Originally Posted by bfromcolo
OK pet peeve of the day. When I am approaching someone from the rear I always let them know I am coming. I have a mirror and rarely get surprised when someone is passing, but it still ticks me off when they don't let me know in advance they are passing. This is on a bike trail. So do you always tell people when your sneaking up on their rear?
Yes - except for 2 situations.
1) I see wires coming from their ears. I don't waste my breath.
2) The look to be the oblivious type. This is a judgement call developed from experience. There are some peds who, when you announce, will become startled, jump, and stagger to the left. If I have the ability to, I slow down, pull to the left as far as possible, and say 'excuse me' as I pass, but not before.
#2 is rare though, so I almost always announce well in advance.
@lilbrownbat: as a runner, I very much appreciate the courtesy of a verbal announcement. I hate it when I get buzzed by a silent cyclist. I don't know if I speak for all runners, but to me a frequent barrage of "on your left!"s is much less annoying than having cyclists constantly buzz you.