sidewalk or not
 

On a portion of my commute, there is a multilane road with very heavy and fast traffic with a nice 8ft wide sidewalk on only one side provided for all pedestrians and cyclers. I like using it but it gets annoying when I get behind someone or a couple walking and say "behind you" or "passing on your left" and they don't hear me with all the traffic noise. I sometimes raise my voice and it startles them. I would use the road, but authorities will not advise it because of the safer provision provided. Do you have any similar situations and how do you handle it?

There's one portion on my commute, similar situation, but the "detour" onto the sidewalk is maybe one city block, if at all. Generally it's' WAY too early for pedestrian traffic and there's just very little foot traffic on those sidewalks even during "normal" hours, so I don't really run into "traffic."

However, I'd err on the side of caution and slow down, yielding to pedestrians on foot and those not moving as fast as I am.

Bide your time, be courteous, and then when you're past it, resume your normal riding speed

I have a similar situation in Vancouver; riding along Kingsway from Boundary to 12th Avenue is a km or so shorter than the off-road bike routes that get me to the same place, and the bike routes have more up & down while Kingsway is mostly downhill for the duration (several kilometres); it usually cuts about 5-7 mins off my ~57 minute ride if I take Kingsway.

The downside: traffic. It's 3 lanes with no parking during the morning rush, and while there is plenty of room in the left two lanes, drivers get aggressive and honk/cut close when jumping in front of me. It's regular sidewalks on both sides of the road, but I'd prefer not to ride on the sidewalks: with the pedestrians and the ramps etc, my speed necessarily drops and I end up losing the speed advantage of the route.

Anyways, I end up just taking the off-road routes now. Takes a few mins longer, but is more enjoyable, and there's about 50m more climbing due to the up & down, resulting in better training and more calories burned.

If you have the option, I'd look into alternate routes that are more bike-friendly.

Out of curiosity - is the wide sidewalk designed for bikes? What I mean is, are there signs or painted bike logos on the pavement or something that indicate that bikes are welcome there? If so, I'd probably keep riding there and not worry too much about startling pedestrians; they should probably be paying more attention if they're walking on a bike route. If it's not marked and pedestrians aren't reasonably expected to be looking out for bikes, I'd probably avoid that route if possible.

Sage advice; I do the same when I need to ride on sidewalks or shared pedestrian paths. That said though, I'd always prefer to be on a designated bike route where I can keep up my normal riding speed. Just more enjoyable for me, and if it adds a little distance to my route, no biggie as I'm probably riding faster.

Also, as I'm timing my rides, it's easier to compare times if I am the only variable (not pedestrians who I need to slow down for).

There are many useful sidewalks in unfriendly cycling areas to be found in the austin area.

I do use them, particularly on bridges, high speed roads w/o shoulders, and when I have my kids behind me or in tow in a tag along or trailer setup.

I also flash 420 lumens up front, run sleigh bells to ring passively, have a loud a$$ active bell, and oftentimes sing or call out to pedestrians in front of me, when we have to share the same facility.

And always do my best to yield to them when doing so.......

I like using a bell as a warning in the circumstance you describe. I don't want to yell to be heard (yikes) and a bell cuts through the drone well. Plus, they're sort of fun-sounding, so folks are not usually put-off or frightened if you let it rip while you're still a ways away.

Its all marked for bikes and peds and even horses if you will. Its like an intercity MUP but essentially a regular sidewalk that's 8 ft wide. The Pedestrians are just not used to seeing bikes and in the morning its not an issue, just later in the afternoon.

That bell is a good idea, or maybe whistle.

Cool. As some others have indicated, a good bell may cut through the noise better, and be less personal than raising your voice :-)

Good luck!