Patrick Mansfield's campaign to designate traveling directions around the Imperial Palace for runners and cyclists, as mentioned in his Nov. 2 letter, "Coordinating cyclists and joggers," is well-intentioned, I'm sure. I have been running and riding around the Imperial Palace for close to 42 years. Forty-two years ago, I and the only two other runners always ran counterclockwise, sticking to the far left.
Today I would say that 10 percent of the thousands prefer to run clockwise as there is only one hill going that way. They do so running on their left (street side), which avoids head-on collisions. The Japanese are excellent in abiding by this practice. They also, for the most part, abide by the regulation in Japan that cyclists should stick to the street side when going in either direction. A cyclist who brushes you is clearly in the wrong.
As enforcing Mansfield's suggestion would be impossible, I suggest he run on the far left and look back over his shoulder for cyclists or other runners when passing someone. He should be extra careful of cyclists riding clockwise at night as they are blinded by the headlights of oncoming vehicles.
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