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Which side of the road to walk on

Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2017 11:53 am
by Taffy
I have been a member of several walking groups. All have insisted that walkers should always face oncoming traffic if there is no pavement. They never believe me when I say that Rule 5 of the HC suggests differently for large groups of people walking together. They seem to stop at Rule 2, which does seem, on first reading, to cover all eventualities.

If I am leading a group, and I walk on the right, where they all feel comfortable, and there is an accident, would a judge be likely to take a dim view of the fact that I was ignoring advice in the HC?

Whaf would you do?

Re: Which side of the road to walk on

Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2017 12:36 pm
by devonutopia
I always thought safest to face oncoming traffic, but I would also make a call based on the corners / visibility. It's not very black and white.

Personally though, with Dartmoor on my doorstep, that's where I'd be walking.

Re: Which side of the road to walk on

Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2017 1:26 pm
by GTR1400MAN
Large group or not, I wouldn't want to be walking on the left at the inside of a left bend.

Right hand bends are a time as an individual walking on the left my be preferential (depending on the bend severity and foliage).

So we are back to 'It depends'.

Re: Which side of the road to walk on

Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2017 2:22 pm
by M1ke H
As a general rule I always walk on the right to face oncoming traffic, always overridden by making sure I can see and be seen.

As a aside, I've just got back from a very soggy 2 hour walk, and lost count of the times I've been splashed by inconsiderate motorists; in one instance more interested in positioning for maintaing speed over a speed hump irrespective of a mahoosive puddle and a poor walker :bash:

Re: Which side of the road to walk on

Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2017 11:41 am
by Mr Cholmondeley-Warner
GTR1400MAN wrote:Large group or not, I wouldn't want to be walking on the left at the inside of a left bend.

This (and what Strangely Brown wrote and then deleted). Walk where you can be seen, and see the traffic most likely to kill you. Sometimes that means crossing the road. Sometimes you can compromise and move out from the verge to be seen, ready to retreat when a car approaches. If there's a high hedge or a bank, I want to be away from it, or at least able to see traffic well in advance (and have them see me).