What do you call out when you come up behind pedos?

[Onlooker]

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 feel funny calling out "Bike!" because it sort of sounds like I am demanding the right of way or
for them to yield ('get out of the way, I'm coming thru!).

I've tried "Passing", "on your left" and others. I'm fondest of "on your left" because it
indicates where / how I intend to pass, but MOST ESPECIALLY with dog walkers you just cant predict
what they will do. Rather than simply moving over to the right (like you would in an auto), they
might move to the left, or right, or my favorite, when there are 2 of them they might split and
"yield" the middle.

Recently, after I called out a warning, one slopehead mope in a duo each walking a dog felt
compelled to stop dead and turn around like I might be lying or something. I was on the left,
pointed to the left as I drifted even more left. Guess where the mope moved?

How far back do you call it out? I cant seem to determine the optimum range: too far and they cant
hear, too close and they irritated or paniced.

TIA

 

[Saki]

Onlooker <none@> wrote in news:[email protected]:

>
> 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.

----
[email protected]

 

[tencast]

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--

 

[Rick Onanian]

On Wed, 10 Sep 2003 11:13:23 -0500, Onlooker <none@> wrote:
> might be lying or something. I was on the left, pointed to the left as I drifted even more left.
> Guess where the mope moved?

My concern with "On your left", which is what I say, is as you experienced; they hear "left"
but do not know / hear / understand what else you said, so they move left like they think you
asked them to.

On bike / MU paths around here, there are signs that say to walk against the bicycle traffic (walk
on left, cycle on right). This strategy works well when people do it.

> TIA
--
Rick Onanian

 

[Dave Jackson]

In article <[email protected]>, tencast <[email protected]> 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--
>
>
>
> --
> >--------------------------<
> Posted via cyclingforums.com http://www.cyclingforums.com

I call out "passing on your left" and thank them with a smile as I pass.

Dave in Minnesota

 

[Tom Keats]

In article <[email protected]>, saki <[email protected]> writes:
> Onlooker <none@> wrote in news:[email protected]:
>
>>
>> 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

--
-- Powered by FreeBSD Above address is just a spam midden. I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn
[point] bc [point] ca

 

[booyah]

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.

 

[Gerry]

On Wed, 10 Sep 2003 11:13:23 -0500, Onlooker <none@> wrote:

>What seems to get the best results to warn them you are passing?

"On your left" seems to work the best.The next best call seems to be "Bike Up!" I also sometimes use
my bicycle bell.

 

[Karen M.]

Onlooker wrote:
>... What seems to get the best results to warn (peds) you are passing?

Use a bell instead. No need to figure out what to say, always the same volume, pretty well
conveys the idea that it's a bike.

> How far back do you call it out? I cant seem to determine the optimum range: too far and they cant
> hear, too close and they irritated or paniced.

Depends on your speed and theirs, and their activity. A blader practicing a straight line needs
less advance warning than mother hen with chickets on trainer wheeled bikes. Ring it far enough
back to permit them to move to one side (a solo ped can't resist the gravitational pull of the
center of the paved surface, no matter how wide). My only rule of thumb is: if I can see the
face, I should have made the noise already. HTH --Karen M.

 

[Thomas Reynolds]

Onlooker <none@> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> 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?
>

"On your left" is something only cyclists know how to react to. I don't ride fast on MU paths. I
approach from behind slowly to the point where I don't have to yell and say "excuse me". Everyone
knows what that means.

Your right, people do all sorts of things, including stop. That's why I approach slowly.

Tom

 

[Dan Cosley]

In article <[email protected]>, Onlooker wrote:
>
> What seems to get the best results to warn them you are passing?

I number of people mentioned bells. I usually just say "ding ding", fairly loud, once I'm in
non-shouting range. People are often amused and rarely angry, which is about as good as it seems to
get. I also tend to slow down as I come up on people -- buzzing past someone feels wrong.

-- Dan

--
Dan Cosley ([email protected] * http://www.cs.umn.edu/~cosley/) GroupLens Research
Lab, Univ of MN (http://movielens.umn.edu/ * 612.624.8372) *** Just a foot soldier in the Army
of Truth ***

 

[David L. Johnso]

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

> Onlooker <none@> wrote in news:[email protected]:
>
>
>> 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 (_)/ (_) |

 

[M. Barbee]

I usually say "on your left" when I'm in none-shouting distance unless there is a wind that requires
shouting. Almost all the multiuse trails around here have rules posted that specifically say
everyone should move on the right except when passing. Most of the runners using the trail are aware
of this common etiquette. Of course, some neither read the rules or are aware of common trail
etiquette. So I always slow up when there's someone who doesn't appear to be moving in a predictable
manner. Occasionally I'll come up behind someone walking on the left side of the trail, and I'll
call out "on your right"

 

[Mike Kruger]

> >> 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.

 

[Chris Neary]

"Hello!" works for me.

Comes across as more friendly than most of the alternatives, IMHO.

Chris Neary [email protected]

"Science, freedom, beauty, adventure: what more could you ask of life? Bicycling combined all the
elements I loved" - Adapted from a quotation by Charles Lindbergh

 

[Golightly F.]

"Onlooker" <none@>
>
> What seems to get the best results to warn them you are passing?

Get a... bell. It's a great attention getter... when approaching/passing.

hth

 

[Soup]

Onlooker wrote:
> 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 feel funny calling out "Bike!" because it sort of sounds like I am demanding the right of way or
> for them to yield ('get out of the way, I'm coming thru!).
>
> I've tried "Passing", "on your left" and others. I'm fondest of "on your left" because it
> indicates where / how I intend to pass, but MOST ESPECIALLY with dog walkers you just cant predict
> what they will do. Rather than simply moving over to the right (like you would in an auto), they
> might move to the left, or right, or my favorite, when there are 2 of them they might split and
> "yield" the middle.
>
> Recently, after I called out a warning, one slopehead mope in a duo each walking a dog felt
> compelled to stop dead and turn around like I might be lying or something. I was on the left,
> pointed to the left as I drifted even more left. Guess where the mope moved?
>
> How far back do you call it out? I cant seem to determine the optimum range: too far and they cant
> hear, too close and they irritated or paniced.
>
> TIA

I say " excuse me" and pass very slowly, dogs and the very young don't understand any left~right
type instructions ,as I am passing I usually make some pleasentary along the lines of "mornin' ,
"nice day " e.t.c.I am usually going quite slow so can shout "excuse me" rather than scream it.I
prefer voice to bell as a bell tends not to be very directional (and in a strange way quite rude)
they have (the walkers e.t.c.) as much right to use the path as you. I really can't see this
whizzing along at 18 m.p.h. shouting out "on your left" (does that mean go to your left or I want
to pass on your left?) then having to slam the anchors on when somebody/something does something
unexpected, crashing, then coming on a newsgroup and whinging about the idiots on MUPs

--
yours S (addy' not usable[not that you would try it anyway]) Illegitimi non carborundrum
www.killies.co.uk/forums/index.php

 

[Steve McDonald]

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

 

[Zippy The Pinhe]

"MY BRAKES!!!! MY BRAKES!!!!!!!!!

OMYGAWD --- WHOLLY SHIIIIIIIIIT!!!!!!

WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO MY BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKES!?!?!?!?!?!"

Usually works just swell for me.

 

[Soup]

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?

--
yours S (addy' not usable[not that you would try it anyway]) Illegitimi non carborundrum
www.killies.co.uk/forums/index.php