moved into the road to avoid him.

That seems like the sort of detail you wouldn't have forgotten when writing the opening post.

Ah, the running against traffic one. A pet hate of mine. 😈

There is a reason pedestrians are advised to walk against traffic...

So they can see the traffic AND TAKE STEPS TO GET OUT OF THE WAY IF THEY CAN!

There's no other reason for being able to see the traffic. If you are not expecting to deal with oncoming traffic, you may as well walk/run with the traffic as it's no different to you.

Walkers usually do this, step to the side, onto a verge or pavement if there is one, or tuck in as much as they can, walk in single file when they see oncoming traffic. Runners frequently however do not in my experience. They continue to run towards the approaching car and make the driver stop or swerve. If the driver stops, the runner keeps approaching and gives them a dirty look or knocks the wing mirror as they squeeze past. A walker at least will wait if the driver has had to stop to allow for oncoming traffic.

Plus to a driver it's harder to judge stopping distance between two objects moving towards each other rather than one moving towards a fixed object or one moving ahead but slower than them.

Steam gives way to sail and all that.

PEOPLE RUNNING ON ROADS SHOULD PAY ROAD TAX AND HAVE NUMBER PLATES

PEOPLE RUNNING ON ROADS SHOULD PAY ROAD TAX AND HAVE NUMBER PLATES

I saw one go through a red light. they think they own the road! I bet they haven't even got insurance or passed a test!

Well ever day is a school day for the OP.

As to why runners do it? Around our way the pavements can be on a camber, you are always going up and down for drive ways etc and I you are doing a few miles that can make you ache and put you out of your rhythm.

I guess its like roadies who don't like to go off road.

It always amazes me the amount of walkers on country roads that walk with the traffic, idiots. At least if you can see the traffic coming towards you you can dive out of the way!

If you were in your car, would you have still played chicken and expected him to hop back on to the pavement rather than go wide?

So why would you ride at him on a bike?!

Saves you having to dodge all the idiots riding their bike on the pavment with no lights 😀

Am I too late to aSK if they had a helmet on? Lights, high via?They are a menace and dangerous to other road users causing accidents.

It's not just so the runner/walker can see oncoming traffic - the driver will have more confidence that the runner has seen them and isn't going to veer suddenly. Essentially, there's a better chance that both parties know each other is there.

Why do brits have so much road angst? Chill out and accept other road users, it's really no big deal.

Road vs pavement? There's all sorts of shit on the pavement; street furniture, drop curbs, side roads, drive ways, broken paving slabs, slippy chippy wrappers, dog shit, letter boxes, pedestrians, tossers on boiks, tree roots etc etc.

Much better to run in the road and skip onto the curb if traffic is approaching.

Road vs pavement? There's all sorts of shit on the pavement; street furniture, drop curbs, side roads, drive ways, broken paving slabs, slippy chippy wrappers, dog shit, letter boxes, pedestrians, tossers on boiks, tree roots etc etc.
Much better to run in the road and skip onto the curb if traffic is approaching.

Many of those things you still have to deal with on the road, plus a whole lot more. Obstacles make running more fun.

Why do brits have so much road angst? Chill out and accept other road users, it's really no big deal.

THIS.

We are all just trying to get somewhere, for some reason, whatever method we are using. If we all respect that and each other a bit more the country would be a much nicer place to travel in.

Why do brits have so much road angst? Chill out and accept other road users, it's really no big deal.

Because the roads are so ****in busy

I think the bottom line here is that all people who go running are, for one reason or another, completely mental, have probably lost the will to live, and are subconciously, if not almost wilfully suicidal!

Lets be brutally honest here... have you ever seen a runner look like they're enjoying the experience? Have you ever seen one smile? Even slightly? Ever seen one not grimacing?

No. Exactly! They make most roadies look like Michael Mcintyre. The look they all wear ranges from:

1. I'm only doing this to get out of the house, away from a wife and kids who despise me. If I don't, I'm so pathetically brow-beaten, I'll only be forced to watch the Eastenders omnibus again, uncomplaining, while building up a seething, potentially murderous resentment that can only end with a new patio. I'm going to run in the road, towards traffic instead.

2. I really need to lose about 5 stone, so I'll lift one leg slightly higher than the other, at the same pace a 60 year old arthritic wouldn't find taxing, then maybe it'll all magically drop off. I suppose there might be more chance of that happening if I didn't go home and cry myself to sleep while cramming chocolate into my face and rinsing it down with cheap chardonnay. It really isn't worth carrying on any more.....

Then there are fell runners, who quite frankly terrify me. The look on their face as they appear from nowhere, out on the moor, while you're out night riding, tells me they're utterly oblivious to their surroundings, and are only listening to the voices in their heads telling them that they need to kill again.

Ah, the running against traffic one. A pet hate of mine.

There is a reason pedestrians are advised to walk against traffic...

So they can see the traffic AND TAKE STEPS TO GET OUT OF THE WAY IF THEY CAN!

There's no other reason for being able to see the traffic. If you are not expecting to deal with oncoming traffic, you may as well walk/run with the traffic as it's no different to you.

Walkers usually do this, step to the side, onto a verge or pavement if there is one, or tuck in as much as they can, walk in single file when they see oncoming traffic. Runners frequently however do not in my experience. They continue to run towards the approaching car and make the driver stop or swerve. If the driver stops, the runner keeps approaching and gives them a dirty look or knocks the wing mirror as they squeeze past. A walker at least will wait if the driver has had to stop to allow for oncoming traffic.

Plus to a driver it's harder to judge stopping distance between two objects moving towards each other rather than one moving towards a fixed object or one moving ahead but slower than them.

Quite - how dare they think they have a right to use our roads on an equal basis to cars. Whilst we're on that how dare car drivers get there puny shitboxes in the way of my lorry. All those single occupant leisure journies get in the way of my vital goods that benefit the economy plus they use the inner lane on motorways when they could be using the 3rd lane.

FFS sake they run the opposite way to jump for their lives in the event of a **** in a car failing to see them in time not to make life faintly more convenient for someone who can slow by applying 5kg of pressure with their big toe and get going again by applying slightly less to the pedal on the right of the one they just used.

I agree. It really annoys me that people get in my way when I drive my vehicle. I have spoken with many other road users and they all agree. Why does the government not take steps to get rid of other people on the roads? It's all part of the war against the motorist that THEY have.

It always amazes me the amount of walkers on country roads that walk with the traffic, idiots. At least if you can see the traffic coming towards you you can dive out of the way!

TBH thought he would jump on the empty pavement instead of expecting me to move but hey-ho...

I passed some runners out last night running on the road rather than the dodgy pavement, just move around them same as you'd do with parked cars potholes and any other number of everyday stuff you have to avoid.

When driving it sometimes seems more dangerous for runners to be running against the traffic. It reduces available braking time/distance because of the approaching speed.

Also, if it's not safe to overtake them due to oncoming traffic, a corner or a blind summit, then you have to stop before they reach you, and you may not be able to give them enough room to pass. If they're running with the traffic you can provide them with shelter from following vehicles, and sit back until it's safe to overtake them.

So, I prefer them to be walking/running with the traffic, and I think it's what I do myself, although I would change sides to ensure visibility on corners etc.

So, I prefer them to be walking/running with the traffic, and I think it's what I do myself, although I would change sides to ensure visibility on corners etc.

So, you do it wrong.

And you would prefer it, if everyone else did it wrong too.

No thanks.

I don't think there's a right or a wrong way - it's just that in a lot of cases it's safer to travel with the traffic.

it's just that in a lot of cases it's safer to travel with the traffic.

For whom and on what basis do you make that assertion...?

Not that it matters massively to me as I'm one of Binners's wild eyed, imaginary friends, fell runners but the few short sections of road I occasionally have cause to run on, I know which way I'd go and it'd certainly not be your preference, because of what the roads, and a lot of the drivers (oblivious tourists, staring at the fells/lakes/sheep/clouds) who use them, are like.

When driving it sometimes seems more dangerous for runners to be running against the traffic. It reduces available braking time/distance because of the approaching speed.

Yeah, cos runners are dead fast and you might not be able to react in time due to their amazing speed, heavens above!

Also, if it's not safe to overtake them due to oncoming traffic, a corner or a blind summit, then you have to stop before they reach you, and you may not be able to give them enough room to pass. If they're running with the traffic you can provide them with shelter from following vehicles, and sit back until it's safe to overtake them.

Its called being aware, things on roads dont just appear out of nowhere, just drivers seem to think they only have to do anything about it when they are 3ft from the situation. Look ahead, see the situation that might occur, act accordingly, its not hard.

It's so you can see their expression when they bounce off the bonnet of your car!

OK being serious now I would imagine the thinking behind the HC rule is so they can see you coming and also it would be easier for a driver to pick them up in the headlights, as you would probably see eye shine and if they are carrying a torch will have it pointing forwards, as this will probably be in rural unlit areas.

If they're running with the traffic you can provide them with shelter from following vehicles, and sit back until it's safe to overtake them.

And another thing... How many drivers have you experienced/seen doing that for roadies? Given the impatience shown for road bikes (all too often talked about on here...), which can potentially be travelling at not much less speed than a car, depending on the road, how do you think that'd work for a runner travelling at c6-8mph?!

Sorry, I'm not really asserting a fact. It's just that, as I described above, and as someone else mentioned, there are times when it seems safer to run with the traffic in terms of visibility, braking distances, stumbling room, road positioning, and protection.

Obviously, as a driver one must be mindful of pedestrians and runners, and drive safely and courteously no matter which side of the road they're on, or the direction in which they're travelling.

If they're running with the traffic you can provide them with shelter from following vehicles, and sit back until it's safe to overtake them.

it sometimes seems more dangerous for runners to be running against the traffic. It reduces available braking time/distance because of the approaching speed.

STATO - Member
Its called being aware, things on roads dont just appear out of nowhere, just drivers seem to think they only have to do anything about it when they are 3ft from the situation. Look ahead, see the situation that might occur, act accordingly, its not hard.

Likewise the pedestrian and runner is on that side of the road so that they can *act accordingly*. Pedestrians usually do, most runners in my experience will do absolutely nothing about the situation other than continue to run towards the traffic. I don't mind having to stop if overtaking is not possible, and if possible I stop with plenty of room. Fine. I do mind the dirty look and knocking wing mirrors as they try to squeeze past.

Its called being aware, things on roads dont just appear out of nowhere

Actually they do, and runners do if you are going round a corner, not particularly fast and are on the look out for anything you may have to stop for round the corner, but still you have little time when rounding the corner and there's a runner coming towards you with no intention of stopping. Braking distance is reduced further as they continue to run towards you. As a walker at a bend on a road I am very wary of oncoming traffic and try to keep out of danger or let traffic see me.

Highway code states, for pedestrians at least...

"It may be safer to cross the road well before a sharp right-hand bend so that oncoming traffic has a better chance of seeing you. Cross back after the bend."

Runners don't do this in my experience.

Runners don't do this in my experience.

Well that would add seconds when on a Strava run !

It's just that, as I described above, and as someone else mentioned, there are times when it seems safer to run with the traffic in terms of visibility, braking distances, stumbling room, road positioning, and protection.

Obviously if there's a big, wide pavement on one side of the road, and nothing but a narrow grass verge on the other, then what you say will be the case. But assuming both sides are in similar condition it's a lot safer to run or walk against the traffic.

A couple of years ago there was a case of a teenage girl left in a wheelchair after a road accident: night, dark clothes with her hood up and headphones in, on a country road with no lighting. She was walking in the direction of traffic, and didn't hear the car that hit her. If she'd be walking against the traffic she would have seen it, and would quite possibly have had time to avoid it.

"It may be safer to cross the road well before a sharp right-hand bend so that oncoming traffic has a better chance of seeing you. Cross back after the bend."

Runners don't do this in my experience.

I doubt many walkers do it, either. The problem I can see with this advice is that it means you have to cross the road, despite not being able to see what's coming round the corner.

I've been doing a bit of running recently while I had no bikes.
Where safe, I would run on the road as I got fed up with uneven pavement surfaces, crossovers and close encounters of the turd kind. However in a busy traffic area, the path would always win.

Having tried running for 6 weeks though, I have to agree with the below

Lets be brutally honest here... have you ever seen a runner look like they're enjoying the experience? Have you ever seen one smile? Even slightly? Ever seen one not grimacing?

For me, I couldn't wait for the run to finish the second after I'd started. Riding my bike I don't want to stop. On a bike I feel teh awesumz. Running, I just feel like a middle aged fat knacker.

@binners, that made my chuckle, thanks 😀

Lets be brutally honest here... have you ever seen a runner look like they're enjoying the experience? Have you ever seen one smile? Even slightly? Ever seen one not grimacing?

I only grimace a bit 🙂

Here's a happy runner:
[img] [/img]

That runner is clearly only happy because she is about to stop running.

1. I'm only doing this to get out of the house, away from a wife and kids who despise me. If I don't, I'm so pathetically brow-beaten, I'll only be forced to watch the Eastenders omnibus again, uncomplaining, while building up a seething, potentially murderous resentment that can only end with a new patio. I'm going to run in the road, towards traffic instead.

This is me .... 😳

I was halfway through typing a great long post about how I run on the road and its fine... I just get out of the way when cars are appoarching from both directions etc etc and I was going to write about the drivers that worry about runners on the road, I wonder what that do when any thing happens at a higher speed than a runner... When I realised....

Just use your common

I used to run a bit before I did my back in (and started doing a proper sport/exercise/whatever). Problem with pavements at night is they're very uneven and street lighting creates deep shadow 'pools' in the dips. You can't actually see whether it's deep enough to twist an ankle or whether it's just the light.

I used to run on the road a lot because of that but always jump on the pavement whilst a car went past.

When walking/running with the traffic on the left you are assuming that the drivers are actually paying attention and as cyclists we all know they do, right? By walking/running against the traffic at least you have some control over your own safety.

"If there is no pavement, keep to the right-hand side of the road so that you can see oncoming traffic."

Taken from the following

https://www.gov.uk/rules-pedestrians-1-to-35/general-guidance-1-to-6

I don't think there's a right or a wrong way

If that was actually the case, then it would say so in the Highway Code.

But it doesn't, it tells you the right way.

nealglover - Member
But it doesn't, it tells you the right way

For walking.

Wow! running in the road is very common. Most of the local club run on the road and not the pavement.
It's obviously so that they can get a good run. I drive/cycle towards them and it's about a billisecond of inconvenience. AND I'm a right old fashioned kerb hugging roadie.
For the right on right in the middle of the road modern day cyclist surely a gutter hugging runner isn't a problem what with us being a metre out and all that.

Pavements are shit to run on aren't they to be fair.