Yeah, it works. When I would attend world championships & international cycling events (as a spectator!), the Belgian amateurs would show up with bells attached to their frame pumps. There must be some law in Belgium that requires bells on bicycles. So when they're racing, they just remove the frame pump (which is normal anyway) and they lose the bell. So I've got a small bell attached to my frame pump. It's out of the way, but still easy to work. I use it on peds on the MUPs, especially if they've got dogs, and I have been thanked by dogwalkers on more than one occasion. The bell is very non-threatening; it doesn't send the same "get outta my way" message that a car horn does.

When I raced in Mexico, I noticed that most of the racers had cultivated the ability to whistle thru their teeth. We'd go on these huge group rides along Insurgentes in Mexico City on Sunday morning, and the Mexicans could whistle loud and sharply enough to warn motorists and peds that they were about to pass. If you can't already do this, it's a skill worth learning. I whistle when I'm approaching slower cyclists, but the whistle is really useful when you need to give a quick warning and you don't have time to hit the bell. You need to be able to whistle thru your teeth without using your fingers, and it needs to be a crisp, piercing sound. But once you get it, it really works!

And when I was heavily into cross-country ski racing, we'd always shout "track" when we needed to pass. But I always figured that the onus was on the faster (overtaking) skier to make sure the pass was done safely. Because in most cases, the overtaking skier is far more skilful and adept on the skis than the guy being overtaken.

And I really think that this is the sort of culture that needs to be created on our streets today: that anyone driving a car or riding a bike has that "duty of care," which means that they have a responsibility to ensure that they "look after" everyone else on the road. Assume you're there to protect other road users, and NOT to just selfishly get to where you're going in the least amount of time, damn the rest of the traffic. Back when guys were allowed to wear swords and armor and ride horses amongst ignorant peasants, this was called "chivalry." Now, unfortunately, those ignorant peasants are also driving cars and riding bikes too, and they haven't a clue about "chivalry." But it's something anyone can learn; like true nobility, nobody is born with it.

Luis