I have a bell on my bike as it is a legal requirement in some of the countries I cycle in. I occasionally use it, but usually if I feel the need to ring a bell, it's more effective to shout some sort of robust anglo saxon at the moron involved.
On a recent commute through Vondelpark, which is a large wide shared use path (think 10+m wide), with a steady stream of pedestrians, cyclists, skaters, scooters, the occasional bromer, etc... I was cycling along, on the aero bars (because I'm an idiot), and there was a guy on skates doing a slalom like route right across the path, it was a real pain to try and judge and position for where he was. As he went to the right I tried to pass to his left, and he changed direction to go straight across my front. I slammed on the anchors as fast as I could given the position change, and told him something along the lines of "I say old chap, would one consider perhaps the benefits of straight lines", or words to that effect, and even tho the only reason he wasn't splatted across the road alongside me was because of my fast reactions, he seemed oblivious to it. I wonder if one of those who cycles a poorly maintained bike, with shit brakes, and does so with no hands, will eventually smack into him.
The other one that is very common in the same park on the return leg at night, are dog walkers who make a point of covering their pup in lights, make sure they have lights on their arms/body. But nothing on the 10m long black garrote that is invisibly connecting the bundle of claws and teeth at one end, and the grumpy human at the other. Esp when they let said bundle of teeth and claws range to the opposite side of the very busy shared use path...
In general tho the locals are pretty good at handling close passes. The tourists however...
J