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Warning: your bike bell does almost nothing on a shared path, and I learned that the hard way on the Bay Trail
Riding home Tuesday on the Bay Trail near the SFO overlook, I rang my bell at a guy walking with earbuds. Nothing. Rang again from maybe 20 feet out. He stepped left right into my line and I had to swerve onto the grass. Bruised my shin on the pedal, no big deal, but it got me thinking.
I started counting on my ride this week. Of 14 people I belled at, maybe 4 moved. The rest either didn't hear it or couldn't tell where it came from. Bells are high pitched and quiet past 15 feet, and half of us are wearing one earbud ourselves so we don't hear the reaction either.
What actually works for me now is a loud voice, "on your left," from way back, then the bell as a backup. Sounds dumb but the voice carries and people can tell which direction it's coming from. I know some folks think yelling is rude. I'd rather be rude than clip a dog walker.
So what's your move on shared paths? Bell only, voice, or do you just slow way down and say nothing? I'm curious what actually works for people in busy spots.
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eva_ward887d ago
The voice thing works way better than people want to admit. I call out "on your left" from like 50 feet back, then again closer if they still haven't moved, and I keep the bell for when someone's actually looking my way. One thing that helps a ton is calling it early and then going quiet so they don't get startled twice. Also slow down before you pass, not during, because if you wait till you're on them it's already too late.
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