I am a runner. When I choose to run on the Summit County Recreational Pathway System, I run on the left, against traffic. I am not a parent, so I don’t have eyes in the back of my head. Because of this, I am safer running against traffic where I am able to see what is coming at me. 

With just a little decency and common courtesy, there is usually plenty of room for everybody to share on the recpath, but this morning instead of simply moving a foot or so to his left, I had yet another encounter with a self-righteous cyclist who felt it was his duty to passive-aggressively get as close to me as possible without actually hitting me and snarl, “You’re on the wrong side.”

Not only do cyclists not have the unquestioned right of way on the recpath, but if a collision between a cyclist and a person on foot was to occur, it is the cyclist who would be held accountable and legally liable.

This letter, if it is printed at all, will only be printed once. I can only hope that the cyclist who buzzed me this morning reads it and — along with others like him — understands that he was the exact reason why I run against traffic.