Cyclists And Runners Versus Motorists

A lot of what cyclists and runners do is based on each individual situation that they are faced with. One thing that rings true for those who which to take on cycling more seriously or those who wish to take road running more seriously is to not get involved with either unless you have a good sense of judgment. Sometimes, while running or cycling, you have to make snap decisions in an instant that could potentially save your life. Therefore, it is always important to be on your toes.
For runners, runners have their pick of either the sidewalk or the road. However, this depends on the circumstances. Most often, runners are encouraged to stay on the sidewalk, especially if they are running along busy roads. If there is no sidewalk though, runners may have no choice but to hit the roads. When doing so, there is some debate as to whether or not a runner should run against the direction of traffic or whether they should run in the same direction of traffic. The general consensus from runners is that you should run in whichever direction makes the most sense. For example, in one of the neighborhoods that I run through, I have to run on a major road to get there, and along this major road, there is only a sidewalk on one side of the street. Because this is the safer choice, I stick to the sidewalk, even though it means that I am running against traffic on the way out. On the way back though, I am running with traffic. 
Share the road. In states such as New York, there are special lanes designated specifically for cyclists so that they always have a place to ride. These lanes can usually e seen because they are demarcated by a solid white line and have the logo of a bicycle somewhere within the lane. However, while cyclists may have their own lane, this doesn’t mean that they don’t have rules that they need to adhere to. For instance, riding two abreast is almost never allowed, and all cyclists must familiarize themselves with the hand signals that are used to indicate which direction they are turning so that other motorists and people are aware of their actions.
Often times, you will see cyclists donning their sporty looking apparel and matching helmets,complete with camel packs and spiked shoes, all built specifically for serious cycling. In addition to this, what makes riding on sidewalks near impossible for cyclists is the fact that most of them (if not all of them) travel at speeds that are simply too fast for sidewalks- speeds which may actually pose a threat to those who are walking, running or pushing their children in a stroller. So, what do we do?
For those who are used to riding bicycles, there is a distinct difference between a ‘cyclist’ versus your average Joe who rides their bicycle for pleasure.