Originally posted by cycletourist
An unexpected human voice coming out of nowhere startles most people...
If by that you mean that they jump, scream and grab their chest,
I would have to agree.
I guess a bell would be an inconspicuous, yet effective way of being prepared for the sudden appearance of a pedestrian.
I have sighted pedestrians in several places in my area, so I do not consider myself a novice at identifying them, though I consider them rare. That brings up another issue: if I scare one of them to death, could I get in some sort of trouble for harming an endangered species?