Street running question

I don't know what the particular rules are where you are but I am in the UK.

Generally if there's a pavement (sidewalk) then you should use it. I have to admit I probably would weigh up how busy the road is and in the very small, rural town I live in, I probably wouldn't cross over for that short a distance. But in the larger town nearby I would cross, if you're worried about time then press pause.

If there isn't a pavement then the rules here is to run/ walk in to incoming traffic, unless you are on a blind bend when you should move closer to the outside of the bend so you can be seen. Oh and always be prepared to jump in to a hedge, because there are plenty of drivers that don't think you have a right to be on the road (even though in the UK we do)

Bry_Fitness70 wrote: »

During the course of a 5-mile run, I ended up having to run on a busier street (although just a 35mph speed limit) for about .3 miles. Per the map below, I was running north, and then turned west on to Boston (running from right to left) - there wasn't a sidewalk on my side of the street, but there was on the north side. I opted not to cross because I would have had to stop and wait for a break in traffic, and then run across the street, run .3 miles, and then cross traffic again to be on the south side.

About halfway through that stretch, a car slowed down and the driver pointed to the sidewalk very forcefully several times, as if saying "YOU SHOULD BE ON THE SIDEWALK *kitten*!". I responded by forcefully pointing at my side of the road as in "I HAVE THE RIGHT TO RUN THIS STREET *kitten*! That was the end of it, although I kept waiting for him to drive alongside me, he seemed like the type that would escalate things.

I know I'm going to regret this ( ), but who was right? Should I have crossed a busy street twice in order to use the sidewalk or was it more logical for me to run along the main street for that short stretch?

I don't claim to be super knowledgeable about this, but based on what I am seeing from some of the articles and general common sense, you would have been in the wrong because there was a sidewalk on the other side of the street. Not wanting to have to stop and wait for a break in traffic to cross does not mean there wasn't available to you. Sidewalks exist for pedestrians, so that they don't have the share the roadways with vehicles that go many times faster than them. It's not safe for either the vehicles or you to be on active roadways, and should certainly be avoided in circumstances where there is a sidewalk available.

Not using a sidewalk when one is available?
On what would probably be considered not a back-street for primary residential access, but main road.

You were wrong.

And I would have run in the grass on that side and been wrong too. Agreed not worth crossing.
Consider it your cross-country training for stronger ankles.

ETA - at least you were running facing traffic to see them - rather than more often I'm seeing with traffic incorrectly.
Same with bike commuters being on wrong side when they are in the street correctly. And seeing more goofballs in black clothes no lights in dusk too.

ETA again - when I'm running on sidewalks I like to actually be running with traffic, some stats I saw years ago. Allows seeing the left turners onto streets you cross really do see you, and people turning off the streets can see you easier and you them. The people coming up behind turning right onto streets you cross have better chance of seeing you.
So using that normal method, I would actually have done your route other direction and been running in grass going with traffic for that short spot. If no grass there and nothing decent to run on - probably would try to time the light to cross to sidewalk.

Depends on where you are and how thick your skin is. I usually run on the road, or the cycle path if there's one as the state of sidewalks tends to be rather rubbish both in the UK and Netherlands. I have hypoermobile ankles and a twig on the sidewalk, or a not quite even tile might be enough to sprain my ankle. Thus I go with thick skin. But people are generally relaxed and don't care. I also avoid the busiest roads.

meh. part of the price of running on the road. One of the many reasons I switched over to trail running.

Given that you had a good shoulder, I think you were fine running where you were. Yes, sidewalk would probably be safer, but I would probably have done the same. I'll run with traffic at my back for short stretches rather than cross a busy street twice. (No sidewalks in my part of the county.)

Unless a sidewalk/path is sufficiently separated from the road, I am never comfortable running with my back to traffic. I would rather run on the shoulder of a road, facing traffic than on a sidewalk close to the road with my back to traffic.

Correct me if I misunderstand; but, since you're in the UK, and since you made a left onto Boston Road you're running WITH traffic and NOT on a sidewalk, two hazardous things for a pedestrian. Depending on the width of the road and shoulder, you are taking a risk albeit over about a third of a mile.

smells close to strongsville