Pedestrian called 999 to report me cycling on a cycle path...

[Serge]

I must be so chilled it's a wonder I don't fall off - my method is to slow down to their pace, make no noise whatsoever, and wait as long as it takes till they register my presence. Sometimes it can take as long as 10 or 11 seconds.

Ha ha! I do that too, I think I'm far too polite for my own good.

 

[Threevok]

Ha ha! I do that too, I think I'm far too polite for my own good.

After about 45 seconds I get bored and start back-peddalling my Hope freewheel

It's a great way to find out who's afraid of bees/wasps

 

[Apollonius]

One of the main ways in which the cyclist is superior to the motorist is that the cyclist retains his/her humanity. You are just a normal human being using a machine. Humans have voices by which they communicate using words. This is important.

 

[winjim]

If you're going fast enough then even if you clip them, your forward momentum should be sufficient to keep you upright on the bike.

 

[DM23]

[QUOTE 5355721, member: 43827"]I have spent time on choosing bells for what I think is the right tone.[/QUOTE]
Until I got my latest bike I never realised how important the actual sound of the bell is.

I've always had those little bells before that just make a ping noise and found them pretty useless as many pedestrians either don't hear them or just don't associate the ping sound with a bike. So you inevitably startle them even though you've pinged the bell several times as you approach.

My new bike came with a bell that makes an old fashioned ring ring sound - I was going to remove it and replace with one of the smaller ping bells (because its not very pretty).....until I noticed that pedestrians almost always hear it and recognise it as a bike approaching. So I decided to keep it as its much more effective and I think it sounds more cheerful and friendly.

When I'm walking I'd much prefer to hear a bell than someone calling out....especially if I'm talking to someone because I'm unlikely to hear what was called out. Whereas the sound of a bike bell tends to cut through conversations and background noise.

 

[Salty seadog]

If you're going fast enough then even if you clip them, your forward momentum should be sufficient to keep you upright on the bike.

 

[Drago]

Having a bell gives you the moral high ground and removes their opportunity for dumb "bell-less" comments.

My .99p Wilko bell did break recently on the towpath, it gets a lot of action, but I think it was 5 years or so old............

I don't need a moral high ground. I need people to move aside, and a polite "excuse me please" does the trick.

If someone thinks such a form of address is rude, you'll never take the moral high ground from them, so why try? Why even care what that sort of chump thinks?

 

[Mugshot]

[QUOTE 5355735, member: 43827"]What do you say, and how far away and how loudly do you say it?[/QUOTE]
I generally say;
"Excuse me, would it be ok if I came past please?"
Oddly, no one has ever said "No".

 

[Mugshot]

I feel that being impersonal is probably a good thing - there's no need to get personal over people walking on cycleways!

Maybe herein lies the difference. Whilst I'm not looking to make friends I quite enjoy those little social interactions with fellow human beings, a smile, a nod, a wave and a thank you all helps the human race rub along more amiably with each other. I'm all for that.

 

[Salty seadog]

I generally say;
"Excuse me, would it be ok if I came past please?"
Oddly, no one has ever said "No".

Good grief muggers, if I knew it was you I'd have clotheslined you....

 

[Andy in Germany]

It's all well and good until you're driving, can't use a cycleway that you often do and it takes a while to figure out how to get there...

Wore when you're giving directions. I generally don't now because I know my local area in detail as a cyclist but I'm only aware of where roads join in a very abstract way.

 

[Andy in Germany]

Why a bell, when I have a perfectly serviceable voice that is many times louder and maintenance free?

Here, it's because that's what is legally required, although I'll also ask if I think the situation requires it.

 

[mjr]

Maybe herein lies the difference. Whilst I'm not looking to make friends I quite enjoy those little social interactions with fellow human beings, a smile, a nod, a wave and a thank you all helps the human race rub along more amiably with each other. I'm all for that.

You do not have to take a vow not to do any of those things just because you have a bell! Here's a radical idea: let's use all the useful tools, including bells...

 

[Mugshot]

You do not have to take a vow not to do any of those things just because you have a bell! Here's a radical idea: let's use all the useful tools, including bells...

It wasn’t me that said being impersonal was a good thing.

 

[DaveReading]

I find that using both my voice and my bell succeeds in annoying the maximum proportion of pedestrians.