Should I walk facing traffic when walking on a bike trail?

The ‘rules’ evolved over centuries and were not created with the advent of the automobile. The rule is a simple one; Pedestrians keep left; vehicles keep right except to pass.

the rationale is quite simple. humans do not have eyes in the back of our heads. Thus for safety we should face traffic – ALL vehicular traffic (cars, horses, bicycles, skateboarders, roller blades, etc…). This is because vehicles are traveling at much greater speeds. In many cases, by the time that a pedestrian hears the approaching vehicle from behind, there will be little or no time to react. And unfortunately, it is also a normal reaction for humans when suddenly confronted with a threat to panic. when facing traffic, there is a much lower likelihood of panic given the visual warning of the approaching threat, and the average person will not ‘spook’. When a vehicle suddenly is made aware within feet behind a human, said human will likely jump and attempt to ‘get out of the way’. In the case of walking on the right, said human will likely jump to the left to avoid the threat, DIRECTLY in the way of the vehicle which, following the rules of the road is also moving to the left.
THUS this rule evolved centuries ago to prevent humans from being hit by horses. This same logic still applies to bikes and cars.

Some states have encoded this commonsense rule into law, in other states, it is just a ‘rule.’ – SADLY, as we humans become lazier and drive everywhere, we tend to forget common sense rules that are not applied daily, and as ‘drivers’ of cars, we are used to being on the right. Thus, on the rare occasion that we do walk, we forget what we are supposed to do. Soooooo, remember, KEEP SAFE; Pedestrians left, vehicles keep right (except to pass).

PS, I have a scar up the back of my leg from learning this lesson the ‘Hard Way’ 25 years go. I was walking on the right, a bike approached me from behind, as he went to pass on the left I ‘spooked’ and jumped to the left right into his way. We crashed. He yelled at me; "Pedestrian’s keep left, vehicles keep right!!! YOU MORON!!!" I limped home, looked it up in my state’s driving manual and found that I was wrong, and he was right. Ive never forgotten it.

In this COVID 19 year I have been walking and cycling a lot in the Netherlands, as have many others.

A lot of my cycling and walking is done in a nature reserve and most ‘roads’ there are cycling paths which are also allowed for use by people walking.
I personally keep the left on the cycle paths, facing the traffic, as I feel it is more safe that way.
Others keep to the right, as if they are the main traffic on the path. As a cyclist I do not mind but I feel it is the lesser choice.

What I can not understand is those people who walk each on a side of the road, so they can talk and look each other in the face, forcing others to find the middle of the path to pass them (often not getting the required distance from either of them,) and making it extra hard if cyclists use the road both directions and need to pass each other near or between those walkers. And that kind of people are not bothered by what others have to do or withstand as long as they themselves are not inconvenienced.

Coming to your Madison, Wisconsin problem, do the same as the other people walking do, and if there are no other people walking, keep to the side you feel it is the best, ignoring the things people passing by say, especially when they contradict each other.

Here in the UK, it is just anarchy on cycle paths.

In some countries, pedestrians behave similarly to drivers and typically pass each other as cars would on a road. The UK is not such a country and when you approach another pedestrian you just have to figure how to pass each time. Passing to the left (as you would in a car) is no more likely than to the right. It is common to perform a little dance and collisions occasionally occur. At walking speed, this is generally not serious.

Unfortunately, we seem to behave in the same way on cycle paths. I would be pleased if other cyclists obeyed the road rules but few do. I have no expectation of pedestrian behaviour at all. When I approach another cyclist, I move to the left (UK road style) and hope that they do as well. Quite often they stay to their right and we end up playing a game of chicken. It is common to encounter a group of cyclists occupying the entire path who are oblivious to you (especially if you are approaching from behind) and sometimes reluctant to let you past even when they notice you.

Occasionally, there are markings. E.g. one path I use frequently is divided into two: one side for pedestrians and one for cyclists. The cyclists side is divided again but these lanes are so narrow that you could not safely stay in them while passing. No one, neither pedestrians nor cyclists, pays any attention to these markings.

Addition: based on comments to another UK based answer, I will mention that this is my personal experience in Warwickshire and Worcestershire. In some other areas where there is greater cycle use, behaviour may be better. However, since at least in some areas of the UK, the rules are not observed, I would recommend caution if cycling here for the first time.

Since the question isn’t tagged as USA-specific, I found myself wondering about the situation in the UK. The Highway Code only mentions these paths once in the pedestrian section:

Rule 13

Routes shared with cyclists. Some cycle tracks run alongside footpaths or pavements, using a segregating feature to separate cyclists from people on foot. Segregated routes may also incorporate short lengths of tactile paving to help visually impaired people stay on the correct side. On the pedestrian side this will comprise a series of flat-topped bars running across the direction of travel (ladder pattern). On the cyclist side the same bars are orientated in the direction of travel (tramline pattern). Not all routes which are shared with cyclists are segregated. Take extra care where this is so (see Rule 62).

So, no requirement of pedestrians, and only general guidance to take extra care on unsegregated cycle tracks. That said, I for one do not regard use of a headset as being compatible with taking extra care. Let’s see Rule 62, which is in the cycling section:

Rule 62

Cycle Tracks. These are normally located away from the road, but may occasionally be found alongside footpaths or pavements. Cyclists and pedestrians may be segregated or they may share the same space (unsegregated). When using segregated tracks you MUST keep to the side intended for cyclists as the pedestrian side remains a pavement or footpath. Take care when passing pedestrians, especially children, older or disabled people, and allow them plenty of room. Always be prepared to slow down and stop if necessary. Take care near road junctions as you may have difficulty seeing other road users, who might not notice you.

The italics are mine; the bold text is in the original. So on unsegregated tracks, the onus is principally on the cyclist to avoid any conflict with pedestrians. In particular, the cyclist has no lawful expectation that (s)he will make unhindered or uninterrupted progress on such a track. The courteous cyclist will slow down when approaching pedestrians on such a track, to give the pedestrians time to organise themselves to permit the lawful passage of the cyclist. If approaching from behind, courteous use of the bell is advisable (Rule 66).

In a 2 lane bike path cyclists should ride in the right lane and pedestrians should walk in the left lane.

1. Most walkers and joggers wear headsets and can not hear you coming up behind them. So telling them you are going to pass on the left is useless.

When you walk on the left side facing traffic both you and the bicycle have time to avert a crash. When you walk on the right with traffic there is only a couple seconds to crowd to the trail edge. Walking on the left is far safer

The usual expectation in the USA for shared use trails is that traffic keeps to the right and passes on the left. There are exceptions, though, which are usually marked on the trail itself or on signs. For example:

In Sacramento, California, and in Rhode Island, the rule is to keep left when walking (as you would on a road, facing traffic) and right when cycling. And some trails ask that all traffic keeps left.

What is more universal, however, is the yielding rule: horses have right of way, then pedestrians, then inline skaters, then cyclists.

In general, the higher traffic the trail experiences, the more likely it is to have specific controls such as trail markings and signs. Low traffic trails might not have any markings or signs.

As mentioned before, usually it’s stay to the right, pass on the left, but it’s worth checking for any local regulations in your area to see if different expectations hold.

And of course, the yielding rules mean the cyclist is the one who must slow down or even stop, and wait for pedestrians to give enough space to pass.

As a cyclist who uses such trails frequently and has done all over North America, I can say that the cyclist who passed you was most likely just taking out his frustrations on hapless you, who was just in the wrong place (!) at the wrong time.

As a cyclist, I fervently wish pedestrians would:

• Be aware of their surroundings. I’ve lost count of how many times someone was out for a stroll on the trail and completely oblivious to the fact that anyone else was in the same universe. They wander and weave all over the trail without looking, making it unsafe for them and for me. Sticking to one side or the other means you don’t walk right into a passing cyclist, or worse.

• Move to one side when they hear the bell. Sometimes I encounter groups of pedestrians out for a walk and taking up the entire width of the trail, as if they were alone in a universe shared only between them. Sometimes they don’t get out of the way until I’m close enough to smack them and frustrated enough to want to.

• Control their dogs better. I’ve also lost count of how many times people have had their dogs off-leash, or worse, having a leash stretched across the trail where I’m about to cycle right into it. Dogs should stay on the same side of the trail as pedestrians, if they’re even allowed at all.

As a cyclist (in Europe) I’ve never heard of such an expectation. It doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense either — as a walker your speed is significantly less than cyclists, so no matter which side you walk on about the same number of cyclists will need to veer around you, and there’s not really an appreciable difference in how long they have to see you either.

In those circumstances the usual argument for walking to face traffic seems to be the only relevant consideration: It allows you to see traffic that is headed towards your position, and thus do your part to make the encounter smooth.

Really I think the most important point is to stick to some side of the path such that a cyclist coming from behind you can easily plan which side to pass you on.

As for the person shouting at you, I think he was just rude and his real message may have been “keep on whatever side of the path I’m not using at any given time”.

You might have a better chance of getting an answer that covers any US-specific expectations by asking at Bicycles.