Moultonborough Neck Road
 

Wondering why folks run on Moultonborough Neck Road (and possibly/probably elsewhere) in the same direction as traffic?

Shouldn't runners/walkers be traveling against the direction in which autos are driving?

answer
 

That is only if they had smart parents that taught them to.

That is one of my biggest pet peeves! Yes- you are suppose to walk against the traffic. Another pet peeve of mine ( this will open up a can of worms) is when people are telling telephone numbers and the say the letter o instead of zero. Please do not slam me for this because zero (0) is the correct way to recite a number.

MBNR has a bike/pedestrian trail
 

Much of Moultonborough Neck Road has a bike/pedestrian trail on both sides of the road. If someone is on that path, it shouldn't matter which side of the road they are on. Off that trail though, it is surprising how many walk with traffic rather than against it.

When the paths end, people just continue in the direction they were heading as opposed to cross a fairly busy, usually fast, road.

Who cares, anyway--drivers shouldn't be hitting pedestrians regardless of which way they're walking.

Poison Ivy
 

I will admit that there are a few spots along the lower portion of the Neck Road where I have walked on the wrong side because of the enormous patches of poison ivy along the shoulder. I am aware of the fact that it's the wrong side, but as someone who gets poison ivy from even the slightest exposure, I'd rather walk on the wrong side than take the chance. Just last night I walked on the wrong side for about 50 yards to avoid where someone had mowed over a patch of poison ivy and shot the clippings into the road and shoulder.

I have two zeros in my cell # and I normally say "O". Dropping a syllable to say the same thing has saved me countless minutes of time over the years. :D

Will Neck Rd ever get attention by the State
 

Speaking of the Moultonborough Neck Rd, it is deteriorating by the day. The shoulders are crumbling, there are spots where the bottom seems to have fallen out and the cracks are getting bigger. When I called the town, they directed me to the State DOT. I left a polite message with the engineer in charge asking if the road would be repaved or at least shimmed in places and did not even receive the courtesy of a reply. I am not for people driving faster on the Neck Rd but would like to see it given some attention. Do others feel it is going downhill fast?

"They" (I don't know who they is exactly) claim your supposed to ride a bike with traffic I thought?

Bicycles on the road should be ridden with traffic and bikers are supposed to follow all traffic rules...such as red lights, etc.

Many times, it depends on the road. I've been running on the roads most of my life. In the Lakes Region, I'm often constantly crossing back and forth across the road during my run.

This is due to the mostly single lane, curvy, hilly nature of the roads here. If I'm approaching a sharp curve or a hill where I'll be on the blind side of oncoming traffic, I will cross over to the other side to provide for a better/longer sight-line for both me and the oncoming vehicle.

Probably a throwback from the "old days" Who can remember dialing "O" for operator?

Haha. Funny, I was just thinking about that this weekend while watching a James Bond movie. Just wouldn't be the same saying "double zero seven".:laugh:

Interesting replies, especially MerryMeetings. Food for thought.

Wave to me next time you see me running on the Neck road...you'll know it's me, because I'll be slowest runner!

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Why did they tell you to contact the state, Moultonborough Neck Rd. is the responsibility of the Town as far as I know....

As for its condition, I personally think it is just fine the way it is right now. If it is smoothed out to much, it will become a super highway....

I'm not so sure about that. While the town plows it, I think maintenance of the surface is state. A call to Scott Kinmond at DPW would verify one way or the other.

When I run along the Neck Rd, I always run against traffic, even when there is a bike lane on both sides, so I can keep an eye on traffic. I just don't want to have to guess about how much attention the motorists are paying to their driving vs their cell phones. As soon as I hit the off-road portion of the pathway, I take it. That provides about 0.7 mile of no-worry running each way. It strikes me as curious when runners are out on the side of the traveled roadway where the pathway is far safer just feet away.

Runners should run facing traffic, but there are cases, blind corners come to mind, where it is safer to run with traffic. Bikes should ride with traffic. We call bikes riding on the wrong side "salmon" as they are swimming against the current. It also is unsafe, especially at intersections.

Also, it is not a good practice to bike or run with ear phones blasting, it pays to be vigilant.

My understanding of the neck road is it's technically a state road. The state has decided they don't want to maintain it any longer and therefore are not. They're waiting for the town to take action, however the town is knows that if they touch it, they own it. It's going to come down to who cracks first, the state or town while everyones suspension loses.
Meredith is having the same issue with Meredith neck road.

the "Neck"
 

I live at the very end of MNR in Windermere on Long Island and am an avid cyclist. Flat out you are always supposed to ride WITH traffic. The "bike path" such as it is is worthless for cyclist as walkers and debris are everywhere. That said, cyclists bear the responsibility of hugging the shoulder to allow traffic to pass easily. 99.9% of drivers are very cordial and pass with plenty of room. Nor sure I can give that same % to cyclists of which there is an embarrassing % who seem to think they own the road.
The Neck has been crumbling for years now and driving it past Jojo's onto Long Island is an adventure. Not sure who is responsible for fixing it but some party needs to step up.

As I was running today, I realized another reason why I sometimes cross back and forth on a road...shade! When it gets hot like this (not complaining!), it's much better to stay on pavement that's been in the shade.

I also agree with an earlier post. Don't wear headphones while on the road. It helps a lot to be able to hear oncoming traffic.

I am not sure how to manage keeping the trail debris free unless someone gets out and sweeps/ blows it. Perhaps a bike club could be formed to maintain trails similar to how snowmobile clubs operate?

Someone/Several people (?) must have done something to clear a lot of the debris. It was crazy in March with fallen branches, the leaves that fell in autumn, etc. It's much, much better now.

Although, I can't imagine how difficult it would be to ride a bike on that stretch that starts toward Trexler's and ends at JoJo's. Now that there are more people around, it's tough to run it sometimes with walkers two and three abreast.

I recently completed the Big Lake Half Marathon and heard people talking about it being a hilly course. I did my training on the Neck road; the only two months I didn't run outside were January and February. I love that road! : )

The town sweeps the two pathway segments early spring. I've taken a leaf blower to the off-road segment it in early November, after the leaves are down, although I missed doing that last fall. When I run along there, I usually kick away the pine cones and small branches that fall on the pavement regularly. I also have stopped too many times to take a stick and remove dog doo-doo from the surface. Dog owners: please pick up after your dog, and better yet, when the dog stops to do something like that, have him do it off the pavement. You are in charge of the dog, not the other way around. Assuming the dog is on a leash, sufficient pull on the leash will move the dog well off to the side. The dog will get the message quickly. Also, don't let the dog kick leaves, etc. back onto the pavement after he's finished his business. Have him face the other way. You are in charge.

The matter of cyclists using that off-road segment, vs the roadway, has come up before. Except for children, having cyclists use the pathway presents some risk to those on foot, while having cyclists stay on the roadway presents risk to the cyclist. That segment simply wasn't designed for both serious cycling and foot travel. The two really need to be segregated to some extent, for safety, and trying to accommodate all was simply outside the scope of the project.

the neck
 

"The matter of cyclists using that off-road segment, vs the roadway, has come up before. Except for children, having cyclists use the pathway presents some risk to those on foot, while having cyclists stay on the roadway presents risk to the cyclist. That segment simply wasn't designed for both serious cycling and foot travel. The two really need to be segregated to some extent, for safety, and trying to accommodate all was simply outside the scope of the project."

Total agreement. It is annoying when some drivers scream at me to "get on the bike path!" though.