Commuting - Passing etiquette

What's everyone's opinion on the best way to pass another rider on a narrow bike path? Where I commute, I use the multi-use paths that are wide enough for about three people abreast.

My normal technique is to ring my bell (an Incredibell) when I am about two bike lengths behind the slower rider. Then I swing out and pass, without saying anything (usually because I am hammering and can't spare the breath- my commutes are my training rides, too). I try not to be one of "those guys" who never signals when passing and glides silently by everyone. When I do jog (rarely), I always hate those cyclists.

The other day, though, I went to pass a rider, rang my bell, etc., but just as I came alongside, he tried to move left since there was a jogger about 15 feet ahead of us. Our speed differential was such that I was going to be past him pretty quick, so there was no need to worry about the jogger.

Apparently, he hadn't heard my bell or didn't think it was meant for him, since he seemed surprised by my passing. He then started yelling at me that I should say "passing" as I passed him. I merely rang my bell again and pointed to my ear, as a signal that he should have heard the bell.

So what are the opinions out there about this particular situation, or passing techniques in general? A Bell? A verbal "on your left"? Both? Or perhaps a marine-grade airhorn?

You can't please all the people all the time. No matter which method you use to signal, your gonna tick someone off sooner or later. So, signal however you like.

Just be safe in your approach and pass. Thats about all you can do.

I normally use a bell with good results, and a air horn for rare emergencies. If I have little time to hit the bell I will announce my passing vocally. I like to give people plenty of time to react, and not surprise them.

It seems like you did what is reasonable and proper (ring bell as you approach). You never know who may not hear you - as there are many folks that have headphones, etc. The only additional thing you could do is anticipate the guy coming into you because of the jogger ahead. Never assume they heard the bell...

Yeah, the headphone walker is the hardest to pass because they NEVER have their walkman turned down enough to hear you and no matter how slowly or how much room you give them they still startle and get upset with you. I like to swoop in and rip off their headphones, then proceed to jump up and down on them and smash them to bits right in front of them. When they try to run away, I throw big, sharp rocks in their direction.

Seriously, though, they are the hardest to pass and the most easy to upset.

I pretty much follow the same procedure for passing with the bell and spacing and everything. It is the most effective method that I have used. Polite and succinct. If someone gets bent it's their own problem. However it does illustrate the difficulties in using a path for commuting rather than surface streets.

Sometimes other cyclists aren't so hot with good etiquette either. Once I was on a fitness path and I would slow and ring for peds and other cyclists, slow or stop at cross streets, and generally take it a little easy because some of the occasional surprise ruts and bumps. This guy on a department store bike blows by me with no warning, and then did it to a number of pedestrians. I kept catching up to him and I could tell he was getting annoyed. Everyone I passed with courtesy and the bell usually smiled and genuinely seemed to appreciate it - especially in light of this other guy's behavior. At some point I passed him and put some distance between us. I got to a major cross street (now off the path) and came to a stop as I could see traffic bearing down in both directions. I happen to notice out of my perephery that jerk rider was following pretty closely, swerved erratically when I stopped, and bolted into traffic! He nearly got hit by two cars! So he get's to the other side and starts yelling at me from across the street - "you shouldn't just stop like that!". So I tell him "you should look before you ride into traffic a--hole!". He got all puffy and pedaled his fat butt away. Gave me a chuckle for the inconvenience at least.

Uh, sorry for the rant...

I usually say 'On you left...' or 'Passing...' when passing people while commuting, because my commute bike doesn't have a bell on it. If I did, I'd consider the bell to be a perfectly acceptable alternative. I've moved away from the more traditional 'On your left' because it's become more apparent that it just confuses people and they stumble around trying to figure out which side is left and which side is right. On the bike trails I ALWAYS approach older people and kids with caution, because they seem to be more easily startled. If someone is jogging with headphones on, I usually don't even bother to announce my presence.

I am just about to give up on calling 'on your left' since so many fools on foot will swing left. Lately, I've been calling out 'rider back' early enough to give them time to make up their own minds about where to move. Let's play nice with other road & trail users, since we're all in this together.

But I often take perverse pleasure in bellowing at headphone joggers, blowing them right out of their socks.

Hehe.......

The other day, though, I went to pass a rider, rang my bell, etc., but just as I came alongside, he tried to move left since there was a jogger about 15 feet ahead of us. Our speed differential was such that I was going to be past him pretty quick, so there was no need to worry about the jogger.

Apparently, he hadn't heard my bell or didn't think it was meant for him, since he seemed surprised by my passing. He then started yelling at me that I should say "passing" as I passed him. I merely rang my bell again and pointed to my ear, as a signal that he should have heard the bell.

So what are the opinions out there about this particular situation, or passing techniques in general? A Bell? A verbal "on your left"? Both? Or perhaps a marine-grade airhorn?

If the jogger was only 15' ahead, I would have hung back until we both passed the jogger safely, even if it was physically possible for me to get by both of them. Everyone should get a decent bubble around them. Yeah, it slows me down a bit, but I slow cars down, too. And riding on the path is like driving on a two-lane highway--sometimes you just get stuck behind slower traffic for a little bit.

As to saying "passing," there is no hard and fast rule. The bell should have signaled it. If the other rider had been paying attention, he would have known to look out for you. If you say it everytime you pass anyone, you might as well put it on a continuous loop recording. But in your case, given the short distance from the runner, you probably should have said "passing" or "on your left."