Runners in road

[VivienScott]

Since lockdown started, there have been increasing numbers of runners running in the road where I live. They’re running individually, and in the road even when the pavement is empty. The other day one was in the road running towards my very obvious oncoming car, despite the empty pavement. When I beeped at him, because I thought he hadn’t seen me somehow, he stepped straight in front of my car, forcing me to stop, proceeded to lecture me that runners are now allowed to run in the road because of social distancing (there was no one around, it was 6am) and I should move to the other side of the road i.e. the side for oncoming vehicles to allow him to pass.
I’ve not seen any change in the law to this effect, which I did mention to him.
AIBU to think runners and pedestrians in general should be on the pavements (pavements are for people etc) not on the road in the path of oncoming vehicles?

I run in the road because a lot of pavements are really uneven. I always get back on the pavement when a car is coming though.

[quote Ohtherewearethen]@Mosquitofeast - so your suggestion of making driving prohibitively expensive means that people will all have to move to towns, which will then have to become the size of cities because the countryside typically has appalling transport links. So all the green spaces between towns will have to be built on to accommodate all these people. Demand vs supply will make property so expensive that very few will be able to actually buy a home in these super towns. People who can't afford to live there won't be able to work as they can't afford to run a car to drive there. Again, demand for jobs withing walking distance will mean that unemployment will grow. People won't be able to get to appointments with doctors/physics/hospitals/opticians, etc, so more people will be too sick to work, if they were ever one of the lucky ones to be able to find a job in the first place. Sounds like a great plan. Well done.
Or, pedestrians and car drivers could just stick to the expensive infrastructure that has been specifically designed for them to use and everybody can rub along nicely together.[/quote]
You've seen the planning white paper already by the looks of it.

You sound as bad a each other. He was a dick for not hopping up onto the pavement, and you were a dick for not just slowing and going round him.

I sometimes run in the road - to avoid people on the pavements, because our pavements are in a shocking state, or because there are no pavements! (I live fairly rurally)

I hope no-one tries to mow me down when I walk or run on the road thats near my home! The pavements are truly terrible, far too uneven and overgrown to walk on them, the grass verges are only cut once per year and they have been effectively abandoned by the local authority.

I'm worried now that drivers seeing me on the road think I'm being ignorant. It used to be the countryside code that vehicles moved out of any other road user's way out of courtesy. What happened to that? Why the argument? I'd just have moved over a bit to let the runner past, and assumed he had a reason for running in the road.

YANBU

Runners on roads were a menace before lockdown.

I used to commute by car, 20 miles each way, on narrow, bendy, hilly roads, surrounded by trees, with no hard shoulder (lovely countryside!)
I had to share this road with other cars (commuters, and leisure drivers), cyclists, horse riders, tractors... Could be tricky at times, as everyone went at different speeds, and the road was so narrow and bendy that passing was rather hazardous (you had to be patient, and moderate your speed)
But at least we would all be going in the same direction when using the same lane. So it kind of worked, if you paid attention.

Runners, however... Quite a few times on a sunny morning, I'd take a blind turn at very moderate speed, to find myself faced with a human being running straight towards my car, showing no sign of slowing down, changing lane, or stepping off the road. As they zoomed ever closer, I would have to swerve to avoid them, and once narrowly missed a car which was coming from the opposite direction.
I would never have chosen to overtake in the middle of that zigzagging blind turn. If there'd been a cyclist, or a horse, or a tractor, or a leisure driver, I would have adjusted my speed (which was already low, knowing such blind turns can hide surprises, including stationary objects such as fallen branches, or a flooded section), and patiently driven being them at snail pace, till we reached a straight section where I could safely overtake.
And if the obstacle had been stationary, I would have stopped there, then decided exactly when to overtake, based on oncoming traffic.

But when the obstacle is moving towards you, at non-negligible speed? If the person was walking, there would be time to think. Typically, walkers have enough sense to stop, and step aside a bit, so you can pass them easily.
In comparison, contraflow runners are suicidal! Given their speed, it would make more sense for them to behave like cyclists, and move in the same direction as the lane they occupy. The whole point of going contraflow, is that they can see cars coming and stop. If they're not going to stop or move aside, they might as well be moving in a direction which minimises the speed of collision...

I run on the road, very early in the mornings even though pavements are available because the the pavements are simply uneven here and will cause an injury. I stay relatively close to the kerb and jump straight out of the way if I meet a car though.

@HalloHalloHallo

It's always legal to walk or run in a road.

Is it??

I've noticed more runners in the roads around here as well OP. It tends to the be the very narrow, dimly lit, winding roads with lots of blind spots that I find the runners in the middle of the road. It makes no sense to me. If I'm driving one way and another car is coming the other way, one of us will need to stop to allow the other car to pass before the second car can go into oncoming traffic to pass the runner. It's frustrating when there are empty footpaths either side of the road that the runner could use. Like pp said if the runner gets hit it'll unfortunately be a driver's fault.

UANBU

Yes. It is.

Not denying it can be inconvenient and a bad idea to run in roads. But it's legal.

Hate it when runners pass right next to me panting with their warm breath going in my face. This runner sounds mad. He/she should obviously be on the path.

God we can’t win lol 😂 we run on the pavements we get yelled at, we run in the road to avoid the ppl on the pavements we get yelled at! Where would you like us to run??

Well the law is on their side, it's just it has not been routinely enforced for decades and so people have accepted the status quo to such an extent that this kind of attitude prevails. Then when some folk flag it up, and the lawbreakers get a bit stroppy! It happens across society in all sectors

Yup - of course one is pragmatic, because, you know, most crivers believe they have right of way.

But they don't.

I ran into a tree branch at head height last night while on the pavement because it was dark and I couldn't see it. The rest of my run I went on the road as there's no overhanging branches, the light is better from streetlights, and the condition of the road is better than the pavement.

All potential reasons why other runners do it too!

Always hop back to the pavement if I hear a car behind me though-

behind you? I thought if walking/running on the road you are supposed to face traffic?

I think you were being perfectly reasonable and I'm a runner. I don't run in the road if there is an empty pavement, why would I! I have seen runners and walkers on the road when there is an empty pavement and it always baffles me. Roads are for cars, pavements for pedestrians.

Perhaps the runner wants to be hit by a car, can't think of any other reason they'd be such an ass hole.
I would have beeped too, not risk my life overtaking on a narrow bend because of someone else being an idiot.
The pavement was empty and even if it wasn't it's safer than running in the road. I have seen runners go in to the road when other people are on the pavement which is them being polite but can I please ask runners to look before they step out, I've seen a couple of near misses.
Anyway in this case the runner was wrong and should have used the pavement.

There is a country road near my house that has the occasional walker/runner/cyclist. It annoys me and I think it is SO dangerous. The speed limit on it is 60mph, it’s a windy narrow road where 2 cars can only just pass in some places and it’s on a steep hill.

On more than one occasion I’ve had to brake hard so as to not go into somebody and I do nowhere near 60. I don’t know why people would take such risks!

the runner had equal right to be in the road
There are three classes of users who have a right to use a road (bar motorways), pedestrians, cyclists and riders. Motorists have no right to use a road, they are licensed to do so and are expected to abide by the law, otherwise their license can be revoked.
By distance, most roads do not have a pavement so drivers should drive with care and caution, sadly this is rarely enforced.

Kaiserin “zoomed ever closer”? Given that most people run at 5-10 mph I think zooming is a bit of an exaggeration.

Runners will be slower than cyclists, tractors and others vehicles. I appreciate when they’re running towards you it’s trickier, and anyone running tightly round blind bends is a bit of a wally but using hyperbole to fit your narrative is rather unnecessary.

I've double checked the highway code to make sure that I'm accurate but where pedestrians need to be on the road, they should be on the right hand side of traffic, with traffic coming towards them so that they're able to see it.