How often do you use your bell?

[Mike_P]

Re horses start a conversation with the rider, if only is it okay to come pass. The horse normally will realise the strange wheeled thing is no bigger a threat to it than its rider.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Re horses start a conversation with the rider, if only is it okay to come pass. The horse normally will realise the strange wheeled thing is no bigger a threat to it than its rider.

I talk to the horse, not the rider.

 

[Gwylan]

+ 1 for the horse. A quiet, gentle tone "hello" to horse as you pass works.
The rider is either terrified and has no control or is delighting in being 4 feet taller than everyone and loving it.

The horse will make the important decisions about how they deal with this weird sub species of humans.

Dog walkers are worse still. Long leads,retracting leads that are on free run. Multiple dogs guarantees no control and a postponed accident." If it's not me it'll be the next poor bu££er that they kill"

Headphones! They get the full whelly on my whistle. I give them the "I was afraid you might not hear me"as I pass.

Then there's the walking parties, spread out and lost in each other. They are like pigeons at a shoot. Put them up and they'll fly into each other, cross paths or freeze with the "you terrified me" defence.
One pederast's response was "you should use a bell". I lied and said I only have to give audible warning of my approach!

Now I use a whistle and from about 60 feet, if it looks dodgy i warble, 30 feet and it gets louder, given no reaction I'm slowing and give them the "coming through over you". I learned this from a driver at Atlanta airport. Over about 6 months I was there every few weeks after breaking my foot. He would drive through the airport bellowing in his deep dark voice " Coming through, over you!”

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

In my opinion cyclists v. walker on a shared path are like car driver v. cyclist on a road

In other words, the walker has to be avoided by the cyclist
and if they are wearing things in/over their ears then that is the cyclist's problem

for example - today I came up behind a lady walking along the tow path - it was quite narrow at that point but had several feet of grass on either side
I rang my bell - no reaction
slowed further and rang again - still no reaction
got closer - and slower - and said "excuse me please"

she jumped a bit and moved over

as i passed she commented "sorry about that - def as a post"

now - that was not something I knew - but it is always a possibility - and so we - as the faster and more mechanised person - has to take into account
the same as a car driver has to take into account what a cyclist might do ona road

although the idea of cycling ona road while deaf scares the whatsit out of me!!!

 

[Mike_P]

In my opinion cyclists v. walker on a shared path are like car driver v. cyclist on a road

In other words, the walker has to be avoided by the cyclist
and if they are wearing things in/over their ears then that is the cyclist's problem

for example - today I came up behind a lady walking along the tow path - it was quite narrow at that point but had several feet of grass on either side
I rang my bell - no reaction
slowed further and rang again - still no reaction
got closer - and slower - and said "excuse me please"

she jumped a bit and moved over

as i passed she commented "sorry about that - def as a post"

now - that was not something I knew - but it is always a possibility - and so we - as the faster and more mechanised person - has to take into account
the same as a car driver has to take into account what a cyclist might do ona road

although the idea of cycling ona road while deaf scares the whatsit out of me!!!

Precisely what the highway code requires, the more vulnerable user being safeguarded. IMO motorists should have an annual questionnaire on the highway code to be completed in person at a police station or other observable location and a driving ban until it is successfully completed fully. What is the correct way to indicate at a roundabout will see a lot banned immediately.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Horses: I don't use my bell. I say "bike behind" and wait for the rider to acknowledge. I'm feeling garrulous I might add "bike passing" when I actually do start to pass. Horses coming towards me I slow right down and pass slowly but no need for any audible warning.

People walking in the road, approaching from behind, slow right down and ping bell. Be prepared to stop. Expect them to behave erratically. Expect a dog to appear from nowhere.

Shared paths, I don't have any expectation of going at any more than walking pace and don't assume that I have any right to pass. Dogs on leads, dogs off leads, kids in or out of buggies, people in a dream on their phones, people wearing headphones are all to be expected and are perfectly normal. I just try to negotiate my way through as best I can. Bell sometimes, sometimes not.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

As we all know dogs can be unpredictable

I have found that a lot of the nicer dogs do a similar thing
as soon as their owner calls them their immediate response is to turn and look at them
and in doing so perfectly position themselves directly across the path

their instinct is amazing - a tiny ball of fluff can turn to block a path many times wider than they are long

Only way round it is to stop and laugh

at least when I had a dog she worried and was scared of everything and would stay as far out of the way as possible!!!

 

[Mike_P]

At times i have seen a dog look at me approaching and stay where it was rather than going to the owner, blocking my route, despite being called.

 

[nogoodnamesleft]

Re Dogs:
I'm a very dog oriented person. I'll often find myself greeting and communicating with the dog and ignoring the attached human (particularly on the recumbent where I'm down at their level). On one occasion on the recumbent I had a friendly Border Collie deciding to climb onto my lap - I had already stopped and was already making a fuss of them.

Sometimes I realise I've been ignoring the human and "sorry, morning" but they are invariably happy about somebody being friendly with their dog.

 

[Andy in Germany]

In my opinion cyclists v. walker on a shared path are like car driver v. cyclist on a road

That's the legal situation here: if I hit a pedestrian, I'm assumed to be at fault unless I can prove they did something really silly. In the case of a child, I'm supposed to assume they'll do something really silly.

I've cycled with someone who was about 80% deaf, It worked okay most of the time.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Re Dogs:
I'm a very dog oriented person. I'll often find myself greeting and communicating with the dog and ignoring the attached human (particularly on the recumbent where I'm down at their level). On one occasion on the recumbent I had a friendly Border Collie deciding to climb onto my lap - I had already stopped and was already making a fuss of them.

Sometimes I realise I've been ignoring the human and "sorry, morning" but they are invariably happy about somebody being friendly with their dog.

Yes - I do that anywhere just because I'm me

but on my bike it is even more so because I am watching the dog in case it decides to walk in front of me of that me passing it is an invitation to a game of chase

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

That's the legal situation here: if I hit a pedestrian, I'm assumed to be at fault unless I can prove they did something really silly. In the case of a child, I'm supposed to assume they'll do something really silly.

I've cycled with someone who was about 80% deaf, It worked okay most of the time.

Clearly not a lawyer

but if it was on a shared path then you would have to give a reason why you had good reason to think they had seen you and it was safe to pass

so if they are wandering along and moved to their right just as you passed then you might have a problem

but if you rang a bell and they turned to look - then you passed, then you would have less of a problem

and, of course, your speed would come into it as well
if you slowed down then that would be good
if you just kept going at 15 mph then maybe not

 

[dicko]

I use my bell when silently approaching pedestrians from behind on cycle ways to warn of my speedy approach. Bells these days, ting, ting, aren’t like the bells of yesteryear’s that rang like a Sweeny cop car of the 60’s like Reagan and Carters Ford Granada in persuit. These days bike bells are rubbish.

 

[Gillstay]

I use my bell when silently approaching pedestrians from behind on cycle ways to warn of my speedy approach. Bells these days, ting, ting, aren’t like the bells of yesteryear’s that rang like a Sweeny cop car of the 60’s like Reagan and Carters Ford Granada in persuit. These days bike bells are rubbish.

Buy one from Holland. I just got a fantastic one.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Clearly not a lawyer

but if it was on a shared path then you would have to give a reason why you had good reason to think they had seen you and it was safe to pass

so if they are wandering along and moved to their right just as you passed then you might have a problem

but if you rang a bell and they turned to look - then you passed, then you would have less of a problem

and, of course, your speed would come into it as well
if you slowed down then that would be good
if you just kept going at 15 mph then maybe not

Pretty much yes, with the backing of Presumed Liability, which the UK, uniquely in Europe, doesn't have. I'm especially careful on my large heave Bakfiets.

Of course, it works for me as well. When I learned to drive I was very clearly told I was basically responsible for the safety of all vulnerable road users. My instructor would watch as we approached a pedestrian crossing and I had to show I'd checked no-one was about to cross. There was even one by a blind junction, and I had to drive slowly until I could see no pedestrians were coming from around the corner. As my driving instructor said "If you're driving on and Autobahn and a cyclist falls out of a clear sky, and you hit them, it's your fault." It's one reason I almost never have a close pass.