ding-a-ling

I just can't win...

Sunny Saturday two weeks ago, and I'm semi-drafting a young fellow on a
newish MTB with brown SPD shoes and a camel-bak cycling quickly on the
Yarra trail, from the pedestrian/bike bridge from Burnley-Heyington to
where Victoria Street, Richmond turns into Barkers Road, Hawthorn.

Because it's a nice day, there are families out strolling or riding
bikes together, people jogging, or walking their pooches, as they have
every right to do. I'm dinging my bell on my commuter bike as I go round
all the blind corners behind him, and sometimes going "rarf rarf"
-- insert *.wav file me doing a fairly good impersonation
[indoganation?] of a dog's woof" --
because humans react to bicycle bells, but dogs don't.

And this fellow yells at me for dinging my bell as we go round blind
corners on a shared path! What's with that? Oh, per-leeze? (and so on...)

Of course, I told him he was a selfish dickhead, and [insult deleted due
to the recent Federal Election result] and an [insult deleted due to the
recent Federal Election result].

So: rainy Sunday today in Melbourne, and I'm working out my new
ride-home-from-work route, and testing my wet-weather gear...
Just as after I'm crossing that bridge from Victoria Park to Fairfield
from the Merri Creek path onto the Yarra path, I say "woof-woof", and
the dog of the pedestrians coming the other way looks at me, and then
trots happily past me on the other side of the bridge. But the dog's
people shuffle unhappily by my granny-gear moving bike, and call back to
me, "you should have a bell".

I can't win...

xxx

"fred nieman" wrote in message
...
I just can't win...

Yup.... I usually say "passing on the right/left" only to have people go
_in_ that direction if they move at all! I end up swerving to miss them and
have, so far, managed to do so, but feel it's only a matter of time.

Said "passing..." once and the woman said "you should use your bell". If I
use the bell, nobody moves; it's a shared path fer-fvck-sake!


--
Alan Erskine
We can get people to the Moon in five years,
not the fifteen GWB proposes.
Give NASA a real challenge

Alan Erskine wrote:

Yup.... I usually say "passing on the right/left" only to have people go
_in_ that direction if they move at all! I end up swerving to miss them and
have, so far, managed to do so, but feel it's only a matter of time.

Said "passing..." once and the woman said "you should use your bell". If I
use the bell, nobody moves; it's a shared path fer-fvck-sake!

This has already been discussed hasn't it?

Basically, in my experience, if people don't move with a verbal "beep beep"
or "passing", they're not going to move at all.

But never mind, I use the air horns in those cases. :-)
--
Linux Registered User # 302622 http://counter.li.org

Fred Nieman wrote:
But the dog's people shuffle unhappily by my granny-gear moving bike,
and call back to me, "you should have a bell".

In article ,
lid says...
Alan Erskine wrote:


Said "passing..." once and the woman said "you should use your bell". If I
use the bell, nobody moves; it's a shared path fer-fvck-sake!

Basically, in my experience, if people don't move with a verbal "beep beep"
or "passing", they're not going to move at all.

But never mind, I use the air horns in those cases. :-)


I think we have all encountered the smart arse pedestrian.

Is worthwhile to have your bell, which I use discretionally anyway, but
more importantly have an air horn so when you do get a "should use your
bell", you casually loop back around behind them and then let rip with
the air horn.

Would be good to get your own back in such a subtle way

Cheers Ray

Ray wrote:

I think we have all encountered the smart arse pedestrian.

Is worthwhile to have your bell, which I use discretionally anyway, but
more importantly have an air horn so when you do get a "should use your
bell", you casually loop back around behind them and then let rip with
the air horn.

Would be good to get your own back in such a subtle way

I'm on a recumbent, I originally bought the air horns because I was doing a
fair bit of road commuting at the time, and needed something with a little more
"oomf" than a bell to let cars know I'm there.

Turned out that pedestrians are by far more of a problem than cars.
--
Linux Registered User # 302622 http://counter.li.org

"ruff ruff", That's what I'm gonna be using from this point on
Ruff-ruff.

-T'was fun MTBing at westgate Sunday in such inclement weather, sa
they bunted off part of the single track that lay 1 foot under wate
(and mud), but the rest of the course seemed 'proving' enough. The pun
was out this weekend too, due to fire on board.

--
Marx SS

Alan Erskine wrote:

Said "passing..." once and the woman said "you should use your bell". If I
use the bell, nobody moves; it's a shared path fer-fvck-sake!

This seems to vary around Australia. In Perth, there are lots of signs
on the paths "cyclists please ring bell when passing", so it becomes
a reasonable expectation. And if enough cyclists do it, pedestrians
will generally respond without having to think. It can task a while
for the brain to process the significance of a yell from behind,
even worse a dog noise.
Dogs off-leash on a shared path are a big NO, and will earn the
owner a lecture. Thats here. YMMV, as the yanks say.

"fred nieman" wrote in message
...

And this fellow yells at me for dinging my bell as we go round blind
corners on a shared path! What's with that? Oh, per-leeze? (and so
on...)

snip

from the Merri Creek path onto the Yarra path, I say "woof-woof", and
the dog of the pedestrians coming the other way looks at me, and then
trots happily past me on the other side of the bridge. But the dog's
people shuffle unhappily by my granny-gear moving bike, and call back to
me, "you should have a bell".

My bell gets regular use on the bike paths usually with a good response
(though on last weekend's tour to the Brisbane Ranges, the excess moisture
made it just go 'tink'. Lucky it was a road trip). But often some
pedestrians, usually walking three wide, are just on another planet and it
takes a "ding, ding, ding, DING!" to get their attention then it's "Oh it's
a bike, oh sorry."

One trick I used before I fitted a bell was simply to ride along the path
whistling (usually very badly) and people nearly always picked up on this
without feeling insulted or stressed. It's a good strategy to use in
conjuction with the bell. Ride along and whistle a little tune as you
approach, flick the bell 30-40 metres back, then again more stridently if
there's no response. Often the whistling on it's own will save you having to
ring the bell.

As for the MTB rider who bagged you for using a bell, he's just a stuck up
f%$&ing tosser!

Cheers
Peter

Peter Signorini Wrote:


As for the MTB rider who bagged you for using a bell, he's just a stuc
up
f%$&ing tosser!

Cheers
Peter

Our thoughts exactly. In the words of one of Alexi Sayles lesser know
characters, Sod yers!

Ok, stupid ped story time. Riding to work on Cup Day (ok, get pai
270%, more than I'd win on the race anyway), spinning up Gertrud
towards Fitzroy, encounter several drunk & aggro peds who decide t
give chase.

With the cries of "giveusalift yaf*****whatever" ringing in my ears,
turn around, and can't help but notice two of them have tripped an
virtually fallen face first on the road. Oh dear oh dear oh dear.

Riding home in the afternoon, after first negotiating my way out o
North Melbourne past more underdressed but intoxicated peds. Return t
Gertrude St through the drizzle. Now a mildly clueless ped decides t
step off the kerb outside the Builders, in front of moi, and a ca
alongside. Sound the AirZound2. The ped literally sails backwards ont
the kerb, a tad like a manga/action sequence....

Anyway I reckon I did the poor sod a community service, no nast
accident involving either the 1). ped 2). cyclist 3). motorist 4). al
three.

Very much doubt the ped saw it like that though. :rolleyes

--
cfsmtb

As for the MTB rider who bagged you for using a bell, he's just a stuc
u
f%$&ing tosser

Cheer
Peter
(MP3 Player set to replay + MP3 voice recording of "f%$&ing tosser" + 12
Amp with battery pack) all in backpack + speaker mounted on handlebar wit
switch = effective ****** warning device

somewhere at the back of my mind I recall that it is illegal to us
amplified voice as a warning device but I can't remember the specific la

...but wouldn't it be nice sometimes...

Steve

--
SteveA