Quote Originally Posted by BleeckerSt_Girl View Post
Though some folks on bikes know what it means, most pedestrians have no clue what "On your left" means. Why should they? I too never heard it until I started being a cyclist.
Mostly what they hear is "mumble mumble LEFT!" anyway, and they obediently jump to their left.

Much better to call out "Bicycle!", "Nice day!" or "Passing you!". I think calling out just about anything is better than "On your left".
I tend to only say this on the rare occasions I am actually passing another cyclist. That does't happen very often. For pedestrians I generally say something like "Good Morning", "Coming up behind you" or anything else that comes to my mind. They generally thank me and, so far, have not jumped in front of me

I've a friend who does not literally know her right from her left - so I think about her. She knows her cardinal directions, and is a Visiting RN who does a great job - but her brain really stumbles over "right" and "left". She has to stop and think it. Something about how her brain works, so even if English is someone's first language, they still may not realize what you are saying for a few seconds.