Cycling Mikey in court as a witness

[ian]

I don't think a cyclist has ever shouted that to me on a pavement, but honestly, I don't encounter many pavement cyclists and the majority seem to be under-5 or adolescent ASBOs on nicked Santander Bikes working through the A-Z of anti-sociality.

It was common on the Tour de CS7 though and a fantastically annoying way to learn you'd just been overtaken with a millimetre to spare by some grunting bloke completing a strava segment. I feed them to cabbies. They've got to keep those rotund bellies topped up somehow.

[L CC]

'Don't be a Dick' seems to be a hard guideline to follow for all sorts of folks on all sorts of transport.

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

Usually call out 'bike behind'.  Then wait to see which way they go.  If there are two they often bump into each other as part of the decision making process.

[Cudzoziemiec]

I've found that on occasions when the entire path is occupied by a large straggling group of walkers, all chatting away, they don't hear the bell, they don't hear 'excuse me' but they do hear 'ping ping'.

I wonder if they'd hear a bluetooth speaker... 

[ian]

I assume all pedestrians have a pair AirPods or similar embedded in their conches and proceed accordingly. If I had to slow down, it was for a few seconds, and the interaction is best ended with a cheery smile and a 'good day.'

I'm never sure where people are rushing too, but if it's that important, they should have left earlier.

[The Family Cyclist]

I've found that on occasions when the entire path is occupied by a large straggling group of walkers, all chatting away, they don't hear the bell, they don't hear 'excuse me' but they do hear 'ping ping'.

I wonder if they'd hear a bluetooth speaker... 

Round our way the main shared use but split painted path is so badly faded it's not easy to tell which side you should be on. They spray painted bikes on the appropriate side a few years back but they're long faded/washed away.

I did email the council offering to repaint but apparently they're assessing the path for repair currently but I'd be amazed if they have the funds to replace or resurface a couple of miles of path

[fimm]

I find I get fewer bad interactions if I use a bell than if I don't. A cheerful "Excuse me, could I come by?" has been met with a grumpy "Where's your bell?" enough times for me to just ring the bell.
I find it is better to ring from further back than you think and keep pinging gently* until I am sure I have been noticed.

* ping ... ... ping ... ... ping ... ... ping ..." not "PINGPINGPINGPINGPING"

[woollypigs]

There's six ways to deal with other traffic on a shared path like a canal towpath.

1/ Ring bell
2 Don't ring bell
3/ Say a cheery hello and a thank you or other nice words
4/ Be grumpy and say something random, moaning about them and their dog not getting out of the way enough for your to move past safely
5/ Stay behind and wait until there's a nice safe place to pass or they or you can leave the path or they notice you
6/ Keep riding and squeezes past

No matter how you do it either in a singular or a combo of the option above you get :

People jumping out of their skins, walking into each other, if there 1+ on the path in front. (I have seen walk into themselves as in around in circles, trying to step out of their own way, in pure panic), while saying that you should have done the exact opposite to what you have done. Or something like telling you to use your <insert one or more of the above options from above>, when you have been doing that <said option, like a gentle "ping ... ... ping ... ... ping ... ... ping" for the last 100m> as you got closer and closer.

Where I have had best success, is when cycling towards someone, slowing down, sometimes even come to a stop and have said a cheery good day today to them. Though this isn't always a full on guarantee that they would not moan about what you have done, wrong side of the path, should have waited in the gab up 100m behind you, asking where my bell is or just walk straight into me.

For many I do think walking on a shared path, especially a towpath, is like owning a BWM. To be able to use either you have to hand your brain in.

Though that said there;s a few who sees you in good time and make room even before you get your finger on the bell. But it is mostly the above.

And don't you dare to try to get a Strava record on a towpath in peak path use time, people walking on foot have right of way (even if it isn't in the rulz, it's just polite) That goes to bike riders and runners. There's plenty of users who can't get out of the way fast enough, old people, kids, people with dogs etc and since you are so close to water many users don't feel as safe and stable as you and your team trying to beat the ast KOM.

This should be a mantra

'Don't be a Dick' seems to be a hard guideline to follow for all sorts of folks on all sorts of transport.

[Kim]

I have seen walk into themselves as in around in circles, trying to step out of their own way, in pure panic

I had a group of pedestrians do a full Gay Gordons in front of me last week, ending up more or less in the same position that they started.  At least they saw the funny side.

[ian]

It's weird that people in the UK have confused the reflex of finding a cyclist behind us with that of a hungry stalking tiger. We're probably pretty chill with finding a tiger in our wake.

I blame Empire.

[Kim]

It's interesting to compare pedestrians' reactions to those of horses...

[DaveReading]

If you're visually impaired or blind you are not walking anywhere.

That's right - you tell 'em !

[ian]

If you're visually impaired or blind you are not walking anywhere.

That's right - you tell 'em !

They're a menace to other pavement users.

[tonycollinet]

My Strategy.

Ring bell from a distance 3 times (ping - pingping). Repeat if no obvious response.

Assuming response and passing from behind - "just passing on your left/right" as I arrive.

Assuming no response slow to walking pace and "good morning/afternoon" normally gets an apology.

Always thanks on passing if they've made any sort of effort to create space.

Confrontational passes are rare.

[Cudzoziemiec]

I assume all pedestrians have a pair AirPods or similar embedded in their conches and proceed accordingly. If I had to slow down, it was for a few seconds, and the interaction is best ended with a cheery smile and a 'good day.'

I'm never sure where people are rushing too, but if it's that important, they should have left earlier.

A few minutes riding at walking speed behind a group spread out across the Railway Path. I don't know about the other cyclist there but I hadn't left earlier because I wasn't in a rush. I don't think anyone said 'good day' but there were about 8 smiles.

[Jaded]

I try different things.

"Ding ding!"
"Good morning"
"Hi, bicycle!"

if they have ear covering noise cancellers - I tend just to ride on by.

[Kim]

I reckon the headphone users (especially runners) are less likely to startle than the group chatters.

[rogerzilla]

It's interesting to compare pedestrians' reactions to those of horses...

Cyclists need to learn to kick harder.

[Nuncio]

"Ding ding!"

"Ding dong"s available now. It would be right and proper to deliver it in the same style as the late Leslie Philips.

[Jurek]

"Ding ding!"

"Ding dong"s available now. It would be right and proper to deliver it in the same style as the late Leslie Philips.

I had exactly the same thought just now.

[Tim Hall]

"Ding ding!"

"Ding dong"s available now. It would be right and proper to deliver it in the same style as the late Leslie Philips.

I had exactly the same thought just now.

That's what  I said in the Leslie Philips thread.