"On Your Left" in Everyday Life

[kfergos]

If I recall my Road I safety training, it's good to be:

Predictable
Visible
Alert
Polite

When I thought about this, I can apply this to many areas of life. I found there were things I did in the car - out of habit - that violated these simple rules.

Mr. Silver, props for this observation. Too true.

I try to always say "On your left" in a polite tone or, equally often, "Coming up behind you," which is long enough to let the passee process the fact that (a) I'm behind them; (b) they need to move; and (c) which direction to move when passing people on a bike, but this hasn't rolled over into the rest of my life.

I do, however, have to squash the urge to signal right or left when walking through the maze of hallways at work. I suspect that hand-signaling would just get weird, uncomprehending looks. Personally, I think it'd work better if everybody DID signal -- avoid all those near-collisions that happen when you try to guess where somebody's going.

[Aint Doody]

On our ride this past weekend (CROC) I heard a woman who'd just been passed by the aforementioned elistist cyclist yell---OH! WERE YOU ON MY LEFT? I also heard another woman at a different ride in the same situation yell, "I'm on your right!" Why can't they say something? Are they just too cool?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

On our ride this past weekend (CROC) I heard a woman who'd just been passed by the aforementioned elistist cyclist yell---OH! WERE YOU ON MY LEFT? I also heard another woman at a different ride in the same situation yell, "I'm on your right!" Why can't they say something? Are they just too cool?

I either call out "On your right!!" or "Thanks for the heart attack!" when roadies zoom by me without warning.

[latelatebloomer]

Just did a very crowded bike path ride with a guy who just bought a hybrid, and found that "bikes on your left!" got people stepping to the right and out of our way.

For the winter indoor training group, the spin bikes are packed close together. One night I was weaving thru and came alongside a super triathlete who was talking with his hands. "on your left, Tony" said I - then chortled - "that'll be the only time I ever get to say that!" bless him, he said, "hey, you never know...."