"ON YOUR LEFT" we say

[emily_in_nc]

Inquiring minds want to know - Emily - were you riding the tobacco trail?? We rode it yesterday at about 4:30-5:00. Lots of kids and dogs.

Yes - our first time! We needed to go to REI so threw the mountain bikes in the Element and found the parking place off Fayetteville Rd. near 54 (Southpoint Crossing). We rode to downtown Durham and back. It will be great when it's open all the way down to New Hill. We were sorry to find that break at 54. It will be interesting to see how they manage to route it around I-40 there!

We got there around 2 pm and did the 13 miles to/from the parking lot so missed you by a couple of hours. Where do you access it from?

We had fun, but Barry doesn't like the crowds so not sure how often we'd do it since there was more "traffic" than desirable (peds, other bikes). We were surprised at the number of road crossings to stop at too. We have better riding out here where we live in rural Orange County, but it was a neat change of pace not having hills and just cruising along.

Sorry for the thread hijack....

Emily

[Blueberry]

Emily-

Weekends are really crowded on the Tobacco Trail - weekdays (if you can go after work, etc) are much better. Earlier on the weekend is good too. There used to be a night ride that left from the Bicycle Chain that I'm trying to get re-started - the trail would basically be deserted except for a large group of cyclists. It was a large enough group that I wasn't too concerned about safety, and it was a no drop ride.

It's definitely a different kind of riding from out in Orange County - I like both, it just depends on my mood...

FYI on the issue of the trail stopping at 54 (I hope it's OK to post this here) - there's a petition to speed up the building of a bridge over 40. http://www.petitiononline.com/att2/ Would be nice! I've actually ridden from my house to the trail, down the trail and over to REI, but the getting over to REI part is a little on the dangerous side (in my estimation).

[Tuckervill]

Remember in the movie, "Spanglish",...Tea Leonie is always running up her street hollering "left! left!...LEFT!!" because she's so competitive she can't bear to see anyone ahead of her.

It's hilarious. I guess everybody on that street knows what it means.

Karen

[aicabsolut]

On the multiuse trails here, it seems there are enough bikers that people understand "on your left." But I've had to give the occasional "LOOK OUT" or "Heads up!" when in a panicked situation..usually requiring repeating the phrase several times until someone gets a clue or I can run off in the grass. Heads up is a phrase stuck in me from a crowded equestrian warmup area. It was really special when an apparently non-English speaking tourist kept crossing the path to take pictures of his wife by the water. Once I observed another biker yell several phrases at him. And then he did the same thing to me!

I often say thank you, in case I sound too mean. But c'mon, I'm a new biker with less than expert handling skills. I'll also appologize if I do something dumb and get in someone's way.

[Kano]

I think of Spanglish when we're on the bike/walking/jogging path too!

One day, as I passed a family with a cheery "on your left -- Hi there!" young son asked daddy, why does everybody say that? And daddy explained that's so we know that they're passing, son -- learning early!!!

Karen in Boise

[HipGnosis6]

I use a bell. It's cheery and more likely to be heard than me trying to shout something at some poor pedestrian. I could care less if people think it's dorky.

Once in a while you get people who act like they don't realize you're ringing that bell AT THEM or who slow and look around as if they've never heard such a thing before. For the former, I will THEN call out "passing on your left!". For the latter, I just shout "Bicycle!" and smile at them and ring the bell more as I go by.

[DarcyInOregon]

Once in a while you get people who act like they don't realize you're ringing that bell AT THEM or who slow and look around as if they've never heard such a thing before. For the former, I will THEN call out "passing on your left!". For the latter, I just shout "Bicycle!" and smile at them and ring the bell more as I go by.

At least 50% of the time when I ring my bell, the people ahead of me look up into the trees. I guess they can't tell the difference between the sound of a songbird and the sound of a bike bell. I yell out too. I could yell out all the time, but I really like ringing the bell, makes me feel like a kid again.

Darcy