WinterCommuter

4 - i really hate all 3 of those approaches. I prefer to say, “hello”. When the ped sees me, they almost always move to one side or the other. If the ped doesn’t turn, i’m on the binders hard because: they’re hearing impaired, tuned out with headphones, or otherwise dIstracted. Regardless, assuming i’m heard is dangerous and i’d rather not hit the deck.

Dave P

As mentioned by several observant posters, stating one's desired lane to pass on multi-use pathways often leads to the pedestrian moving in the direction that you call out.

If I say, "passing on the left," the pedestrian will often move to the left. I now say, "passing," and use my bell beforehand, as a polite warning on approach. I always try to say "Good morning'" and wave to the walker, jogger, runner as I pass, as well.

As a walker on the shared paths, I appreciate the same communication from cyclists. Most cyclists in Tucson are very good about letting us peds know they are coming, and I salute you! Of course, there are the hard core roadies that do not understand civility, but sooner or later, they will.

sean.hwy

I have ordered a few bells. Hopefully they are loud enough that in a group ride while riding single file at 20mph+ I can ring it several times to let my friends in front know there is car coming up from behind us.

When I am on mup I only trust a jogger and cyclist kitted up. Little kids, dogs, large groups of people that take almost both lanes I practically come to a stop.

Andrey

People seem to be confused when I used to yell "on your left" and would move erratically on the trails .
Now... since I got a Spurcycle bell people that walk on the left cross the road and start walking on the right and versa versa.. very predictable .

I also have cheaper bells, but the original Spurcycle bell is a pleasure to use with the best sound, so I look forward to ride on trails now and use it all the time. Some walkers even complemented the quality of the sound of the bell.

taco2ewsday

I frequent a mixed use trail and got sick of "on your left" stated feeling like that scene from Captain America... not quite but you get it. so I bought a cheap bell. I slow down extra if I see kids or headphones.

jjankie

Hate them bells!! As a pedestrian, they are demeaning for lack of a better word. Ugh. And as biker, No Way.

ON YOUR LEFT!

Leinster

I never had a bell in all my life until the bike trail opened up here and I started riding it with my family. I couldn't ride without one on all my bikes now; the trail is almost always busy with walkers and bikers travelling at several different tiers of speed and if you called out "On your left" to each one, it would get in the way of conversation. A good bell, with a flick of the thumb makes a distinct, universally understood sound, that carries well, and alerts upcoming slower travellers to your presence. Not every headphoned-up MUP user will hear you call out to them, especially when you're halfway out of breath, but they will most likely hear your bell.

It does help that, especially once you get through the first couple of miles of trail, the trail is busy enough that the first couple of times new slower trail users get passed, they effectively get herded to the right and know what to listen out for.

Oh, and we're teaching the kids to make use of their bells too.

southpier

don't none a you guys click your brake levers?

Joe Bikerider

Re: clicking brake levers. I haven’t done that for a few years but just for fun I tried it this morning on our local MUP when I came up on a group of walkers. No reaction whatsoever. Rang my bell twice and they all moved to the right. I guess clicking is out of style.

Gyro

I yell out "bike behind you" 20 feet back. Give them the choice where to move. I'm in coast mode before the call out. Most people say thanks.

southpier

long live the click!

shrtdstncrdr

I exclaimed On Your Left and invariably, the walkers moved into my path. Bought another Crane bell (the best I've found) and everyone moves right unless it's someone with headphones on too loud. Then I literally swerve up next to them and bang the bell several times to remind them they ain't the only ones on the path.

One fellow to whom I did that has moved to walking to the far right of the path. I might not have been the only one to do that to him because while I now give him plenty of room, I also don't hear the faint noise of the music he listens to either.

It's best to slow down and share the path. Ultimately, if there were unspoken rules for "The MUP" I would like to see walkers and joggers naturally move to the right if they see oncoming people. Murphy's law dictates I will be coming up on them from behind as they're meeting the oncoming riders/walkers etc coming from the opposite direction. (or just look back to see if anyone's overtaking them) Otherwise I can just ride wide of them and everything's copacetic.

DIIINNGG

Kat12

I'm thinking of going to a bell myself. I can't say I ever liked bells/horns-- to me, ringing a bell seemed the equivalent of coming up behind someone in a car and honking the horn, which felt like the equivalent of walking up behind them and saying "MOVE!" Personally, I don't mind a bell too much but prefer if someone just calls out, so that's what I prefer to do myself. But people are clueless these days, as I've discovered both when biking and running. If they have headphones in, they don't hear me. But lately I've come across people without headphones who are still clueless. They can be coming to the walkway perpendicular to the one I'm on and I should be well within their peripheral vision, and they still just step out in front of me because they did not at all see me. Then don't hear me if I yell "on your left/right!" Even if I yell multiple times. (My favorite is when running recently... a guy was walking down the sidewalk from his house, which was perpendicular to the main sidewalk, for a good 10-15 seconds before I got anywhere near him. NO reason he shouldn't have seen me out of the corner of his eye... but he didn't, at all. And veered right over to the opposite side of the sidewalk as I got close. "On your left!" I said. He stopped, jumped back, threw his hands up, and half-screamed. It was so dramatic that at first I actually thought he was joking around and cracked a grin... as I passed and saw he wasn't laughing, I realized I actually had scared him half out of his skin. No, he wasn't wearing headphones. It was truly odd.)

This isn't such a problem if I'm running or solo on a bike, but I recently started riding with a friend who is blind and bought a tandem. A larger, heavier tandem is not nearly as easy to take evasive action with in the first place (stopping suddenly, riding off the sidewalk/path), let alone when I need extra time to communicate to my partner/stoker what's going on and what action we need to take because she can't see it ("there's a pedestrian ahead... they're not moving, we need to stop quickly, we'll put our right foot down....now" all while I'm also yelling to the pedestrian). And, as this necessitates me to call out further back than I normally would (because I would need the extra time to take action if the person doesn't react), that means they're also less likely to hear me yelling.

Clearly something louder than my/our voices is needed. I'm glad to hear most of you don't mind a bell as pedestrians.

southpier

if we're parametered by MUP/ Pedo interfaces, let me toss this into the mix:

RI bike path requires road traffic flow. walking on the left side facing vehicular traffic, and riding on the right. to pass, migrating a red one over the line into opposing lane, and pull back in. no ding, tinkle, or exclamation needed because people are not looking at their cell phone (!!!) but rather at approaching traffic.

so are all you "on the left" folks talking to people who are walking with your direction of travel and want to exchange salutations? or to the loosers (sic) not following the rules o' de Rhode?

is direction of travel different in the rest of the world?

Batstar

As a pedestrian, I think that I would prefer the sound of a bell rather than being spoken to. Personally, I think that Spur Cycle bells have quite a pleasant but distinctive ring tone to them and find that most using the paths are appreciative of this. Even though I still find bells to be the most effective method of gaining people's attention, I have encountered mixed results. I clearly recall several incidents involving folks who don't seem to have a clue where the ringing is coming from. Another incident occurred when I approached a senior from behind who did not budge when I rang my bell several times even when only several feet away. When I finally announced that I was passing on his left he growled and rudely asked why I didn't ring!!

Most of my routes now take me to more rural destinations avoiding MUPs altogether particularly on weekends and holidays. The exception being during the wintry season when there is virtually no one around on the trails.

Kat12

Do you find people recognize the sound as a bike bell? I listened on Youtube but to me it didn't have a "bicycle" sound at all, and I don't want people wasting time looking around wondering what that noise is, would rather they instantly think "bike" and react accordingly. (Ditto to some I've heard that sound just like that bell notification sound some phones make... people are going to ignore that because they'll think it's someone's phone going off.)

I'm hoping to find something that is A. loud and B. easy to use without sight without fumbling for the bell (I'm sure my friend will want to be the bell operator).

Batstar

I guess that it could be described as producing more of a clear 'Ting' but would have to say that the majority of people who I alert using the Spur are well aware of the sound and look back. I would rather use it rather than something loud and obnoxious. BTW, it's perched conveniently within easy reach of my shifter. 😉

southpier

have you been prevented in the past?

Kat12

Normally I would feel like this too, which is why I've never bothered with/needed any sort of noisemaker before, but in this specific situation I precisely *need* something loud and obnoxious, something that can be heard over traffic and people's headphones and people's conversations, so people can hear it when I'm far enough back to have plenty of time to be able to safely take evasive action if need be (if they still remain clueless even after we try to alert them to our presence). Obviously my voice alone isn't working.

jjankie

Just not a bell fan. I realize a bell may be 'heard' better than a verbal -and sometimes confusing- "ON YOUR LEFT" but I just think a tinkling bell is just ....silly. It's for a kid's bike!

livedarklions

Actually, as a pedestrian, I like to be warned by having a wad of $100 bills thrown at me.

Kat12

Possibly so, but I worry less about "silly" than about the safety of my riding partner. I will use what gets us heard, period. Yelling clearly isn't cutting it, so I need to find something else. (I do draw the line at a horn, though-- but my mind might even be changed on that if even the bell doesn't work.)