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As a pedestrian how do you want to know when being passed?

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As a pedestrian how do you want to know when being passed?

Old 06-06-20, 07:04 PM
  #51  
Ghazmh
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King of Ding bell. I had a “bell” that was supposed to jingle when you shake the handlebar, it was completely useless. I won’t bleat out “on your left” I hate that phrase.
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Old 06-06-20, 08:39 PM
  #52  
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My objection to "On your left" is probably influenced by the local pronounciation: "On your LEFT," with a kind of peremptory snap to it, from an impatient yuppie (sometimes the new generation, often original). We get a sort of cycling equivalent of British horsey ladies out here. They marry the men who do compulsive track stands at red lights. None of them are exactly hostile, but they aren't sure why you're in their MUP or whatever. They won't call the cops or anything, but really, why are you there.
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Old 06-06-20, 10:48 PM
  #53  
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Originally Posted by phughes
Wait until the last possible second, and sound this. Loads of fun, and it helps the pedestrian get their heart rate up. They'll thank you.



Just to let you know, if I'm a pedestrian and you pull that crap on me, I'm going to do my best to make your pass an unpleasant experience for you.
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Old 06-06-20, 10:51 PM
  #54  
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Originally Posted by wolfchild
A bell is the best way for a cyclist to announce their approach, it is a something which most people are familiar with and understand....Personally I can't stand cyclists who yell "on your left" or yell " bicycle" or yell some other confusing jargon.

I see people get confused by bells a lot. A simple "I'm passing on your left" is just not confusing .
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Old 06-07-20, 12:13 AM
  #55  
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I'd be really happy if you could find a noise I can hear before my wife does. Because she flipping always hears bikes coming first, and seems to somewhat enjoy grabbing my sleeve and yanking me aside whilst saying "bikes!". She leaves out the "idiot" part, but it's implied, since I complain of clueless pedestrians on the very same MUP.
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Old 06-07-20, 01:40 AM
  #56  
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Most pedestrians appreciate a quick ring of the bell prior to passing. Quite a few actually say "thank you."

Some are startled, oddly enough. Or at least pretend to be; I think it may just be a case of them having their own kind of fun by over-reacting and startling their friends in turn.
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Old 06-07-20, 05:05 AM
  #57  
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Originally Posted by jjafterdark
Most pedestrians appreciate a quick ring of the bell prior to passing. Quite a few actually say "thank you."

Some are startled, oddly enough. Or at least pretend to be; I think it may just be a case of them having their own kind of fun by over-reacting and startling their friends in turn.

Here's the big secret that I've concluded after about a dozen "announce vs. bell" threads. They both work about as well, and the big variable is which one the cyclist is most comfortable with.

The other big secret is that making some kind of noise is mandatory in a lot of states and/or cities, and people in those places who post here are unaware of that.
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Old 06-07-20, 05:37 AM
  #58  
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I play music on my bluetooth speaker. I do ring my bell and say passing on the left. I was run over by a pedestrian on one occassion. On another occassion, the person was startled when blocking the whole MUP. Most people say thank you, move over and smile.
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Old 06-07-20, 05:46 AM
  #59  
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Originally Posted by alloo
I play music on my bluetooth speaker. I do ring my bell and say passing on the left. I was run over by a pedestrian on one occassion. On another occassion, the person was startled when blocking the whole MUP. Most people say thank you, move over and smile.

How do you get run over by a pedestrian??
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Old 06-07-20, 05:53 AM
  #60  
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Originally Posted by livedarklions
How do you get run over by a pedestrian??
The guy was bigger than me turned and walked in my direction and I slowed down and he moved to the left. I was pushed over when he moved into me moving to his left into the grass. He looked at me and I growled at him. I told him who moves to the left. When I passed him a few yards down the path he moved to the right.
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Old 06-07-20, 06:08 AM
  #61  
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Originally Posted by alloo
The guy was bigger than me turned and walked in my direction and I slowed down and he moved to the left. I was pushed over when he moved into me moving to his left into the grass. He looked at me and I growled at him. I told him who moves to the left. When I passed him a few yards down the path he moved to the right.

Guess you had to be there. I did have a close call once when a guy looking right at me just suddenly changed his direction right in front of my bike. I was able to swerve around him and realized he was talking into a headset. Clearly a case of tunnel vision.
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Old 06-07-20, 07:12 AM
  #62  
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Using a bell has never failed me yet, and I had people say " thank you"...If I am riding along a MUP and somebody can't hear my bell I make sure to give them a lot of distance when passing I get off the path and pass them riding on the grass...The tone of voice that most cyclists use when yelling "on your left" is no different than saying " get the **** out of my way".
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Old 06-07-20, 07:49 AM
  #63  
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Originally Posted by livedarklions
Just to let you know, if I'm a pedestrian and you pull that crap on me, I'm going to do my best to make your pass an unpleasant experience for you.
You do understand I'm completely joking don't you?
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Old 06-07-20, 11:03 AM
  #64  
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As a competent pedestrian who is going to stay in my lane or look back when changing lanes just pass me.

As a rider I ring my bell.
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Old 06-07-20, 06:12 PM
  #65  
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Originally Posted by phughes
You do understand I'm completely joking don't you?

You do understand that several people over the years have seriously said they do that and that we can't hear your voice or see your face when you post, don't you?

I got that you thought something was funny but since I don't know you, I couldn't tell whether you were making fun of self-centered jerks or if you were one yourself. Glad to know it's the former.

See, Poe's Law.
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Old 06-07-20, 07:33 PM
  #66  
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I walk long distances as well. I’d rather have you just ride by than scream out which is more startling to me. Bells are less annoying.

When I riding I really only call out to people that look as if they aren’t paying attention or to people walking dogs so they can keep them close.
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Old 06-07-20, 08:46 PM
  #67  
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Originally Posted by livedarklions
I see people get confused by bells a lot. A simple "I'm passing on your left" is just not confusing .
You'd think, however, I've had to follow up the "passing on left" with "your other left" several times this spring. I tribute some of this to the increased use of MUPs in a large urban area during the pandemic. I think some people, though, are just confused, whether you ring a bell, verbally announce your presence, or use an air horn.
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Old 06-07-20, 09:03 PM
  #68  
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I'd rather the biker say nothing as long as he/she keeps a safe distance and speed. As a biker, that's how I approach adult pedestrians unless they are with pets or children.

However, I can see the argument for always announcing, which I guess would be that not every adult pedestrian is experienced enough on MUP's to be wary of cyclists and not make unpredictable U-turns without looking.
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Old 06-08-20, 11:35 AM
  #69  
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comments to comments

Originally Posted by bikecrate
When walking I would prefer the cyclist slow down and wait till it is safe to pass.

yes
I don't require a verbal warning unless it is really warranted.

Assume always warranted, you do not know the hearing ability of the pedestrian. I am a senior, a USMC veteran with a service connected hearing disability, I cannot necessarily hear your approach. this especially goes for e-bikes.

I also feel it is my responsibility to be aware of what I'm doing and look before I make any changes to my path of travel.

Agreed.
I do find it disconcerting when cyclist pass closely, very fast with no warning.
HATE when that happens, leads to pedestrian road rage, visualize Rambo like elbow thrusts or hip checks...
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Old 06-08-20, 11:42 AM
  #70  
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Originally Posted by wolfchild
A bell is the best way for a cyclist to announce their approach, it is a something which most people are familiar with and understand....Personally I can't stand cyclists who yell "on your left" or yell " bicycle" or yell some other confusing jargon.
Maybe in my tricycle days. I was taught and have used "On your left" for 40 years and it has served me well.
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Old 06-08-20, 11:55 AM
  #71  
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Originally Posted by wolfchild
A bell is the best way for a cyclist to announce their approach, it is a something which most people are familiar with and understand....Personally I can't stand cyclists who yell "on your left" or yell " bicycle" or yell some other confusing jargon.
At least "on your left" or something similar is directional, though.

A bell or a nondescript yell has no such context. Requires a person to guess the missing pieces.

Not that any of it works with a percentage of others, being immersed in their attention-absorbing music or whatever else they're listening to.

No perfect solution. Given how creatively mobile many folks are. Of course, at least in the U.S., there has been no uniformly-taught and -exercised "rules of the road" for cycling, when off-pavement. The moment it goes onto trails and MUPs and similar, folks in most places I've ever been seem to do whatever they please. To the detriment of many, particularly when disregarding risks of speed differentials, blind passes, pets on long and relatively-uncontrolled leashes, etc.
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Old 06-08-20, 11:58 AM
  #72  
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We've been riding on multi-use trails a lot recently and I'm trying to teach my boys to pass politely - or at least not endangering either themselves or those being passed.

As has been stated already, we vary what we do based on who we're approaching: slow down and be very careful for groups, especially with children, and for dogs on leashes. We watch for earbuds (although don't always catch them), and generally call out "on your left" or use a "ping" bell. We also generally ride at what seems like an appropriate speed for the trail traffic. Mostly we follow all of this with something like "Thanks" or "Enjoy your day."

Our interactions with pedestrians have always been pleasant, but I have seen some cyclists riding like they're doing time-trials (one guy who actually was) on a pretty crowded trail. I can't imagine that being pleasant for the cyclist or those being passed - why not choose a better time or location? The trails we ride also clearly state that pedestrians have the right-of-way.

My wife got some kind of jingle-bell hooked up on her bike but was frustrated by the lack of sound - she had to shake the bars to get it to make noise. (My wife rides really slow
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Old 06-08-20, 12:36 PM
  #73  
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"As a pedestrian how do you want to know when being passed?"

Um... Ask this question in a walkers forum, not a cyclist's forum.

From first-hand experience, shouting "on your left," about half the time, makes the walkers move to their left because that's the word they hear. Ringing a bell or shouting "bike" or anything like that, there's an equal chance they will move right as there is that they will move left. So i've stopped alerting them. I'll give a wide berth around them, given room, and if not i'll slow down to their speed and pass closer. If they're blocking the path completely, i'll just roll up behind them and wait for them to notice. Suddenly realizing there are bikes behind them is usually enough to startle them and get them thinking that they might want to shoulder-check from time to time in future.

Usually the only issue is when you have a family of 4 people all walking abreast, talking, and completely oblivious to others using the trail. That's when they'll make disparaging comments about cyclists on "their" path when they finally notice you're waiting behind them.
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Old 06-08-20, 01:07 PM
  #74  
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As a pedestrian I want to know you're coming and plan to pass. Bell, whistle, passing on your left, bicycle...I don't really have a preference, except that you do it before you're right next to me. Even if it's a wide trail, I think it's an essential courtesy and a good habit for all cyclists.

Pedestrians (and I'm including myself here) tend to get caught up in what they're doing, and situational awareness is at about zero when you're out for a casual stroll. It's just a fact of life. Mix in the cyclists who seem to ignore the difference between riding on the road and riding on a MUP and you have a not-great situation in the making.

My recent fave...I'm being sarcastic...(as a ped) was watching 2 riders pass a slower rider with myself (plus dog and baby in stroller) coming towards them on an 8-foot wide MUP. The passing idiots didn't call out and when the first rider realized there wasn't enough room he decided to squeeze right...right into the rider they were passing. All 3 of them went down, but the guy being passed went down the hardest and he was easily 65 years old. The pass-holes were indignant and claimed they weren't at fault, grabbed their bikes and rode off while myself and several others tended to the fallen rider. He was OK, but shaken up. The pass-holes were on shiny new bikes and just behaved like complete jerks.
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Old 06-08-20, 01:11 PM
  #75  
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Originally Posted by Clyde1820
At least "on your left" or something similar is directional, though.
Note that I've had a couple of experiences where my announcing "on your left" caused the pedestrians to move left (i.e into my line of travel); presumably because they interpreted it as "please move to your left" rather than "I'll be passing you on your left". So now when someone doesn't look obviously bicycle-savvy I usually say explicitly "I'll be passing you on your left" to avoid any ambiguity.
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