What ever happened to "on your left"

[luv2climb]

Sometimes pedestrians just have to listen to what is going on around them as well.

+1000! I get sick and tired of oblivious pedestrians. They make me wish I had a big-rig horn like the one in "Pee Wee's Big Adventure".

[Reesha]

Bike bell, bike bell! I have an 'I love my bike' bell on my mountain bike because hikers share the trails around here Too bad I don't ride it all that much.

I was riding with one of my students saturday and he was really dorky about saying "slowing!" "stopping!" "hole!" and doing the hand signals etc etc and I was so proud!

[goldfinch]

I can't hear bike bells. Old hearing? Too much rock and roll? I read that instead of saying "on your left" to say "passing" as it may be less likely to cause the pedestrian to move the left.

[TsPoet]

As a common user of a MUT in the tricities (very near Yakima), I have learned to NEVER say "on your left". Even the cyclists using the multi use path don't know what that means. I just say "good morning/afternoon/evening". That works fairly well. I also slow down and watch.
So, I fully agree, something should have been said, but "on your left" is dangerous in that crowd, they just don't know what it means.
I was riding home from work with 3 guys that work on my floor just last week, and I told what I thought was a funny story about the final time I used "On your left" and these 3 guys, who have been commuting on this trail for the last 3 years - not one of them knew what "on your left" meant! I told them it was common cycling courtesy and all 3 of them - pure commuters - thought I was nuts.

[Owlie]

As polite as this city tends to be, I've had a number of close calls from the guys on tri bikes.
For pedestrians, I move left and yell "behind you!" Of course, I don't always yell, especially if I can a) pass them safely in the other lane of the trail and b) they appear to be plugged in to an iPod.* If I can't pass safely, I just slow down or stop and let the other lane clear out before I do anything. My ride today was full of dodging little kids on and off bikes, so I did a lot of that today.

If I'm not totally breathless, I whistle while riding, especially around trail access points. Gives me a non-iPod soundtrack, and lets other people know I'm there.

*I don't care if you run or walk with an iPod. I do it myself. Just turn it down so you can hear both the music and what's going on around you!

[Velocivixen]

Glad to hear that you're alright. I have a region MUP right behind my house that I often use. As a new cyclist trying to do the correct thing I would call out, "On your left" and folks tend to move to the left. After reading a post on here regarding this topic, I either ring my loud bell or say, "Hello" or "I'm behind you" and I slow down. Our parks actually have a bike speed limit, but nobody is aware of it.

[Bethany1]

It's hard when someone has headphones in. The couple of times I have had to go by a pedestrian I slow down and very cheerfully say, "I'm coming up behind you on my bike and I just didn't want to scare you". Once by, I say "Thanks!" and keep going.

I wasn't sure how to handle the guy with the iPod though.

[andtckrtoo]

Okay, I would never, ever do this, but I'm chuckling at the image of riding with one of the boat horns used on sailboats. Those things are LOUD! (have to be - walkers with iphones have nothing on speed boats with drinkers and loud music aboard). I wonder how many other trail users I'd have to pry out of tree branches.

[TsPoet]

Okay, I would never, ever do this, but I'm chuckling at the image of riding with one of the boat horns used on sailboats. Those things are LOUD! (have to be - walkers with iphones have nothing on speed boats with drinkers and loud music aboard). I wonder how many other trail users I'd have to pry out of tree branches.

you might not, but lots of people do, this sucker is ***loud*** I know lots of recumbent riders who use them.
http://www.amazon.com/Delta-Airzound.../dp/B000ACAMJC

[emily_in_nc]

I have an Air Zound on my bike but would never use it on a ped, unless it were a matter of life or death. I save it for dogs (rarely) and crazy drivers (don't use it as often as I should!)

I was riding on a MUT yesterday and started getting close to a woman walking her dog. She had NO idea I was coming up behind her. She was on the left of the MUT, dog was on the right, sniffing the grass. They were meandering along slowly. I was ever-so-slightly annoyed initially, hoping she'd get over before I had to tell her I was there, but decided that being very nice was by far the best approach. So, as I got closer to her, I said in a friendly voice "Hello! Bike coming up behind." She looked, moved right, flashed a huge smile, and said "thanks for the warning!" in a friendly way. I passed, saying "Thanks! Have a great day!"; she replied "You too!" It ended on a very upbeat note that left me in good spirits. Sometimes, I just have to remember to slow down and take a different attitude towards the encounter. By handling it in a positive manner, sure, I lost some speed, but I also lost my annoyance and came out of it feeling all warm and fuzzy.

I also like to think that I left a positive "cyclist experience" on the woman, who had probably had some that were less so (haven't we all, as pedestrians?)

Totally agree on the iPod peds, though. Very frustrating! It's not even worth trying to be nice as they normally can't hear you anyway.

[Brina]

This may be an unpopular opinion here, but I don't feel that hard core cyclists/triathletes belong on MUT at peak recreational hours. I ride on our local trails early in the morning and there are mainly serious cyclists riding at that hour. You get to 10-11 o'clock on a nice Saturday and the pedestrians are out, families cycling with little kids, etc, I don't think we should be on the trails riding 15+ mph.

[TsPoet]

This may be an unpopular opinion here, but I don't feel that hard core cyclists/triathletes belong on MUT at peak recreational hours. I ride on our local trails early in the morning and there are mainly serious cyclists riding at that hour. You get to 10-11 o'clock on a nice Saturday and the pedestrians are out, families cycling with little kids, etc, I don't think we should be on the trails riding 15+ mph.

Many MUTs have posted 15 mph signs. I think even if not posted, 15 mph is implied. So, I at least agree with you.
I'm not sure, based on reading this thread, that anyone is disagreeing with you. Even at 10 mph, bikes are still faster than walkers.

(There's a guy that rollerblades on our MUT, he takes up the whole thing and he moves fast. But, he's very nice about it. On my commute home from work, he often tucks in behind me and goes whatever speed I am going. Not sure why, we only say "hi" to each other despite the fact that he likes to "draft" me. But, that's another example of an oddity on a MUT that just has to get along!)

[Crankin]

I agree, too. We don't have a lot of MUPs here (3), but the only times I have been on them has been in the middle of the day, in the middle of the week when i am just going out for coffee, or on a cloudy-cold Sunday, when I thought there wouldn't be a lot of people. Both times there were fast riders, commuters, runners, strollers, dogs, kids. Even going slowly, I felt like I had to be on my guard so much, it's not very enjoyable. Especially, the Minuteman; it really is like a commuting road for bikes, and just like in all other forms of transportation, the closer you get to the city the more azzhole type riding you see.

[kfergos]

This may be an unpopular opinion here, but I don't feel that hard core cyclists/triathletes belong on MUT at peak recreational hours. I ride on our local trails early in the morning and there are mainly serious cyclists riding at that hour. You get to 10-11 o'clock on a nice Saturday and the pedestrians are out, families cycling with little kids, etc, I don't think we should be on the trails riding 15+ mph.

I have to agree. I use 'em for commuting, when I'm riding slowly by myself. But when I'm riding fast, or in a group, or both, multi-use trails aren't the place to be. They're dangerous for the bicyclist and the other users. Give me the road, where I can predict the other users' behavior.

I have a bell on my commuter bike, which I think may work better for people with earbuds. I know that for many people exercise is boring, and they need the distraction of music for motivation, but it's so dangerous to tune out the sounds of traffic (whatever kind of vehicle that may be)! I don't like to startle walkers, and I always try to pass as far to the left as possible, and I try to use my bell or call "coming up behind you" if it looks like "passing on your left" might be confusing; yet ultimately nothing is foolproof except avoiding trails altogether, which is a sad conclusion.

[TsPoet]

I have to agree. I use 'em for commuting, when I'm riding slowly by myself. But when I'm riding fast, or in a group, or both, multi-use trails aren't the place to be. They're dangerous for the bicyclist and the other users. Give me the road, where I can predict the other users' behavior.

This reminded me of something I hate about them - I can't tell you how many arguments I've been in from people at work telling me I don't belong on the road because there's a MUT 0.5 mile away - get off the road!
I've tried to explain to them that I don't belong there, I belong on the road.
We can't win. I love the MUT, but it isn't always the right place to be.