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

[Skierchickie]

I guess I haven't used "on your left" while biking, nor had it used on me. We're sparsely populated, and I don't encounter a lot of riders on my road rides. I guess it hasn't occurred to me to say it - I generally cough or something, so they know I'm there. I use it a lot in ski races. In striding races, it's always (well, at least the last 30 years that I know of) been a rule that the slower skier in the tracks relinquish them to the faster skier coming up behind. Proper etiquette is to yell "Track! On your left!" Or right, as the case may be. Skate-skiing, in a race, you yell out the side to plan to pass on, and they are supposed to get over the other way (or pull their equipment in enough to allow the pass). I do encounter people who either speed up or refuse to get over, but that is against the rules, and they really should be disqualified for it. The main thing is to select an area where it is actually possible, and not going to send the person into the bushes, a rock, etc. To be polite. I try to select the inside of a curve where I can get past as quickly as possible, although I had one woman gripe about that (because I was making her take the longer route - however she'd been preventing me from passing for a while, so I didn't really have a choice - I could have passed on the straight section, had she not kept speeding up each time I tried). Once you call "on your left", you have the responsibility to complete your pass as quickly and efficiently as possible, and they have the responsibility to make that possible. I have said "on your left, please, when you get a chance", in areas where I need to pass but recognize that it won't work right there.

I don't use it out training, because it seems a little over-the-top, plus little old ladies tend to fall if you startle them. So I try to gently make my presence known, slow up behind them and wait if it makes sense to, etc. Sometimes it can be frustrating, but better than being rude.

As I said, I've never used it riding, but it seems like the same rules would apply. I can see how, in a more populated area with lots of riders/walkers, or on a MUT, it would be a good tool. Where I am, it seems like it would come off as elitest or something, and maybe somewhat demanding.

Anybody remember Taea Leoni (sp) in Spanglish? From 50 yards back , "ON YOUR LEFT!!". I thought that was pretty funny.

Oh - the OP's question: to me, it means to get over as soon as I safely can to make room for them to safely pass, inconveniencing them as little as possible.

[Tuckervill]

On our trail, I usually whistle a little tune from far enough back for them to hear me, but not startle them, as if I were just tootling along. We have very little traffic on most of our trail, so hardly anyone here would know what On Your Left means. If they still don't hear me, I say "bicycle! I'm going to pass you on the left." and say thanks if they stop and look back and don't get in my way, which is what often happens. I never say thanks to runners who don't even notice me because they have their headphones on. Most of them give me dirty looks.

Karen

[Nightowl]

I have been riding trails a lot. I purchased a small bell and ring it quite a ways back, so the walker or slow biker is aware of me behind them. As I get closer, I then say "on your left" if it is safe to pass and the left is appropriate. I find this combination doesn't startle people. I have received many "thank yous" and "I like your bell" comments, so I guess it works well enough.

[PamNY]

On our very crowded (and in some parts multi-use) bike path, "on the left" simply means "I'm passing you." The serious bikers, whom I sometimes regard as homicidal maniacs in spandex, are very good about saying it.

I say "on your left" and ring my bell when passing pedestrians, skaters, or bikers. I use the bell because we have lots of tourists and languages/local customs may vary.

If there is some unusual obstruction, like two bikers who stop to chat with one bike parked sideways, I call out "helloooo."

[Resi]

LOL I just love it, glad I am not the only one which gets cranky LOL
I get this all the time, but the best situation I had was at the Houston-Austin MS 150 2009. Bueschner Park has some small hills (for me Swiss gal it is just a bump in the road) but hey this are for some riders good hills, so I let it be... I am biking behind a guy and hear him shifting not right, all this noises, I approach him calling out "passing on your left" and I guess he just could not get his gear right and fell over...this is so funny but also scary. By the way he was ok...
I am a faster rider, but after passing I alway go back to the right, so faster rider can pass me, it is like driving a car or not?

I find people which start biking should join a club, where they learn how to ride in groups and get some technical tips. Ignore the fast rider, if you bike a while you get better and faster, this is not a quick fix... I respect every biker It does not matter to me on which level he or she is, and charity rides are not races, which many bikers just ignore.



Happy and save riding

Resi

[Eden]

hmmmm I think this is one of those things that can have different meanings depending on how it is said...

on your left - I'm going to pass on your left, please hold your line

on your left - you are weaving around and making it impossible to safely pass you...

on your left!! - you are blocking the entire road/trail and preventing anyone from getting around you...

In all seriousness these are my preferences

I don't do a lot of organized rides, but when I do I generally try to let slower riders that I'm passing. I do also believe that everyone at these rides should *expect* that there will be a rider on their left and LOOK before they move.... but I also know that there are a lot of clueless folks out there so regardless of how I think they should act, I'm very careful of them and I let them know I'm there.

On a regular open road encountering other cyclists. Unless the person/people are really all over the road, I tend to just move well to the left of a rider and pass. Being an open road with other traffic anyone who makes a sudden move out into the street without looking is just a fool..... There are plenty of quiet cars that you could be pulling out in front of too if you make a sudden move without looking. Cars are not even supposed to beep (in this state at least - the RCW's prohibit use of horn when passing a cyclist). I figure yelling at someone is worse than just passing them...

On a MUP - like many others, I tend to avoid MUPs, but when on them. If the MUP is wide, free of oncoming traffic and and I'm passing just one person, especially a pedestrian or anyone who has plugged their ears with an electronic device, I'll just move far left and pass. When it is more crowded or if I'm passing someone who seems wobbly etc, I tend to use "passing" or "passing left" more often than "on your left", which seems to make more people jump into your way than not. What really annoys me is when I've judged the situation to be a bit too dangerous to pass - if it is narrow and there is oncoming traffic or if there is a blind corner and I've indicated I'm slowing down then some doofus comes whipping around me without saying a word....

[Jiffer]

What a jerk! Yes, common courtesy as well as cycling etiquette should have caused him to move over for you and certainly not try to force you over or keep you from passing! I'm guessing they probably didn't even hear you to begin with, as they were engaged in their conversation completely oblivious to the fact that there were other riders in the universe. Secondly, when you went to pass him, he probably couldn't stand the idea that a woman was passing him and had to try to show he was a man and, therefore, strong enough to keep you in your place behind him.

So cool that you were strong enough to "crush him" (as my dh would say!).

I recall being on a long beach ride with dh and some friends where we were keeping a fairly fast pace line going there were no other cyclists around. We were along busy Pacific Coast Highway. All of a sudden a cyclist comes out of nowhere, not even on the left, but the right and passes without a word. Completely freaked me out. I was so ticked that he snuck up without making us aware he was there, where there wasn't a whole lot of room for someone to pass on the right of all places.

Anyways, I say that guy was a jerk and you were AWESOME for passing him and doing it like a girl!!!

[channlluv]

My favorite ride is a five-mile loop around Lake Miramar in San Diego. It's a MUP, though, and a favorite spot for families barbecuing up by the boat rental building and restrooms. It's a really nice spot for picnics and boating, but there's no swimming allowed. It's a drinking water resevoir (but there are geese and ducks and various other wildlife - go figure).

Anyway, as bmc said, in the late afternoon and evenings, the place is full of pedestrians who don't realize they're on a 15 MPH bike path. There's a big sign at the front of the path telling them to keep to the right, but obviously, that sign is meant for everyone but them and their toddler and their cute little dog on the retractable leash. I try not to go ride in the evenings there.

I also avoid it early on Sunday mornings. The walkers clear out around 10am, though, and that's when I get there. It's almost empty in the middle of the day every day of the week.

A couple of weeks ago, though, I was riding in the middle of the day and came up on these four young women walking abreast and taking up the whole right-hand side of the road (it's a standard two-lane street according the city maps, and is open to vehicular traffic, with a 15mph speed limit).

We were coming up on a blind curve that is posted for no passing - there's literally a bright yellow pole in the middle of the road that serves as the double yellow line there, and there's a big yellow street sign that says "No Passing." I was a good way behind them, but I called out "On your left!" so they'd have time to move - I was going about the speed limit. They didn't move. I called out again as I got closer and the girl on the outside and the one next to her went to move right and I started to pass them when the third girl waved them back out!

I literally skidded to a halt within a couple of feet of the two girls who had moved to the right, then moved back. Number Three gets all snarky and says, "There's a whole road over there." I kicked back into gear because now Number One and Number Two had moved farther to the left and made room between them and Number Three for me to get by.

I called out, "Oh no, there's not. It's a posted no-passing curve." She yelled back, "Oh yes, there is."

Oh, geez, did I really revert back to grade school? Yes, I'm afraid I did. "Really? You're willing to force people into oncoming traffic?" I shouted back at her. I did not handle it well. I admit it. But at least I didn't shout obscenities at her. They smirked at me - or at least, she did, the others just sort of looked to her to see how they were supposed to react. I think they were embarrassed. I know I was later when I had time to process what had happened. I should have just ridden between them and ignored Number Three.

I only call out "On your left!" if I actually need someone to move over for safety, like when people are walking and talking and blocking the right side of the road and there is oncoming traffic in the opposite lane. If there's no oncoming traffic, I just whip around them and return to the right side of the road as quickly as I can.

I actually got passed by a guy on inline skates a couple of weeks ago. He didn't call out anything, he was so zenned out. I heard him coming and couldn't believe I couldn't stay out in front of him doing 12 - 14mph. I finally quit trying and he passed me by like I was sitting still. Sheesh.

When I see people with dogs on long leashes, I call out "Bike!" well in advance of me catching up to them, which sometimes works. Sometimes I yell, "Leash!" when it's one of those retractable things. I agree that those things are an absolute safety hazard.

The people who bug me the most, though, are parents who let their toddlers and young children run all over the road while they - the parents - are talking on the phone. It's a posted 15mph road and there are occasional cars and trucks on it, too (people driving into the park to visit the several fishing spots with docks and reeds and all that stuff that turns fishermen on). There are also cyclists who do not pay any attention at all to that 15 mph speed limit. (I have to admit that I've hit 19 mph on some of the flats, and my daughter confessed to 17.6mph when she was on a rescue mission to get a First Aid kit to her friend who had crashed and needed bandages.)

I've called out "Baby on the bike path!" to a father who was pushing an empty stroller, talking on a phone, and ignoring his toddler who was scampering along way behind him. I had to yell it twice before he heard me and turned around. I had stopped and his boy was stopped, too, looking up at me. He scooped the baby up without saying a word to me and continued his phone conversation.

Another young mother was on the phone, too, while her toddler was wandering in the middle of the path behind her. I was approaching from in front of her, so she could see me coming. She was just too engrossed in her phone conversation. I called out, "Watch the baby! Watch the baby!" She turned and saw where the baby was, looked back at where I was, and told the baby to hold still, which the baby, to her credit, did, and I passed very slowly, just in case.

There are the same parents who ignore the many signs warning about rattle snakes, too, I guess.

And then there are the parents with their kids out on new bikes who are actively teaching them the safety rules. "Keep over to the right. Good." For those folks I'll call out "On your left!" even thought there's plenty of room, just to demonstrate what to do, and I've often heard the parents saying, "See? You call out 'On your left' when you need to pass someone." That's a nice warm-fuzzy.

Roxy

[Karma007]

Is it maybe a regional thing? In SC, it was common knowledge and lingo. Hee in CA, I don't hear it so often, and otherwise intellignet people act like I'm speaking a foreign language when I use it. I've had people move to the left, so I could pass on the right. Huh?

[Crankin]

Channluv, last year I was passed by an in-line skater going UP Oak Hill in Harvard, MA. He passed my DH, too, who was going faster than me. I heard the guy, but my brain couldn't assimilate the image, as he was also wearing a bike helmet. This is a hill that is used for training by racers, so it's not some wimpy hill! And, he was my age, not some young guy.
All of these stories reinforce why I don't ride on paths, although, we don't have many around here. We want to go on one that starts about 7 miles from my house, to go out for breakfast, but it's either going to have to be really early in the morning, like 6 AM, or after 9, to avoid the commute traffic.

[HappyTexasMom]

And then there are the parents with their kids out on new bikes who are actively teaching them the safety rules. "Keep over to the right. Good." For those folks I'll call out "On your left!" even thought there's plenty of room, just to demonstrate what to do, and I've often heard the parents saying, "See? You call out 'On your left' when you need to pass someone." That's a nice warm-fuzzy.

This is me with my son. I've been taking him out on paths and lesser traveled roads (with bike lanes and still plenty wide) so I can teach him the rules of the road. Wow, I never realized how much knowledge I just take for granted. Teaching him the different directions traffic can come from and how to look, what people are *supposed* to do (and therefore what you can generally expect, but not necessarily count on), and how to cross like a bike vs. a pedestrian. It's exhausting taking him for a ride! But so worth it.

[channlluv]

You know, the rules have changed, too, since I was a kid. When I was little, we were instructed to get off our bikes at intersections and walk across like pedestrians. That would have made any kind of in-town riding a real bore.

I'm so much more diligent about following the rules when my daughter is with me, too. And not only to be a better example for her, but doggone if she doesn't call me out when I do something wrong. Ha!

Roxy

[kfergos]

When I'm passing other riders who are reasonably far right, I use "passing on your left" (spoken as loudly and clearly enunciated as possible) to mean "stay where you are and I'll go by you."

When passing riders two widely abreast, who look unstable on their bikes, or who are individually farther left than necessary, I mean "please move to the right a bit so I can get by you." If they don't move, I'll wait behind them until it's safe and clear to pass.

When passing kids, old people, or families on multi-use trails, I usually say "Coming up behind you" from a good distance away; I definitely don't assume they know what "on your left" means (especially little kids). That gives them time to figure out what's going on and react in a way I can predict and accommodate. I also always say "Thank you," whether or not I could perceive any reaction to my calling out, because I want people to remember me as that polite cyclist who slowed down to pass, rather than that jerk who blew by at 20 mph when passing a 4-year-old on training wheels. No need to foster more cyclist-non-cyclist dissension than there already is.

I do NOT expect people to move to the right for me, unless they're unreasonably far left. When people say "On your left" to me, I generally hold my line and speed since I put myself as far right as is safe in any given situation.

Slight thread hijack: On the STP this year and last year, we were passed by hundreds of people who didn't say a word when they went by. They silently passed us, often in groups of 10 or more, and that really bugs me. After a while we started calling "Bikes back!" to the other riders in our group to warn of these stealth passers. Is it reasonable to feel irritated when people rudely pass without saying a darn thing? Is there any law that says you need to notify somebody before passing? (I doubt it; I think this is probably just common courtesy.) Especially in big group rides when you're almost always being passed and almost always passing, it seems like saying SOMETHING should be the norm for everybody.

[Geonz]

Hmmm.... it doesn't matter whether 60% or 99% of cyclists think "on your left" means "let me by."
If the first callout didn't work, and especially if the second one didn't, then I wouild assume that for whatever reason, "on your left" didn't mean "kindly let me by" to them... and I would be more explicit in my instructions.
Depending on my mindset, my tone might indicate "obviously you are an imbecile because I have to tell you this" ("Excuse me, if you will go single file for a few brief moments, then you will not be blocking the road from faster riders") or more casual & friendly ("hey, could you let me around?"... tho' perhaps iwth "that's what 'on yer left" means, ya know")
It's *really* easy for people who usually aren't jerks to temporarily reside there. I do it myself.
(But... the first time somebody said "Bikes back" on me, I'd remember "oh, how rude I was!")

[OakLeaf]

Actually, on the road, as Kenyonchris pointed out, technically a passing vehicle is supposed to audibly signal the vehicle being passed, and the vehicle being passed is required to "give way to the right."

That includes bicycles and vocal signals as well as cars and horns...