The Persistence of Bike Salmon

This sign is in London. Do you think anyone got the message? (Photo: Salim Virji via Flickr)

Over the weekend on CommuteOrlando Blog, Keri McCaffrey posted a video showing a bicyclist riding in the wrong direction on a Florida street. After pointing out how this might have ended badly for the rider, she poses the question "Why do they do this?":

McCaffrey and many others on CommuteOrlando Blog practice "vehicular cycling," a style of riding in which the cyclist essentially acts like any other vehicle on the road. There’s a long and ongoing debate between vehicular cyclists — who often oppose the construction of bike-specific infrastructure — and those who believe that striped bike lanes and similar facilities are a good way to get more people out biking, thereby achieving safety in numbers and a more welcoming environment for people who might feel reluctant to ride otherwise. There’s no need to reopen that debate here.

But you don’t have to be a vehicular cyclist to wonder, as McCaffrey does, "Why do people do this?" As the streets of New York fill up with spring cyclists, the number of "salmon" is rising — and quite often, they are endangering other bikers as well as themselves with their wrong-way riding. It’s one of the most frustrating and hazardous phenomena I encounter on my bike on a regular basis.

Why do you think people persist in this behavior? Is it simply because they can’t be bothered to ride a block further to get to a street that goes the right way? Do you have any ideas about how to get them to stop?

More from around the network: Rebuilding Place in the Urban Space reports that biking has become an election issue in Toronto. RailLife.com writes about housing and transportation costs in Arizona — and how the state’s new light rail has made it easier for many people to reduce their car use. And Reno Rambler links to a video of an iPad turn signal for bicyclists.