I use my bell if I'm riding on an MUP and I've stupidly come out when there are families with toddlers meandering around on the trail.

I slow to the safest speed required while dinging until all the toddlers on riding toys see me.

Even though I'm not going fast enough to scare anybody at that point, it's nice to have everybody of all ages make eye contact with me as I'm passing, to lessen the chance of them (especially the toddlers) from going right in front of me at the worst possible time.

Ok, I think I'm going to order a couple of these, even though I've never used them my whole life, it seems a good idea now because I'm totally addicted to mup's and I too am tired of making walkers and joggers jump out of their skin by quietly yelling "on your left". It sounds too much like the local bike police anyway.

I'm always amazed by the latest academy award winning overacting surprise move by pedestrians, it makes me feel guilty, as intended I suppose.

SPlKE has it exactly right. No sound making device of any sort can substitute for rider patience and skill when sharing a Multiple Use Path with pedestrians. Using a bell can be a courtesy but does not clear the way.

A bell is a 'nice' way of possibly alerting folks that you are behind them, but I prefer to be really specific! I always say 'BICYCLE passing on your LEFT'. Works pretty well...it alerts them to what is coming and (hopefully) they understand the 'passing on your LEFT' part and move right.

I usually will call out "rider back" and wait for some sort of response and then let them know what I'm intending when they've sorted themselves out. It always brings a thank you.

My MUP overtaking method: 1) Go slow. 2) Ring bell twice from a good, non-startling distance. 3) Call out a greeting like "Good morning" in a cheery, friendly but loud voice, followed by "I'm passing on your left." 4) Say thank you.
I like the bell because it's kind of friendly, compared to a horn or a shout, and it's bike-specific, so the pedestrian knows there's a bicycle coming. The bell and the greeting are really just to make sure you have the walker's (or slower rider's) attention before you tell them where you're passing. A simple "On your left" is interpreted as a request to move left about half the time, it seems.
The MUPs in my suburb are uncrowded, so they work well for riders and walkers.

The reason I left the big cities ;)

I gave up on "on your left, or "passing" and just yell "Behind ya" from way back. If they look sketchy or have kids I just slow way down. Last year 80 yr old women was stuck and killed by a 56 yr old rider on my favorite MUP. A week after that the town Mayor was on the trail and was hit too. Now half the trail has a 10 mph speed limit. If I really want to hammer I ride roads or accept what I am dealt on the MUP.

I have seen way too many riders going way to fast on the MUP. Many of them claim the roads are too dangerous :rolleyes: However to put it into perspective: Average walking speed is around 3mph, if you have a cyclist going 15 mph that is a factor of 5, that would be like riding at 15mph on a road where the cars were going 75mph average speed! Yes I know there is more to it than that, but I bet if you talked to some of these MUP speed demons they wouldn't have any interest in riding on a road where the speed was that average, but they have no qualms about riding on the MUP at equivalent speeds.

When on an MUP I stay around 10-12 mph unless it is very empty, then I may ride faster, if it is crowded I ride even slower.

Aaron :)

I think a combination would work best on a MUP, ring bell, then call out, "passing on your left". The bell gets their attention, so they actually hear you. "BICYCLE passing on your LEFT" also makes an assumption, and that is that everyone you come upon has a decent understanding of English, this is not a given in a lot of major cities.

Bells are certainly more effective and more pleasant than yelling. But beware the increasing number of multi-taskers walking the dog and strolling the twins while texting and enjoying the sounds of nature on their headphones. It's safer on the street!

Marc

I do the same, but modify it with "Passing on your left". On occasion when someone is on the wrong side of an MUP (actually in my area they are labeled as bike trails) I call out "Passing on your right." Seems to work as long as I do the "passing" bit first. I think the other thing I see if people waiting until they are too close before calling out. This can easily startle folks. I always try to call out early enough that I have time to stop should this misunderstand and move where I'm headed.

Right.... where drivers are drinking coffee, changing radio stations, talking on a cell phone, and/or trying to text message as they drive. I ride both paths and streets. I find that either can be made much more dangerous by the irresponsible or uninformed behavior of a few.

I did a ride on the SDW and at about mile 70 as we were going west to East- We met a large organised walking group going East to west. The walkers were spread out over about a mile and we met them on a downhill. The walkers were 4 or 5 abreast across the trail and you had a steady array of Knackered riders meeting them head on. I had the horn working overtime and we could not make all the walkers notice us. In the end we took to the fiels alongside but had to rejoin the track just as the trail narrowed and went uphill. Still bibbing the horn and a group of walkers were having a chat in the gateway. Bibbed the horn- no response- Yelled out "Clear the Path" no response- in the end I did the Tandem trick of me getting off the bike and opening the gate---Into them. Bit of response then and one said "You ought to get a bell"--Her second response was-"No need to use language like that"

In my experience one is much more likely to crash on a MUP than on the street, but much more likely to die on the street than on the MUP.

I'm wondering how many of those who ride without a bell/horn & mirror (somehow i have a feeling many of those same riders also roll mirrorless) travel that way in their cars?

Seen all of those behaviors by bike riders, whether on MUP, street or sidewalk.
Sometimes simultaneously (last week a no-hands rider emailing or texting; more frequently, phone conversations).


Too many bike riders don't seem to know it's a warning to be heeded, much less what it calls for, so not likely it'd be generally understood by non-bike users.

I have a matching set of Bambi/faline bells, but I can't find the Faline one. The Bambi bell is on my touring bike, I need the other for my commuter

If I say anything, it is "passing" This lets the quick witted know that they shouldn't stray from their current path and makes the dull-witted look over their shoulder and let me know which side to pass on

[QUOTE=Seamless;13198414]Seen all of those behaviors by bike riders, whether on MUP, street or sidewalk.
Sometimes simultaneously (last week a no-hands rider emailing or texting; more frequently, phone conversations

yea,me to,had some DS on the platte path was so busy talking that he was coming right at me and I had to go off the side so he wouldnt hit me head on,,,, what a d head!!!
Bud

Picked up my Bell bell at Wally World and used it yestereday. Liked it a lot better. Folks didn't have the "jumpy" reaction to it and the toddler who was walking with Mom and Dad really got a kick out of it. I would ching ching at him each time I passed, he got a kick out of it.

I yell HOLD YOUR LINE!

And I mutter at them and shake my head disapprovingly as I pass if they have not held their line.

I think the proper response to that is "You folks should not be blocking the entire path" or "beggar off" depending on your irritation factor at the time....

"hold your line", "clear the path" or "beggar off" is too scary for this area. I'm not interested in spreading that kind of feeling. "passing" or "on your left" is adequate and that's what the local bicycyle cops use.

People jump out of their skin as it is, at least they can choose to walk with dignity and not fear when they hear a bell. So I've belled two of my frequently used bikes.

You have to slow down here to pass anyway because all local hike and bike paths have rules that require bikers and skaters to yield to everything else.

Most don't issue a warning at all, however. Silence seems to be the rule.

Sometimes when someone does something rude, is called on it, and then issues more rudeness then beggar off or even %$#@& off becomes what you really want to say..... I still say, a light ring on the bell, sort of a ringgg and not a RINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and the follow that up with "PASSING ON YOUR LEFT..." is the most appropriate response.... Now of course PASSING ON YOUR LEFT would be replaced with PASSER VOTRE GAUCHE in Quebec and DANDO SU IAQUIERDA in Mexico and parts of the US. In parts of Toronto or New York you might even find שעבר שלכם עזבו , ونقل عن ترك لكم, прохождение слева от Вас or 傳遞你的左邊 as the best way to get a response. Although typically those who speak Hebrew, Arabic, Russian or Chinese, usually know what the bell means, so you don't need to say anything.....

Stick with the bell near UN Plaza.

As far as I'm concerned, the only good thing about cyclists who think they own the multiple use path is that while they are riding they are not driving.

Your probably right, there are so many speakers of so many languages at the UN, it would take you a good 20 minutes to run through all the options. :rolleyes:

Same situation where I live, a mile or so from the U.N...... or anywhere in the New York city area, for that matter. I have a pleasant sounding bell for low speed non-emergency situations & a louder horn for emergencies. I thank the party(ies) for their courtesy as I pass..... haven't encountered a rude response yet (not that I've noticed, anyway), not that it would deter me from practicing what I consider to be safe cycling if I did.