It was a typical Saturday run down Howard St. near Tietan Park. As has been my habit for over 8 years, I was running towards traffic, on the road, hugging the curb. However, I was startled as a man on a 3-wheeled blue motorcycle slowed down next to me and yelled with disgust, "You belong on the sidewalk. Pedestrians should be on sidewalks."
I followed him into the church parking lot on McKay street. He refused to let me speak and would not allow me to explain to him why I did not run on the sidewalk. I feel this is an important message for all drivers to know and understand. Prior to writing this letter, I did my research by calling our local police department to be sure I was clear on laws, ordinances and traffic safety. When I spoke to the officer, he assured me that there was no law requiring runners to be on sidewalks and that runners are encouraged to run towards traffic for safety reasons. Here are my personal reasons for where I run.
First, sidewalks are uneven. They are difficult to run on and very unsafe. Runners can easily trip on the surface. Secondly, there are driveways. If runners were to run on sidewalks, there is not enough time to get out of the way for a car backing out. The visibility for a driver is minimal when backing out of a driveway. Additionally, the up, down and side slant of driveways are very difficult on ankles; often causing sprains. Finally, I run against traffic so that I have control of my situation. I will not run with traffic. Besides the obvious fear of texters who drift to the side of the road, it is very unnerving as a runner to have a car coming up behind you and not knowing how close they are to you.
Clearly, I understand that there are runners who do not respect the road or the vehicles on it. However, I am not one of them. I wear bright colored clothes, headlamps when necessary and I am keenly aware when a vehicle is coming towards me. If I am on a narrow stretch, I certainly make the necessary adjustments to move to the side, enter a ditch or simply wait. I respect their space, just as I expect them to respect mine.
So to the gentleman who would not let me get a word in edgewise and continually yelled in my face....this is all I was going to say to you. It is truly disappointing to me that you would not allow me to say one word. I even started by saying, "I'm sure your comment was meant in the best interest of my safety, and I appreciate that." Your rude and insensitive response that you could "care less about my safety" prompted a letter to the editor in honor of my fellow runners. Because I do care about their safety. You should too.
Well done! People are so rude. Hopefully, this will get the word out to other runners, too, because I see them running with traffic way too often. I always want to pull over and offer advice.
ReplyDelete