Are runners allowed to use the bike lane?

Question

This morning on my commute I encountered a runner in the bike lane I was riding in. This irked me because:

1. The bike lane was on a busy street, with three lanes of motor vehicle traffic in each direction. (I was northbound on Embarcadero in San Francisco, for those of you familiar with the city.) To go around the runner I had to enter the car lanes, which makes me a little uneasy.
2. There is a very wide sidewalk available to runners and other pedestrians along this street. There were no obstructions on the sidewalk, and it was not choked with other pedestrians. In other words, there was plenty of room for this runner to run on the sidewalk. (I'm guessing that he didn't want to run on the concrete sidewalk based on the misguided belief that the asphalt roadway would be easier on his joints.)

So when I was about to pass the runner, I called out, "You're in my lane!" His reaction was... not positive. He started yelling and cursing at me. I don't know exactly what he said; probably something about runners being entitled to use of the bike lane, too.

So my question is this:

Do runners or other pedestrians have a legal right to use the bike lane (not that SFPD would ever enforce this even if it were a violation), especially when there is a sidewalk available? If this varies with the jurisdiction -- and it probably does -- then I suppose I'm most curious about what the law says where I do all of my riding, in the San Francisco bay area.

(Irrelevant detail: I'm a runner myself -- I do a lot more running than cycling, in fact -- and I've run on this route many times. I really have no sympathy for those who want to run in the bike lane, just because I feel like the sidewalk is perfectly adequate for runners when it's available. I don't ride my bike on the sidewalk, after all.)

Answer 1

Most US State and Local laws are based on the Uniform Vehicle Code and American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) guidelines. They will normally have a phrase like:

Where sidewalks are provided, it shall be unlawful for any pedestrian to walk along and upon an adjacent roadway.

And a phrase like:

Where sidewalks are not provided, any pedestrian walking along and upon a highway shall, when practicable, walk only on the shoulder on the left side of the roadway.

So, the short answer is "no", but may be different wherever you are.

The longer answer is that just like cyclist are allowed to take the lane when conditions warrant, pedestrians are allowed there when conditions warrant.

Ultimately we are all trying to share a limited amount of space. Courtesy from all parties is always appreciated, and usually returned.

Answer 2

In this situation, I usually just slow down, and ring the bell. This will get most people out of the lane. If they refuse to move, slow down to just a little faster than them, and coast by. There should be enough room for a bike and a runner in the bike lane, provided the runner isn't in the middle of the lane. People with headphones on (as many runners do) often won't hear the bell. If you need to get off the bike or hop up on the curb to go around. No use risking your own safety for someone else's convenience. Some time this summer I actually had a bike coming the wrong way in the bike lane. Luckily there was a lull in traffic so I could avoid the person. A runner in the bike lane is the least of your worries.

Answer 3

As to the question of whether runners "have a right" to use the bike lane, that would depend on your local laws. My guess would be "yes", unless there's some specific exclusion -- the bike lane would likely fall into the same classification as other bike paths -- where pedestrians are allowed in most jurisdictions.

As to whether they "should", keep in mind that many runners feel (perhaps with some justification) that running on concrete is harder on the legs than running on asphalt.

Answer 4

"Are runners allowed to use the bike lane?"

Hmmm...this depends entirely on local laws. Legal in some locations. Illegal in others.

If legal or otherwise, a simple verbal, "...on the left..." usually works. No need to be rude.

Answer 5

This depends on the direction that they are running in. Due to bicycles being silent, cycling having priority in the bike lanes and runners not having eyes in the back of their heads, they should be running the 'wrong way', towards rather than with bike traffic. In that way they can hop out of the way of oncoming cycle traffic.

Clearly there is no way short of public service broadcasts on television to inform runners on the correct etiquette for running in bike lanes. However, from a UK 'Highway Code' legal perspective, pedestrians are pedestrians whether they are crawling on all fours, walking with ipod plugged in or running 'narcissus' style.