[RafatheRed]

So today while cycling i came up behind 2 walkers in a lane.I was going 5 mph and from a resonable distance I politly said ‘bike coming past ladies’ .They moved out the way.however as i passed one lady said ‘you need a bell’ This seems to be the standard responce from walkers. I have also had this cycling in the forest on my mtb with walkers on cycle tracks

So do i need a bell?

Topic

[OldRidgeback]

Yep, I agree that a nice

Yep, I agree that a nice clicky freewheel is good. I have them on both my BMXs. I need to get the same on my MTBs.

[wtjs]

 A free wheel noise or a

 A free wheel noise or a polite excuse me works very well as you are making a human contact.

Agreed. Or clicking the levers. Doesn’t seem to be a problem round here, but there aren’t very many shared use paths.

[m.a.t.t.]

Indeed. As a pedestrian,

Indeed. As a pedestrian, driver, cyclist and occasional rollerblader I try and consider both the way in which I behave and the way in which I communicate. I have to admit that in days gone by (oh the joys of youth) that I may not have been an exemplary human being, but the passing of time brings experience and, hopefully, improves us. I think that most conflict is due to a lack of awareness rather than a deliberate confrontation.

[996ducati]

Honestly, you will never be

Honestly, you will never be right on this issue. I regularly ride an old shared use railway line and if you dont bell I get “do you have a bell?”, if you do, the walkers get grumpy, then others will say “oh nice bell!”. The worst offenders are joggers who listen to music wearing earphones so are shocked when you pass, bell or not.

[Organon]

Then there are the people

Then there are the people that just drifting across the road towards you. As I am riding along the edge of the road so many times pedestrians will just set off across the road from my right, right in front of me. They give the briefest glance or don’t even look at me. Then they realise that they have miscalculated and are giving side eyes back up the road towards a racing car, hurtling towards them. Do they turn back [never!] Do they slow to a stop and hope the danger passes. Or do they shamble forward hoping I will slow down and allow them to pass unharmed. Or maybe they think if they just walk at the right angle they might miss everything…

[Anonymous]

It really isn’t difficult, is

It really isn’t difficult, is it?

Confrontation usually arises as people feel threatened.

Slow down, stop if neccessary, smile, be polite.

Obviously there’s always the one, but don’t rise to the bait if possible. Same rules apply, slow down, smile, be polite, but if you do lose it, go nuclear.

[Sriracha]

Yup. It saddens me to hear
Yup. It saddens me to hear cyclists moan about pedestrians in the same way motorists moan about cyclists. But if it helps people see that such is human nature, regardless of mode of transport, maybe that’s a good thing.

[roadrunner23]

In some ways it’s dead easy

In some ways it’s dead easy on a shared use path you need to give the same consideration to pedestrians as a car driver should give a cyclist. Give pedestrians as much space as you can, slow down, if it is not safe to pass wait until it is. A free wheel noise or a polite excuse me works very well as you are making a human contact. Try to smile. It’s not the pedestrians fault that it’s a shared use path ideally we should be separted. Airhorns are a no-no, bells and speech are better as is a “thank you”. 

[Bmblbzzz]

m.a.t.t. wrote:

I generally announce my presence to pedestrians in advance: “Passing on your right/left” and have found that I have encountered no problems.

This is much better than simply “On your right/left,” which is ambigous unless already familiar to the pedestrian (and as it’s mostly a phrase used by cyclists, it probably won’t be); without the information that “I’m passing on your right/left” it is easily taken as meaning “move to your right/left” (if it’s interpreted at all).

[Bmblbzzz]

From bell, bull and balls o

From bell, bull and balls o’fax, the good lord preserve us!

[brooksby]

That obliviousness applies

That obliviousness applies also to the general roadway, I think, not just to shared use paths.

Pedestrians regularly* step out into the road based on not being able to hear any oncoming traffic and “knowing” that the road is therefore clear.

I kind of expect it, now, and ride accordingly.

 

*In my experience. YMMV.

[Organon]

Even with a rather loud

Even with a rather loud freewheel I find people are just oblivious to the fact at cyclist might be approaching. Especially on well marked mixed use cycleways that are being encouraged these days. So people have the most peculiar reactions, including teenagers ducking and running right across in front of you, oncoming joggers and walkers running right at you (keep left!) I’ve found that alerting people makes them worse, just pass by without a sound, and if I have to slow right down I will give a polite ‘excuse me.’

Having said that, I still get passive aggressive remarks about bells, especially when going slowly. I think this is more to do with a certain demographic of entitled middleaged white women who seem to think they are in some way oppressed and need to fix it. 

[hawkinspeter]

Well, I’d try to not pass

Well, I’d try to not pass them on the inside.

[eburtthebike]

Last week, I was on my ecargo

Last week, I was on my ecargo bike, heading down to some promising outcrops of elderberries, a fairly steep hill, so even with the regenerative braking I was doing maybe 25mph.  I spotted two lady walkers going in the same direction in the road a hundred metres ahead, so slowed slightly and ran the bell when I was about thirty metres away; no response.  Twenty metres; ran the bell again, three times, no response.  Ten metres; ran the bell continuously until I passed them on the inside, the nearest one jumped.  They weren’t deaf as I assumed, as they passed me later picking the berries, and were talking to each other.

What can you do?  Airhorn perhaps?

[Anonymous]

Pfft…..

Pfft…..

I creep up on them ninja style and boot them into the canal, afterall pedestrians are only motorists who’ve lost their cars 

Actually, I prefer to give clear instructions of my intentions, especially if approaching from behind, so that everyone knows what is happening, all done in a cheery tone and at a speed where nobody is going to feel threatened, even if that means stopping completely as many people seem to have no idea of left or right when caught unawares.

However, dog walkers, especially the twats with the long extending leads definitely need the first treatment. I’ve had a few dickheads who want to argue the toss, but generally people respond best when you show a bit of empathy and manners.

[Author]

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