Originally Posted by
livedarklions
I'm wondering how much our positions on this are affected by the nature of the MUPs we ride.
I do a bit of riding on the Minuteman near Boston, and I definitely got in the habit of always announcing on it. It's relatively narrow, highly trafficked, and speeds vary enormously. I find if I don't announce, I'm passing closely enough that the startle is almost a given and it prevents the last second random step to the left. On a really wide path, I'm much less consistent on announcing, but around here, wide paths are really unusual.
Probably. I'm sure, just like with driving, you need to adjust to the conditions present.
Plus, as I said, I'm on the path during commuter hours, so it's mostly people riding with a purpose or joggers. The path itself is as wide as some of the narrow roads in Europe. I'd bet a pro peloton would ride at least 6 abreast on it, so I'm not usually passing someone closely. People often ride side by side and are entirely on their half of the path despite not being super close together. Also the sight lines are generally good. No blind corners or anything.
When it is crowded, or the times when there are more than just me and the person I'm passing, or I just feel there's a chance they might move over randomly I tend to announce with my bell.
ETA: the other thing too is that most people don't announce. Since it isn't common, it can be startling when it does happen. That's part of the reason I use a bell instead of "on your left". Lots of people then look to the left which causes them to move a bit to the left. They're just not used to it (heck, it startles me a bit when someone does it to me).