A reader sent this today and reminded me that I too have seen high school track students running the streets with total disregard for motorists. Here’s what this reader had to say:
“As a rules of the road expert, I am sure you might agree with one of my peeves. Around the spring time of every year that i have lived in Woodstock (19 years now), the high school track teams have complete disregard for those rules. Every time I have seen them out running thru the city, they are on the wrong side of the street, and out in the roadway. Not an occasional haphazard chance when taking a shortcut maybe, but every single time! If it was as simple as the kids being unsupervised on their cross-country treks, it would still be irksome. I can give in on not running on the sidewalk where they do exist, but to run with your back to traffic and not obey stop signs, is not only wrong, but dangerous. One of the first road rules for pedestrians, Ride with, walk against, really should be taught before sending the kids out for run thru the city. thanks for reading my peeve.”
Recently I saw runners on Jefferson just east of the Square, running toward South Street. I don’t know which school they were from, but it would certainly be a good idea for track coaches to monitor the running routes and insist on safe running.
Many thanks to this reader for sharing his opinion!
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9 comments:
So if you were a rules of the road expert, you would know that cars obey stop signs, not pedestrians. Pedestrians have the right of way at intersections, crosswalks, unless signs inform the pedestrian to give right of way to vehicles, ie. crossing signals.
And Gus, stop getting your free peeps at these high school kids, get a hobby.
Come on, ace. You know the laws. So how about being accurate? You know as well as I do that packs of kids running side-by-side in the street, with traffic (not against it) and in the street where there are sidewalks - are violating quite a number of laws, as well as endangering themselves and others.
Gus, you do understand that Ace is insinuating that you are some kind of a pedophile when he says "... stop getting your free peeps at these high school kids". This blog is filled with classy comments.
Thanks, Zane. Yes, I got that understanding from ace's comment. All I can hope is that he hasn't seen my picture at the Post Office!
Hey, I make my judgements with what Gus gives me.
If you were a runner, you would understand why we run on the "wrong" side of the road/street. It is so we can watch as careless drivers begin to swerve to HIT us. Whether talking on their phones, eating a sandwich, or just being careless, I have avoided being hit by a car on almost every run because I am able RUN out of the way. If I had my back to traffic, I wouldn't be writing this right now. This IS the proper way to run on the road. Just slow down - or better yet, get out of your car and walk/run to where you're going.
As for running on the street. It is where we run. Believe me, I would rather run on a bikepath, but sometimes, the road is where I run. Sidewalks have people walking on them, hence the name. Also, concrete is a very hard surface to run on.
Chip, thanks for your comment. I understood from the reader whose remarks I posted in the article that, when he wrote "the wrong side of the street", he meant they were running "with" traffic; i.e., with their backs to traffic.
I agree with him and you. If runners are using the streets, they should run against traffic, so that they can see approaching vehicles for just the reason you state.
It will be interesting to hear from athletic directors or principals about rules at their schools regarding running in the streets.
Why don't they run at Emericson ? They have the bike/run/walk paths in the park. The meets are held there. WHS has a track. Run there.
I have a bigger problem with kids running around live traffic unattended and unsupervised. There are no coaches or any adults around to make any assurances that no one will get hurt.
Kyle, excellent points. I expect to hear from the WHS track coach today about the rules for running on the streets of Woodstock.
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