On which side of the road do you walk?

[LimaDelta]

Supposing a rural road with no foot paths.

I'm surprised how many people I see doing this the wrong way, usually with earpods/headphones in giving little to no situational awareness. My only guess is that Covid introduced the countryside to a whole load of city dwellers who don't understand how to do it correctly.

[WPA]

I was always told to walk towards traffic so you are better seen in the headlamps.

Happy to be corrected

[LunarOne]

Highway Code General Guidance for Pedestrians

Rule 2:
If there is no pavement, keep to the right-hand side of the road so that you can see oncoming traffic. You should take extra care and

be prepared to walk in single file, especially on narrow roads or in poor light
keep close to the side of the road.
It may be safer to cross the road well before a sharp right-hand bend so that oncoming traffic has a better chance of seeing you. Cross back after the bend.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/rules...

[Trustmeimadoctor]

the correct way unless there is more verge on the other side then i will be walking off the road anyway, but id never be walking with earphones in

[Richard-390a0]

TBH the ones doing it the wrong way are probably also the people you see putting themselves between their broken down vehicle & the oncoming traffic lol!

[JagYouAre]

The correct answer is of course against traffic (though I do cross briefly if there's a blind bend, as per the highway code reference posted above).

It's just another thing that makes you question how many people have actually read the highway code.

[anonymous-user]

Against the flow, you can see what's coming towards you and if necessary jump out of the way. If the traffic is approaching behind you, you're at the mercy of drivers seeing you and giving you space.

[Xenoous]

Generally speaking, against the flow of traffic. However I can't say it's something I'm too worried about. Then again I live in a village rather than a busy city.

[Bannock]

I live on the edge of a major town, in a tree-lined avenue with no pavements - I have a view down the avenue from my daily WFH desk. The amount of dog walkers, joggers, pushchair shovers, and just general carefree strollers and looky-loos I see on the wrong side infuriates me. I walk on the correct side when I'm out and about, and often come face to face with people who are evidently expecting me to cross the road for them. The joggers are the worst and just belt on robotically, usually within inches, puffing and panting of course. Dog-off-the-lead morons a close second.

Idiots everywhere.

[Master Bean]

There's no option for the middle.

[Red9zero]

Master Bean said:

There's no option for the middle.

You need to dominate the rural road.

[Earthdweller]

WPA said:

I was always told to walk towards traffic so you are better seen in the headlamps.

Happy to be corrected

Ok then,

It’s so YOU can see the traffic coming and at least give you a chance to jump out the way!

[Zarco]

I'll walk on the right, but sometimes cross to the left for righthand bends so I'm not blind to oncoming traffic until the last second.

[Lotobear]

Zarco said:

I'll walk on the right, but sometimes cross to the left for righthand bends so I'm not blind to oncoming traffic until the last second.

Exactly this

[PositronicRay]

Zarco said:

I'll walk on the right, but sometimes cross to the left for righthand bends so I'm not blind to oncoming traffic until the last second.

Or they are blind to you, outside of the bend.

[Pica-Pica]

Facing the oncoming traffic is the general rule, but I shift my position on bends, as an example, to wherever is more visible. We have a fast road with a footpath, where we like to take a post-prandial stroll, I just wish drivers would dip their headlamps when they see pedestrians.

[mikecassie]

WPA said:

I was always told to walk towards traffic so you are better seen in the headlamps.

Happy to be corrected

I'd say it's better to see what is coming towards you, far too often drivers don't see things and end up hitting them...

[Monkeylegend]

I always take the racing line.

[muppets_mate]

Zarco said:

I'll walk on the right, but sometimes cross to the left for righthand bends so I'm not blind to oncoming traffic until the last second.

Agreed. I walk against the traffic flow, and cross the road near bends to give me and the approaching vehicle maximum and early visibility of each other.

Also, I can not understand why anyone would think it was a good idea to have headphones on? Hearing what is going on is a vital extra sense, and you can hear approaching vehicles before you can see them, and often tell something about their speed/type of vehicle too.

[Mars]

JagYouAre said:

The correct answer is of course against traffic (though I do cross briefly if there's a blind bend, as per the highway code reference posted above).

100% this

I live rurally, and I've lost count of the number of people walking against the flow through a bend that is blind to motorists. There's one in particular that scares the pants off me when I drive around it because as I drive through it - very slowly - I worry that I'm going to be crashed into from behind. Most motorists fly around that bend without a second thought but I've seen people walking through it numerous times, and even a horse on one occasion (obvs walking *with* the traffic flow). The hedge is so high and dense and right against the edge of the road, you cannot see over it or through it.