bluejack

When I am on call, I *need* to be responsive, and carry the cell phone in a place where I can (A) hear it, and (B) pull over and answer the call or call right back. This is a clear cut arrangement: if I'm on call I understand the expectations, and agree to them.

This does not sound like your scenario. If an employer has an unreasonable expectation of availability, then you need to reset those expectations or, presumably, find work elsewhere. I do think that American business has taken advantage of the American worker pretty seriously over time: it's bad management, ultimately counter-productive, and contributes to the deterioration in everyone's quality of life -- including the employer's!

Complaining to us isn't going to change it though. Employees need to be clear: I will do this; I won't do that. If there's enough unhappiness over this clarity, maybe you need to find employment somewhere else. If the employer is abusive enough, maybe you need to seek recourse within your company's human resources department, or even at court. A successful outcome is entirely about setting clear expectations, and if the manager is too incompetant, then it's on you. Sad but true.

Of course, a successful, competant, hard-working employee can get an incompetant manger fired: and incompetant managers know this.

Banzai

I second most of the messages here! (24 hr connection, etc. I mean, how very irritating!) Because we have this instant communication, does that mean we have no time that is our own? Are we obligated now to communicate with other people for all their little needs? I remember being at a store once, and I had forgotten to silence my ringer. Well, it rang, and I pulled it out of my pocket, shut it off, and dropped it back without even a glance. The clerk looked at me and asked: "Aren't you going to see who it is?" I replied: "No, I don't care. If it's important, I'll get a message, or a call later." The clerk looked at me like I had two craniums, and muttered something about impolite. Impolite? I thought talking on my phone whilst trying to conduct a transaction was impolite!
Anyhow, even in my job, my time is my time. The only thing anyone better ever call me at home for is national emergencies.

Banzai

Or beer. People from work can call me if there's beer involved. I'll accept that.

sydney_b

too funny

naane

I think using the cellphone may be illegal in places where you cannot use a non-hands-free cellphone in a moving vehicle, NY state, e.g. In any case, it is enough of a distraction even while driving; IMO, biking takes far more concentration and road awareness than driving. Additionally, in non-urban areas, complete cellphone coverage is also not a given, which is a convenient excuse sometimes

If it really becomes a necessity, a bluetooth cellphone with a wireless headset may not be a bad choice (if you can fit one in a helmet!)

bigfatdud

I saw one cyclist on the trail yesterday with a phone. I'm pretty sure she was typing a message or something, cause she was punching and she wasn't looking ahead for a long long time. Talking is one thing, but typing a message on a bike? hmmm...

noisebeam

I work in a cell phone dominated environment, but I don't have one so there is not expectation to reach me at any moment. I do have a pager which works great because people only use it when there is really a need. I am able to conduct business as effectively (if not more) than my peers.

Al

PaulH

While running an errand today, my secretary phoned me to let me know that the issue I was rushing to solve had been resolved and that I could return to the office. It really was no problem to stop and answer my cell. It would be hard to use the thing while riding.

Paul

Banzai

So the real question is...is this thread REALLY so thought provoking (and who doesn't have a cell phone gripe...) or are Miss Gilbert's threads forever destined to become popularly trafficked after the picture she posted up a few days back? And which side of that argument am I on, you ask? Well, that's for me to know!

JF1

When I posted earlier I neglected to add that although I have been called while out riding, I always stop before answering. Frankly, I don't think I'm talented enough to talk on a phone and ride a bike, bad things will happen.

Hey banzai,

Where do you ride? I do most of my miles from Bountiful up to Layton and sometimes Syracuse.

powerhouse

If people expect you to talk on a cell phone while you're riding your bike are a bunch of idiots. If you do ride and talk on the phone, you're only courting danger and possibly a death wish.

powerhouse

I don't know about anyone else, but I don't own a cell phone because I don't need one.

jhedges3

I disagree with the sentiment expressed here, as well as in other posts that, for example, express pride at the lack of a cell phone or point out that other forms of communication predated it.

Endangering themselves and others. Sure. I wouldn’t argue that in the mean simultaneous biking and talking on a cell phone increases the probability that bad things will happen. In other words, subdividing one’s finite attention further increases the likelihood that any one of those tasks that a person is engaged in goes wrong, here the consequences of that could include serious injury. But my guess is that the risk of injury would only change significantly for you, not for others. Although you might be more likely to crash into a pedestrian or another rider the most likely scenario seems that you would either hit another car or that you’d hit a stationary object.

If the change in risk with cell-phoning-while-biking is mostly just for you, the rider, I don’t care much either way. You want to hurt yourself that’s fine by me. Aren’t we supposed to be the land of the free, the free to do many things while riding a bike.

Plus the stuff about, I don’t even need a cell phone, or communication occurred before their arrival. Is this not some sort of generational inertia, some resistance to evolution and advancement, to assimilation?

I’m overjoyed that there are no longer any living people from generations sentimentally lamenting the end of days where communications occurred by bird, by smoke, by another person on foot, on bike, on horseback. That is of course if there ever were such days.

In curiosity, is there also a correlation where the people opposing cell phones are connecting via 14.4 modems and those who are not are all cable or DSL?

LóFarkas

Wake up, people! All the bosses and secretaries have every reason to be pissed when you don't answer! It is really rude to leave the phone switched on let it ring, keeping somebody waiting pointlessly at the other end of the line, probanly several times as well. If it's not your obligation to be available at a certain time, and you don't want to, switch the damn cell phone off and don't be a jerk to everyone who might call. You know, you just have to push a button. Do I need to show which?

Edit: yes, I know some people do have a brain and use on/of buttons. I was referring to the guys who "pack the phone away" and ignore pager messages. If you allowed it to ring, answer as well.

pedex

Im a messenger, my cell phone is how my customers contact me. Typical conversation takes about 5 seconds.My customers worry more about me riding and talking than I do, and if its gonna be a few minutes I pull over, no big deal.Sometimes you have to make a mad dash for somewhere quiet, the city is noisy enough that in some places you cant hear anyway.

You can ride a bike one handed or even no handed, considering all the other risks associated with what I do, cell phone usage isnt even a blip on my radar.

Cyclist0383

All my clients are given the same special, really obninious, ring tone. If I hear that I pull over and speak with them. They usually tell me they will be late for our meeting. Thanks for letting me know!

Banzai

Pedex: My message about cell phone use wasn't actually particularly concerning the safety/ability part of it...simply that my time is sacred, even my commute time (especially on my bike!) Time is the most important thing we have...how many people, near the twilight of their life, will look back and think; "I wish I'd spent more time at work." If your cell phone is part of your job, and your bike is part of your job, well then, my point wasn't even addressing that situation: that's not "your" time, per se. Of course your customers will call you, and of course you'll stop to talk. But when it is your time, why would you ever NEED to answer that phone?

Joe F: I do most of my miles from Roy to Hill AFB in my commute (about 9.5 mi each way). I also do the "Antelope island run" and some of the roads up in Ogden canyon by the Starlight bar and grill sometimes.

jharte

I admit. I carry one. My wife gets mad when I 'take the long way home' from work.

Last year she called the police and tried to file a missing persons report. I rode the MS150 and 'took the long way home' (add 60mi) and didn't tell anyone. She bought me a phone.

However, I will say that when it does ring, I don't answer it. I watch it ring, watch it stop ringing, find a nice nook to stop and take a break. Check messages. Call home.

A very predictable routine for me. Fairly acceptable for the wife.

BTW, home is the only number I pay any attention to. Most everyone else will just have to wait.

Quickbeam

Very well said Rick. I hate cell phones! I admit I do have one and I carry it my messenger bag on my commute. It's turned off until I get to work and I only carry it in case I need to make an emergency call. It's ridiculous to think that someone should be available 24/7 or to think that you need to be available 24/7. If someone gets upset because they couldn't reach me on my cell that's just too f'ing bad! People ask me "why do you have a cell if you don't have it turned-on half the time?" And I tell them that I carry it in case I need to make a call, not so people can bother me 24 hours a day. I don't want to be one of those dicks yapping on their cell phone in public for everyone to hear. The impression that it gives me is that it makes them feel important or something.

bluejack

Cell phones are a fantastic invention, a terrific tool.

As a culture, we have not yet sorted out the cultural norms of their use.

I think there are safety issues for both cyclists and drivers, and it works both ways:

We need to determine how much risk we're willing to accept. If a cyclist crashes in traffic, it can be a hazard to motorists who may swerve to avoid the crash. The only time I've ever had an accident on a bicycle it was cell phone related (yeah, I was the idiot), and it was just luck that I was not more seriously hurt and that no motorists were hurt trying to avoid me.

A cyclist holding a cell phone is a double risk: divided attention and reduced control. A hands free setup is not quite so bad.

As for the whole politeness issue, you know, it's an open question, and it varies greatly by the line of work people are in. One thing that is interesting is the fact that people seem to shout into cell phones. For the vast majority of phones it's simply not necessary. Anyone having any conversation at the top of their lungs is generally considered obnoxious and rude. Next time you're on a cell phone try whispering. Try murmering. Try talking like it's just a telephone. Because usually, it is.

But even then, when is appropriate to take a call, and when is it not: if you are at a restaurant with friends, do you take a call? Do you sit at the table and jabber? Do you excuse yourself? etc. etc. etc. There are all kinds of situations in which we will gradually work out what is polite and what is not, and it may well be that different communities will arrive at different norms, and the sophisticated user will be able to switch gracefully between communities, correctly observing the local norms.

raleigh_fan

All this reminds me of a story I once heard about a young farmer and an old farmer who were talking. The old farmer's phone began to ring, but he just ignored it and kept talking. Eventually the young farmer interrupted and said, "Aren't you going to get that?" "Nope," replied the old farmer. "I got that thing for my convenience."

Do you control your phone or does your phone control you?

biodiesel

You could get a headset and talk hands free...

But i'd say just keep riding. Work is work. Life is life. People get too nuts about work.

Quickbeam

Exactly! My company does pay for my cell phone bill (now that I think about it) but I told them up front that the fact that they're paying my bill doesn't mean that I'm going to be available to them 24/7. And that if that's what they think, I'll pay for my own cell phone.

cruentus

If you really need to have your cell handy while riding, you may find this useful.

https://www.topeak.com/products/bag_006.html