What's Wrong With This Picture?

[downeaster]

On the front page of today's Daily Sun is a feature article about safety on the multi modal paths. It includes a photo of two pedestrians walking with their backs to the traffic. This is one of the safety issues with pedestrians on multi modal paths and cart lanes. They should walk facing oncoming traffic.

I would hope The Sun prints a correction.

[GatbTester]

Then according to your thoughts, one would have to walk backwards in order to get to the destination they were seeking.:MOJE_whot:

[Talk Host]

A couple of years ago, my wife and I were at the Chatham pool on a visitors weekend. Little kids were having a good time hanging from the railing that runs down the steps into the pool. The monitor had her hands full running back and forth telling the kids and parents about the dangers and possible damage of hanging from the railing. The monitor was ready to pull her hair out.

The next morning, there was a picture on the front page of a kid hanging like a monkey from a railing with the headline, "Children having fun at the Chatham pool."

[zcaveman]

Then according to your thoughts, one would have to walk backwards in order to get to the destination they were seeking.:MOJE_whot:

I noticed it also. And no, they would not walk backwards. They would just move over to the other side of the cart path where they would be walking facing traffic. This is no different that walking down a street. You are supposed to walk facing traffic so you can see what is coming.

[Pturner]

On the front page of today's Daily Sun is a feature article about safety on the multi modal paths. It includes a photo of two pedestrians walking with their backs to the traffic. This is one of the safety issues with pedestrians on multi modal paths and cart lanes. They should walk facing oncoming traffic.

I would hope The Sun prints a correction.

You're right, it's wrong. A serious photo journalistic faux pas, considering the point was to illustrate proper use of the multi modal paths.

[Biker B]

Are you also supposed to ride your bike facing traffic on the paths?

[Pturner]

Hi BB,
Unless the rules of the MUTs in TV differ from the standard rules of the road, bicyclists should ride with the flow of other vehicle traffic, not facing toward it.

[Russ_Boston]

The problem is the standard "rules of the road" for all of the bike paths around the nation (non-Villages) that I've encountered is ALL users stay to the right. These uses included bikes, pedestrians, and sometimes horses, but no motorized vehicles in the mix. On these bike paths, in spite of posted rules, there were always a few stubborn pedestrians who insisted on walking on the left, as would be correct on roads. With the typical speed mix of the various bike path users, pedestrians on the left was a problem.

So what are these new S.H.A.R.E posters going to say as to pedestrians? Is this covered on existed posted signs? (I haven't been paying attention.)

Well then you've never used the bike trails here in MA or RI. I have used many of them (probably a dozen or so) and they all have the same signs - "Walkers (runners) on left facing bike traffic" And these bike trails are not standard roads. They are designed bike paths, sometimes 40 miles in length, usually built in scenic locations (rivers, canals etc.). Usually old railroad paths that have been re-purposed. You know the type.

[escapequeen]

So what are you supposed to do if you are walking along and a golfcart going in the same direction comes up behind you? I don't get it.

[Russ_Boston]

So what are you supposed to do if you are walking along and a golfcart going in the same direction comes up behind you? I don't get it.
Are you asking me?

If you are walking AGAINST the traffic then it can't come up behind you. You're on the other side. That's why you walk (run) on the left.

[ijusluvit]

With the speed of many golf carts, and the all too common reality of careless and incompetent driving, I believe it is patently unsafe for anyone to walk or run with the flow of traffic. And it isn't just the riders who can cause a problem. Last year, driving my cart I approached a cyclist. Ahead of him was a clear path except for someone walking their dog in the same direction. As the cyclist went to pass the walker he almost crashed because the walker didn't know he was coming and allowed the dog to wander out into the cyclist's path. For good reason, universal rules of the road are to walk facing traffic whenever there are motorized vehicles. As a poster above says, bike paths in other states post signs to that effect, using the same logic that a bicycle can cause serious injury if it comes up behind someone on foot and someone makes a 'false move'.

The other problem is that no one seems to know for sure what is expected here in TV. The SHARE campaign is a great idea and doesn't need to be changed. It should just include signs in every path segment which direct those on foot to face traffic.

[k2at]

I ride my bike 20 miles almost every day of the week and have been doing it for about 20 years. The rule is you always ride on the right side of the road with traffic. One can easily see what is coming up on them by putting a mirror on the bike or attach one to the helmet, which is what most serious bikers do. One should never ride a bike against traffic. That is where the accidents occur. START FLAMING!

[Russ_Boston]

I could be wrong about MA rules. Perhaps I'm only thinking about the Blackstone River path signs (in RI) since that's the one I use 80% of the time.

I think the big difference, after doing some research, is whether or not there are motorized vechicles on the path. If it's just bikes and walkers then same side is fine. But when you have cars, carts, motor bikes etc then my research indicates that all jurisdictions and safety brochures strongly advise pedestrians on left, bikes and motorized vechicles on right. And there are many accident stats to back up their research.

[Russ_Boston]

Then there's what to do when golf carts are thrown into the mix. They are not full fledged cars, but they do change the interactions between the different trail users. Personally I'm not sure what is preferable.


I think you hit the nail on the head when you mentioned that in TV we have carts on the multi modal paths. As someone mentioned, if you are walking a dog it is much better to see what's coming at you so you can reign in the dog a little rather than having to constantly look behind you to see what's coming. But either way let's have a rule and stick to it so the rest of us know.

[downeaster]

I think there's a larger problem than just the front page of the Daily Sun. This whole thing about which side pedestrians should be on has bugged me in this thread and another on bicycling. I was wondering what the officials rules are, if any. Maybe a printed document like the infamous roundabout one.

Well, I located online a copy of the much anticipated S.H.A.R.E. poster:
http://www.districtgov.org/projects/SHAREposter.pdf

If I was to gather anything from the poster about pedestrians, it is that they should keep right. Not much to go on, but those runners do seem to be on the right side, and the dog walkers seem to be more on the right than on the left. Unfortunately the dog walkers picture seems to encourage a rather bad behavior: pretty much blocking the entire width of the path! :smiley:

So if the Daily Sun picture needs correcting, so does the vaunted S.H.A.R.E. poster! Who pays for the reprinting? :evil6:

I am not aware of any official rules concerning pedestrian traffic on multi modal paths. However, common sense would rule that one should walk facing oncoming traffic. (Also, my first grade teacher taught us to walk facing on coming traffic and her word was rule.)

I witnessed a jogger, after dark and with dark clothing, on the right side of the street in the "cart" lane. Based on the quality of some of the golf cart lights it would seem he was taking a big risk.