"On your left" - What does this mean to you?

What it means to me: Someone is going to pass me on my left, so don't move that way. It's OK if I stay where I am, or I can be nice and move to the right (if there's room).

The two guys should not have been riding abreast (well, let's be real, I'm not going to judge them for doing it), so one should have dropped back to let you pass safely (I am going to judge them for not doing that).

Machismo (whether by men or women) is an ugly thing.

What irks me is when there's a multi-use path and people are walking as far apart as they can, one on the right and one on the left. (There's a painted yellow dashed line in the middle, so it's clearly directional like a street.) I came up to a couple a while ago, slowed down, and yelled out, first, "Hi there," to see what they would do. They stopped and moved farther apart, so I continued, "Um, passing, um, in between, I guess."

They probably still don't know what I said or what they should have been doing, but that's the price you pay for a nice multi-use path. I'm just glad it doesn't have a speed limit!

To me "on your left" is said 1) as a courtesy to let a rider or pedestrian know someone is coming around them so as to avoid collision; and 2) to (hopefully) gain clearance if the road/path is blocked by a cyclist or pedestrian. If I hear "on your left", I get over if at all possible. If riding two abreast, I get over behind/in front of the other cyclist I am riding with. But there are a lot of people who just don't get it...or are too proud/egotistical to yield. I run across this all the time, especially with male cyclists.

Sounds like you and I do a lot of the same rides in the DFW area. If I happen to run across these two men at one of the rallies, and they do the same to me, I am not sure I will be able to restrain myself from saying something. Thanks for the heads up! ;)

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Originally Posted by witeowl

I came up to a couple a while ago, slowed down, and yelled out, first, "Hi there," to see what they would do. They stopped and moved farther apart, so I continued, "Um, passing, um, in between, I guess."

They probably still don't know what I said or what they should have been doing, but that's the price you pay for a nice multi-use path. I'm just glad it doesn't have a speed limit!

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Yep, I've done the same thing...talking and riding slowly between them, just like I do with any kids on bikes on a trail or roadside...heck, I can't assume that they'll know what "passing on your left" is, right?? So, I talk to them, saying, "I'm coming along over here on this side, please stay over there, good job, thanks a lot, that's a nice bike you have!" and the like...it even worked when I was in the final approach to the finish line of a 1-day double century; it was on a bridge with a separate bike trail/walkway and I was ready to be done with this ride! It was about 6:30-7PM on a Saturday and I noticed that the few riders ahead of me were slowing and getting backed-up...I initially thought that there was an accident and a cyclist was down, but as I got closer I saw that it was a family pretty much blocking the whole path. Parents had baby and toddler and were stopped and looking over the rail to the view and river below...2-3 other kids were on tricycle and bike w/training wheels wandering all over and blocking our progress across...As I approached, I called out to the kiddo on the trike as I tapped him to be unpredictable and a threat to my safety and the 2 adults who were present had their backs to all of us and weren't paying any attention. I yelled out: "could you please stop? good! yeah, right there, stop! I'm going to ride next to you now, please don't move, ok? Great job...thanks alot"...voila! - home free and safely off my bike and to the beer garden in Portland! :D:D

Two guys were just being j**ks. I've met quite a number of guys who do not liked to be passed by a woman. They will speed up. Have to huff and puff to pass you and after few seconds, you have to pass them the second time.

I have yet to see someone who is actively blocking your path by moving over or changing their line. The second time, I think I would have body slammed him really hard and sprinted off. Unfortunately, I can be a bit of hot head at times and I'm geting bit too old for such non-sense.

Well, on the ALC I heard it often enough that I considered it my name. Aside from a personal greeting, I took it to mean that somebody coming up behind me saw that it was safe to pass on my left and that I should keep a straight, predictable course to allow them to make use of that opportunity, or call out a warning if I saw a gaping pothole ahead I would have to swerve around. Knowing it was my name, I generally kept as far to the right as I could without risking loose gravel or aforementioned gaping pothole or an abrupt edge of the asphalt or a wide-spaced grate, or (rarely!) an even slower rider on my right. Assuming no such reason would make me have to swerve the next few seconds, I would call back "go for it!" or "that's my name" or "on your right!" or "have a nice ride" or "save some dinner for me" or "are we there yet?" or even just "thanks!" That way they knew I'd heard and understood the warning. Also I got a nice wave or a laugh, which made it kinda fun to be the slow gal on the route.

Now as for those two guys ... Well, they were rude, but the rules of the road do still apply, and the general traffic rule is that it's the person passing who's responsible for being sure it's safe to do so. If it were me doing the passing, I'd have stayed behind them a while, then maybe called out "Guys! There's lane enough for the three of us and I want to pass. If you'd move over, I'd pass on your left. You wanta stay like you are, I'll pass between you. What's it to be?"

Oh, and if this were ALC, where all 2000+ riders are under strict orders to stay single file except when passing, I might report them for creating a dangerous and irritating situation.

Well, this turned into a good thread! I also follow on your left with "thank you" or "good morning" to encourage a positive attitude towards cyclists. I keep threatening to put a bell on my road bike, because it works great for clueless people and geese :) Of course, as mentioned, "on your left" doesn't mean MOVE.

Yes, men frequently "pick up their pace" when I pass. I'm prepared for that and make sure that I have more than enough ability to complete the manuever. I don't give them a chance to do it a second time ;)

Smilingcat, after the Tour immersion this month, I may have to start practicing the body slam--it looks like acceptable cycling etiquette :)

Hmmm there seems to be a sense of entitlement that slower cyclits, pedestrians, dogs, whoever are required to give way to the the faster ones.

Sure, it would be courteous, and safer if they did so. But you can't legistlate basic ignorance, or obnoxiousness.

Any cyclist has the duty to ride carefully without causing or contributing to an accident.

Think about it in terms of cars vs bikes instead of bikes vs peds. We expect a motorist to hold back and not pass until it can be done safely. Why would anyone assume cyclists don't have to follow these same rules when dealing with slower traffic? How would you feel if cars just passed with inches and no warning at every opportunity?

When approaching any slower traffic, I always say "bicycle behind you," and if I'm in a group I say to my group "slowing," and to the obstruction, "3 (or 10) bicycles behind you.

Pedestrians, people with strollers, kids, and/or dogs have no idea what "on your left" means to a cyclist, much less to themselves. And little kids will always run towards mom. Don't ever try to squeeze between them.
Dogs are unpredictable, especially with expando leashes.

My advice is to stay off the multiuse path at all costs!

This is why I don't ride on paths, unless it's a very off -peak time.
If i hear on your left, I hold my line and let the person pass. In the regular places I ride right around my house, I usually "hear" the bike before they say it, and not everyone says it.
If I am passing I say, "Bike passing on your left."
Today I had a first time experience with a woman rider. I was riding with my friend who is much slower than me. When we got to a flat. straight a way, I took off. She knows I will stop and wait. So a much younger woman came up behind me and passed, when I was going around 17. I may have slowed momentarily to fix something. She did not announce herself! I figured, well she was rude, even though I said hi to her, so I got in behind her. Usually, I ask if it's OK. She wasn't going any faster than me. I followed her for 2-3 miles at 16-21 mph and was on her wheel. Finally I pulled over and said, "Thanks, i am going to wait for my friend."
She replied,"Oh, I didn't even know you were there..." Yeah, right. She thought she had dropped me, but there is no way she couldn't hear me.

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Originally Posted by HappyTexasMom

You know, it just occurred to me...often times when I'm riding, all I really hear is "LEFT!". I know what they said/mean, but with the wind blowing in my ears (unless I've specifically turned my head to listen behind me), that's all I hear. If someone is inexperienced and not familiar with standard etiquette, it could be that they think you are telling them to move to the left (as in, a directive towards them: "LEFT!").

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We use the MUPs to avoid the busy streets in and out of town. There are occasions when an MUP is safer than the street, and when your route in or out of town involves freeway and river crossings, the streets tend to be few, narrow and congested.

Whenever I'm passing a pedestrian (either on the MUP or if they're walking the wrong way on the street) I'll holler "PASSING on your left." There's no way they would've heard "left" and not "passing." Usually, the response is for mom to go left, dad to go right, and the kids to freeze in the middle of the lane.

I do think MUPs are confusing for pedestrians, because they're walking in the wrong lane from their perspective. That's not an excuse for people not paying attention any time they're in a public place, but it is what it is.

Passing a cyclist is completely different from passing a pedestrian (just as when you're in a car, passing a cyclist is completely different from passing another car). Sounds like you just came up on somebody really ignorant.

I've had to pass a group of cyclists taking up the whole path where they ignored my first and second holler, but appeared to respond to my third one by moving right. Then, as I started to pass, they came over on top of me... and yelled at me for "not announcing myself." :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by withm

Hmmm there seems to be a sense of entitlement that slower cyclits, pedestrians, dogs, whoever are required to give way to the the faster ones.

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I haven't seen that sense of entitlement on this thread.

There are two very different scenarios being discussed however.

1) The OP's predicament. Passing two other cyclists who are side-by-side on the roadway. In most places riding side-by-side is technically illegal with some exceptions for conditions, etc (but ok, we all do it, especially when traffic is light, it's nice to talk to your buddy). Even where it is not expressly illegal it IS illegal to "impede the normal flow of traffic". Thus, it is not only courteous, but a legal requirement, to yield the lane (normally written as "move as far right as is practicable" or similar) on a roadway after a passing vehicle has announced their presence and intent (for cars a short honk is accepted, for cyclists it's typically "on your left" or similar verbal cue) as soon as it is safe and practical to do so. Obviously that doesn't mean you have to dart right as soon as someone says "on your left", the "as soon as it is safe and practical" is very important, but you are legally required to help expedite a safe and legal pass when it is safe to do so (and it is clearly safe for riders riding side-by-side to single up to let another cyclist pass). In Colorado the law also goes so far to say that after a vehicle has signaled that they are behind you and wish to pass it is illegal to move left to attempt to block that pass (that's not just bikes, that's vehicle code in general), and it sounds like these riders did that on one or both occasions. It is ultimately the duty of the passing vehicle to pass safely, but there ARE rules governing the overtaken vehicle as well. In this scenario we are all vehicles, on the road, and the vehicle code applies in full.

2) MUTS, passing all sorts of users. Whether or not there are technically rules, all rules and beats are off. It's all on your shoulders to pass safely. We can hope for common (or not so common) courtesy after we've announced our presence, but ultimately we have to expect erratic and unexpected behavior. We aren't really vehicles anymore and certainly the pedestrians aren't so all the stuff from 1) doesn't apply.

Even if I don't think anyone is required to move out of the way, especially on MUTS, I still think grown people that *intentionally* block the whole path and impede other users are jerks.

There is no entitlement or right of way for a faster ped or cyclist to go around a slower one; there is just etiquette about letting someone go by. It is only courteous; it is also courteous that you allow a car to go by you as well and that is why you ride to the left so that they may pass you because you are slower. I have the right to the road, if there are objects in the road that do not allow me to right to the right, I ride out further; but I will move to the left once it is safe and that is a courteous move to let other cyclists, etc., go by me if they wish to travel at a higher speed than I do.

I had many issues on the Colorado bike tour because people are unaware of the courtesy or they just did not care, or they were too tired to hear you; or they were wearing earphones listening to music; or they as I said just don't understand. They were riding out in the middle of the road, which is as we all know against the law; so if I saw this, and they did not want to ride correctly, they left me no choice but to politely tell them I was passing on the right and then I accelerated quickly so that I did not have a run into (literally) with them. If a pedestrian cannot move over because of something in the trail or an object blocking their walking, then I expect that they will go around this and then give me some room so that I may safely pass.

On your left is for safety and courtesy and I believe safety and courtesy should be all important in our lives.

spoke



It is a courtesy that people hold their line and let you go by whether to the right or to the left and it is also a safety issue to both parties.

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Originally Posted by TrekTheKaty

I keep threatening to put a bell on my road bike, because it works great for clueless people and geese :)

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And here's a perfect example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtv2_-2mHck
I use both my bike bell and my voice- and I start from far back to give people time to react. :)

Ladies--I really appreciate all your replies and I seemed to have struck a chord with many of you.

Biciclista - Your point is well taken about the law, and upon reflection, you are quite correct. I did break the law by passing in the oncoming traffic lane because the line was a double yellow at that point, indicating a "no passing" zone. I will keep this in mind during future rides and I appreciate your making me think about this.

To all, I do my weekly training rides and also inline skate on a multi-use trail. That's a whole different ball game to me. Due to the unpredictability of others using those trails, I always ride with a very defensive and cautious approach. Kids, dogs, and adults never react the way I expect when I call out to them. I frequently use the "bicycle coming up behind you" or just "hello, I'm behind you" on the trail because it often gets a more useful reaction.

On road rallies, I also try to judge the experience of the rider I'm passing in order to get an educated guess on whether they know the "rules of the road." The guys in question clearly knew what I meant when I called out to them. You all are right--they were just a couple of jerks.

I'm really interested to read the opinions on whether "on your left" means please give way or whether it means I'm just letting you know I'm here. I never expect another rider to give way if it's not safe for them to do so. I've had way too many experiences with pace lines that try to force me over into roadway that I'm not comfortable riding on.

So, I guess my bottom line is that I don't mind waiting for people to react in the safest manner possible, but I don't appreciate people who intentionally continue to block passing riders and force the passing rider to either sit up or make a potentially unsafe pass.

To my fellow DFW rider--there is one well-known area cyclist who rides directly on the yellow line. Whole groups of riders can come up behind him and politely ask him to move over so others can get around and he steadfastly ignores everyone who speaks to him. He has a reputation! If you're riding the Tour de Paris tomorrow, you will encounter him. He typically can be found in east side rides.

Anyway, my thanks to everyone for your comments. It's very helpful to hear the perspectives of others.

Be careful out there!

Susan in Dallas

On your left - to me means someone's going to pass me on my left and I should hold steady and not veer left.

however, typically by the time it's shouted at me, I'm confused, I look around and I probably veer left. I've found myself doing that on bike paths. Luckily, i don't bike on trails much.

It would have been nice if the guy gave you room to pass - but if you were in a car and there were 2 cars driving the same speed in front of you in 2 lanes - you really wouldn't go up behind one of them and honk & flash your lights until one gave way. (Yes, I know some people do that...)


So I'm sure the guy didn't like being passed by you for whatever reason - and what he did the 2nd time was definitely uncalled for - but the first time could have just been ignorance of what you wanted him to do.

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Originally Posted by withm

Hmmm there seems to be a sense of entitlement that slower cyclits, pedestrians, dogs, whoever are required to give way to the the faster ones.
...
My advice is to stay off the multiuse path at all costs!

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I haven't seen any post that reeks of a sense of entitlement, which makes me wonder if it's my post, and even that can't be what you mean. A multi-use path is just that: a multi-use path. I deserve to be there just as much as anyone else; I just need to recognize that they have the same right to be there and treat them with respect. (And, yeah, I know the OT wasn't MUPs, but it was a semi-related issue.)

In another related situation, when hiking on a multi-use trail, I always yield to horses and know that bikes are always supposed to yield to me (that one actually is "legislated"). But it seems silly because they can travel faster so we hikers tend to yield to them out of courtesy.

This whole thread is about courtesy.

Just as I expect a slower car to be in the right hand or middle lane on a multi-lane freeway, I expect a slower pedestrian, cyclist, or skateboarder to hang out on the right. Lord knows I'm that slower cyclist often enough!

Kids and animals are the exceptions, of course, because they don't know the rules of the road.

(Oh, and when I come up on a slower car in the "fast lane", I do flash my lights. If they do the courteous thing and move to the right, they've saved me (and countless others) from doing a more dangerous thing by passing on the right. I'm never in the leftmost lane unless I'm passing someone. That's a holdover from my parents (who learned on the Autobahn), and I can only wish it were a more common driving attitude.)

@sspoor, to clarify my original answer: In my opinion, "On your left" primarily is a heads up warning; it only means I should move to the right if I'm doing something wrong by being too far out or riding/walking two abreast. I tend to move to the right if I can out of an abundance of courtesy, though. ;)