What is the best way to ride my bike on a public road. Go with traffic or against traffic?

Question

If you ride against traffic at least you can see what is coming at you, but it feels wrong. If you go with traffic it feels right, but you can't see what is going on behind you. What is correct? Is there a law?

Answer 1

Legally, on a bicycle, you MUST RIDE WITH THE TRAFFIC.  Pedestrians walk against the traffic, bicyclers ride with the traffic.  And yes, it is THE LAW to do so.

Answer 2

with traffic

Answer 3

The law in every state in the U.S. reads that bicycles have all the rights and responsibilities of automobiles. A person on a bike is a driver of a vehicle, not a pedestrian on wheels. That means you ride with traffic; and like other slow traffic, you stay to the right ("as far as practicable.")

Note: the term 'practicable' means being able to be done safely. It is never required for a cyclist to ride in the gutter or on an unsafe surface. More and more states are enacting additional wording in their vehicle codes to prohibit mandatory sidepath laws and to allow bikes to take the lane when it is otherwise unsafe to share, and to ride in other lanes under certain conditions.

If you ask yourself, "what would a slow-moving car do?" and then act that way, you will almost never be wrong.

Answer 4

With traffic, that is the law.

Here is one of many reasons.

You are traveling 15 mph.

Cars from behind are traveling 40 mph.

Their overtake speed is 25 mph.  

If you are against traffic you and the car are rushing toward each other at 55 mph!!

Let's put this into a different perspective.

When you are riding with traffic the car in the example above is gaining on you 37 feet per second.  When you are riding against traffic you and the car are approaching each other at 81 feet per SECOND.  That gives little time for each of you to react to a bad situation.  

Install a rear view mirror on the bike, helmet, or sunglasses.  Wear bright yellow, orange, or lime green riding gear or safety vest.  Make every effort to be seen.  That is about the only control you have when you are riding on the roads.

Answer 5

Go with traffic, otherwise you will get a ticket.

Answer 6

Get the Highway code book, and read the areas covering cyclists. Please go with the flow and wear something bright plus helmet, and keep to speed limits too!

Answer 7

The law is to ride with traffic.  Just make sure you stick to designated bike lanes, and if you want to see behind you, you can get little mirrors that clip to your helmet.  You do have one of those, don't you?

Answer 8

You're classed as a vehicle surely, so the traffic laws apply to you. You need to be on the correct side of the road, stop at red lights etc.

Answer 9

How about when you lose 500 pounds you can think clearly

instead of askin me!

Answer 10

with traffic less likely to get hit

Answer 11

Law is ride with traffic.