Re: What do you call out when you come up behind pedestrians? - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

09-10-2003, 08:53 AM

Onlooker <none@> wrote in news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]:

>
> I only recently rediscovered bicycling and that there are LOTS of nice
> MU paths winding their way thru the city. I try to avoid tmes when
> there are lots of joggers and dog walkers out but on some paths, they
> just cant be avoided.
>
> What seems to get the best results to warn them you are passing?

I say "Good morning" or "Good afternoon", depending on the time of day,
when I find myself sharing a path or road with pedestrians. Politeness
usually defuses any potential irritation they may have at finding a cyclist
so close, and it certainly causes them to turn and take note of me, usually
moving away to make room as they try to figure out whether they know me.

I usually call out within 8-10 feet, though at this point I've slowed down
to accommodate any sudden moves on the part of those walking.

It works for me, in any case.

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09-10-2003, 09:38 AM

I call "on your left" usually at 75 feet or so. If there is no reaction
I'll call again. If I'm not to out of breath I thank them as I go by.

Tencast--

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09-10-2003, 10:18 AM

In article <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].au>,
tencast <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

> I call "on your left" usually at 75 feet or so. If there is no reaction
> I'll call again. If I'm not to out of breath I thank them as I go by.
>
> Tencast--
>
>
>
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I call out "passing on your left" and thank them with a smile as I pass.

Dave in Minnesota

09-10-2003, 11:13 AM

In article <Xns93F264C56D8F1sakiuclaedu@169.232.47.140>,
saki <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> writes:
> Onlooker <none@> wrote in news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]:
>
>>
>> I only recently rediscovered bicycling and that there are LOTS of nice
>> MU paths winding their way thru the city. I try to avoid tmes when
>> there are lots of joggers and dog walkers out but on some paths, they
>> just cant be avoided.
>>
>> What seems to get the best results to warn them you are passing?
>
> I say "Good morning" or "Good afternoon", depending on the time of day,
> when I find myself sharing a path or road with pedestrians. Politeness
> usually defuses any potential irritation they may have at finding a cyclist
> so close, and it certainly causes them to turn and take note of me, usually
> moving away to make room as they try to figure out whether they know me.

That's very much my approach, too. I find initially signalling
with my bell preferable to any verbal calling-out. The bell has
that distinctive sound that immediately identifies it as being
attached to a bicycle. Using it causes people who might otherwise
be tuning-out nearby verbiage to turn around, assess the situation
for themselves, and respond accordingly. Then we can trade smiles
and "hellos" as I gently pass.

> I usually call out within 8-10 feet, though at this point I've slowed down
> to accommodate any sudden moves on the part of those walking.

That sounds right. I figure 1 foot's distance for each Km/h of
speed (sorry for mixing units), up to 15 Km/h. Faster than that
is too fast for a MUP anyway. 10 Km/h or less seems to generally
be a good speed for safely passing pedestrians on a MUP.

> It works for me, in any case.

Same here. It might be frustrating for someone who's in a
hurry, but riding on a MUP is basically "leisurely strolling
through the park" anyway, so frustration is incongruous in
those circumstances.

cheers,
Tom

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09-10-2003, 11:54 AM

I'll typically ring my bell when I think I'm within earshot, just to let
them know I'm coming. If they don't seem to have heard me (most people
will flinch or move slightly to the edge of the path) I usually call 'on
your left' about 8-10 feet away from the ped.

I always slow down a bit and keep my hands on the brake levers - you
need to be able to react quickly to strange and sudden movements!

I
never pass a ped at more than about 15mph, and always thank them for
accomodating me.

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09-10-2003, 01:59 PM

On Wed, 10 Sep 2003 16:53:49 +0000, saki wrote:

> Onlooker <none@> wrote in news:[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]:
>
>
>> I only recently rediscovered bicycling and that there are LOTS of nice
>> MU paths winding their way thru the city. I try to avoid tmes when
>> there are lots of joggers and dog walkers out but on some paths, they
>> just cant be avoided.

A call of "On your left" can be confusing to pedestrians, who then tend to
turn towards their left, causing them to veer closer to your path. I
usually say "I'm passing on your left" which is usually clearer. A
cheery "good morning" can also cause them to turn around and veer into the
path you were going to take, so may not be a good idea. Greet them that
was as you pass them, not in order to warn them of your presence.

Note that I used "left" both times. If at all possible (in the US -- the
UK is different) pass other trail users going in your direction on the
left. Be very cautious of small children, and those with dogs or
headphones. Dogs and kids can change direction quickly and unpredicatbly,
and people with headphones seem oblivious to what is going on around them.

I do not find bells to be helpful. The sound can be difficult to locate,
and people may behave unpredictably until they figure out where you are.
Bells are not as bad as those beepers on the electric carts in airports (I
can never tell where that sound is coming from), but nearly so.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | "What am I on? I'm on my bike, six hours a day, busting my ass.
_`\(,_ | What are you on?" --Lance Armstrong
(_)/ (_) |

09-10-2003, 05:22 PM

> >> I only recently rediscovered bicycling and that there are LOTS of nice
> >> MU paths winding their way thru the city. I try to avoid tmes when
> >> there are lots of joggers and dog walkers out but on some paths, they
> >> just cant be avoided.

I'll say "on your left" or "passing on your left", unless they are familiar
people.
Commuting cyclists tend to see the same dog walkers, joggers, etc. often.
I'll say "Good morning" or "Another nice day, huh?" to these people.

>
> I do not find bells to be helpful. The sound can be difficult to locate,
> and people may behave unpredictably until they figure out where you are.
> Bells are not as bad as those beepers on the electric carts in airports (I
> can never tell where that sound is coming from), but nearly so.

David's exactly right. It's much easier to locate a voice.

09-11-2003, 04:08 AM

I say nothing when I pass people. I just watch them very carefully
and am ready to take evasive action in an instant. I've never hit
anyone yet. On the rare occasion when someone is able to catch me
loafing and pass, I'm fully aware of their presence. It irritates me
that they think they have to announce themselves, as though I had no
awareness of my surroundings. The surest way to cause trouble is to
shout "on your left" or "on your right" and have them misunderstand and
move the wrong way. Best to slip by them silently, so they can't react
until you're past. Those who use those idiotic bells are Freds to the
10th degree. They're almost always old coots who think everyone is as
impaired as they are. I'm too busy pushing myself in my workout, to
have time for social interactions along the way. I'm beginning to see
Fabrizio's point about how annoying fredishness is to serious riders.

Steve McDonald

09-11-2003, 05:28 AM

Steve McDonald wrote:
<snip>
> I'm too busy pushing
> myself in my workout, to have time for social interactions along the
> way. I'm beginning to see Fabrizio's point about how annoying
> fredishness is to serious riders.
>
> Steve McDonald

Why would you be on a "Multi use path" if you were doing a workout?

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09-11-2003, 07:14 AM

On Thu, 11 Sep 2003 14:15:45 GMT, Buck" u n k m a i l g a l a x y c o r p .
c o m <@> wrote:
> as we passed to give a her a smile and thanks, but I startled her so bad
> that she almost fell off the path. As we rounded the bend, I came upon
> another cyclist who was resting in the shade, but looking the opposite
> direction. We managed to startle him so much that he jumped and let out
> an audible "oh!"

Wow. Sounds like very jumpy people. I guess
they weren't expecting others to be on the
path.

On that stretch, it would be polite to say
something, then.

> we made. From now on, I will not assume that people can hear me coming
> and will call out. Perhaps I will be getting a bell....

Well, the silent treatment is supposed to
work in that they don't know you're coming
until you're gone.

How about baseball cards in the spokes?
That would alert people to the presence
of a cyclist... <BFG>

> -Buck
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Rick Onanian