Ding, Ding! Bell or No?

[OakLeaf]

Do you never deal with people from other countries? It's rude to assume everyone speaks English (IMO).

I don't think it's rude at all when you're dealing with rules of the road, which encompasses pedestrians as well. We're not talking about complex communications.

When we drive - or walk - in Europe, we're expected to know and obey the road signs whether or not we understand the language (and on our first trip, some of the signs were very counterintuitive to Americans). IMO the same thing applies to people who don't speak the predominant language wherever they may be. Even assuming someone is tooling around in the middle of the lane where they're not supposed to be anyhow - so that it may be important for them to understand which side you intend to pass them on - I think the words for "right" and "left" are some of the first words anyone learns in any language, and I think it's safe to assume that even a tourist would understand those words.

Re: a bell, I've never heard of that being a requirement, but I'll take your word that it is in your state. In Ohio, there's actually a section that permits a bicycle to have a bell, as distinguished from prohibited sirens and whistles. Florida doesn't mention it. Most states have a requirement that anyone passing, in any vehicle, give an audible signal, but a verbal warning qualifies when you're riding a bike.

[Velocivixen]

My rides through both regional parks and neighborhood parks on multi-user paths dictate that we give a verbal warning that we are approaching (biker warns pedestrians) & it is also considered a courtesy.
There is a senior woman who only rides about two months out of the year and I would be walking my dogs and she would be right up on me, not saying a thing, and scare the cr*p out of me. I always had to watch for her, and finally I stopped to talk with her and gently told her that it is customary (around here), to call out. Especially to dog walkers because it can take a few seconds to get out of the way or whatever.

[Catrin]

I think it is an actual law in Indiana to have a BELL on the bike, not that everyone pays attention to that... I could be wrong, but that was what my first LBS told me.

[PamNY]

- I think the words for "right" and "left" are some of the first words anyone learns in any language, and I think it's safe to assume that even a tourist would understand those words.

Oak, I live in lower Manhattan and I have a dog. That means I give directions to tourists a lot. Many people know "left" and "right," but certainly not all.

"On your left" is confusing to native speakers sometimes; it certainly might be confusing to visitors. In my case, using the bell is simple courtesy.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

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".

[Catrin]

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.

[OakLeaf]

I think we can all agree that what peds/cyclists ahead need to be told is "Hold your freakin' line!" and/or "Single file on a two-way MUP!" But (1) it's too much for some people to comprehend, and (2) it seems rude to say it even without the expletive.

So we say something that at least has a chance of communicating to them which side we intend to pass on. I get that a lot of people can't understand it, but I don't know how else to communicate it. To someone who's walking down the middle of a lane (and I don't mean just MUPs, there are as many wrong-way runners and walkers as there are wrong-way cyclists in my area), a bell or horn doesn't even have a chance of telling them which side they're about to be passed on.

The bottom line is that no matter how important the workout or the rider we're trying to impress, unless you know that the person you're passing has acknowledged you and knows which side you're passing on, you just have to slow down to barely above the speed of the person being passed, and give them the same three feet we demand for ourselves, even if it's on a MUP and it means going into the dirt, even if it means stopping behind them and waiting until traffic clears in the next lane. Yep, it's a PITA. Especially when there's lots of traffic. But anything else is dangerous.

[PamNY]

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 agree. I never heard "on your left" till I started cycling.

Especially when I'm in a very jumbled situation and I know there are tourists -- like the esplanade/World Financial Center area or the Brooklyn Bridge -- I tend to say "Hello!" That's an English word most people know, and I hope it sounds friendly. I might use the bell as well.

Typically both the peds and I are moving slowly and they turn around to see what's up and it all works out.

I sometimes chuckle at these discussions -- with such a diverse group, we cycle in very different situations, after all. There can't possibly be a hard and fast rule that works for everyone.