Am I correct in thinking that passing a slower cyclist on the left, and then moving back to the right after clear?

Also, what is the proper etiquette for passing a pedestrian?

I'd say its the same as the rules in a car plus calling out to let that person/ride know what your doing. I always felt that its more about communication than the "rules"

Yes, call out to the person to let them know you're coming up on them, they should hold a line on the inside and pass on the outside.
Passing on the left or right probably has a lot to do with the road rules of the country you're riding in (do the cars/ cyclist ride on the left or "right" side of the road?)

As for the pedestrian, two different rules apply. If you are on a road and the ped is walking against traffic, like a good ped should, then you should pass left and he/she stay to his/her far left as if you are an auto. If you approach one from behind, pass like you would any other bike.

if they're on the road and not looking, you can squirt them with your water bottle. but if you are on the sidewalk, we're going to have to kill you.

the pedestrians on the mup in my 'hood suck, so i normally just shout 'my bike will blow up if i drop under 25!'

In a similar vein I had a ped flick a lit cigarette at me while passing them from the opposite direction which led to an ugly confrontation.
I ended up squirting them with Heed and taking off before it escalated.

After you pass, raise your arms in victory and flip them off, Petacchi style.

I've found that people in general will veer towards the sound or the direction you state you are passing them. I've also noticed that in general no matter what you do you will piss off half the people you pass regardless of your attempts to politely tell them your intentions.
My preferred method is to just ride on by. By the time they realize I'm there I'm gone. I do say hello, have a great ride as I pass.
This occurs on the roads. I don't ride MUTS, etc.

There are no specific rules...just what is made up by people...

Punkncat you getting out there passing other cyclists?

If I got a ped in the road walking in in my lane in my direction I'll holler "Left". Of course half the time that's the direction they move. If I'm feeling mean I might ride up real quiet and say "Boo!"

While passing say, "I had your girl last night."

Not that I would, but no sidewalks to ride anywhere nearby.


Not really, not yet. I have passed a pedestrian or two, and have noted that if you say anything, or make a noise, they tend to turn to the noise, and right into the way. At the same time, they are so random, that you can't count on them just stepping right out in front of you anyway. Most of the places I ride (locally) are trafficked roads, so veering wide isn't always an option either.

The other reason I ask is more of a "so I know" kind of thing, as I have started riding more regularly on a PATH route, that has other bikers, joggers, etc. sharing the "road".

Thanks for the tips guys.

There's a nice paved greenway about 1/2 mile from my house that I use as a nice warmup before my ride. When the weather's nice, there's always peds walking on the greenway. I keep a slower pace on the greenway (< 15 mph) but when I come up on a ped I'm always torn on what to do. Of course, they are usually walking 2 of 3 wide and taking up the entire lane, so just riding past usually isn't an option. Then again, if I yell out "on your left" so they know I'm going to pass them on their left, most of the time I'll get a dirty look. Maybe I should try the waterbottle trick and just squirt them as I approach.

The water bottle trick could land you with an Assault and Battery charge. Word.

It's best practice to speak up well in advance and say Thank You as you pass. I rarely do the "Boo" thing but sometimes I can't help myself.

anyway. saying anything before you pass is rarely a good idea.

Uh oh, this again...

"calling out" can sometimes be more problematic than it's worth. Sometimes it makes sense, sometimes it does not. I recommend using judgement as to how the callee will react rather than a blanket always call out or never call out.

Approach, speed up and fly past. If it's during a climb they'll more than likely know you're back there by the sound of your tires, pedaling or coughing. If it's on a climb they can be considered advanced recreational at the least and should know how to handle a bike, even if surprised by a silent passing cyclist. Sometimes while being passed on a climb it's nice to be acknowledged with a "Hey" or "Nice day for a ride," or at least a finger flick. If you're doing really well on a climb and someone still passes you without saying a word, you can pretty much reason they are in a pain cave the likes of which you can't understand. To them you're just a pebble to avoid. Salute them either silently or physically as they pass.

well common sense is always need. It should stand to reason that if you are rolling up on a walker at at 20+ yell isn't going to do crap you'll be on them by the time they hear you. In that case it would be best to just roll on and hope they keep doing what they are doing.

Reason is one thing that many lack. Many cyclists are startled by calling out. In my own personal experience, calling out is generally worse than not. If I have room to pass cleanly I will usually not say anything. If there is room enough to do so, I will give extra space when passing.

I like to go into stealth mode when i'm passing.

Pass and comment to yourself loudly "damn day tripper slow pokes". Just make sure to drop them with extreme prejudice.

Screaming "I don't have brakes" does the trick for moving them the **** over on the double.

+1

I ride a lot of so-called 'shared pathways'. I ding my bell to get their attention if I'm overtaking; having confirmed that, I note which shoulder they instinctively look over. I then yell out "passing on left" or "passing on right" dependent on that.

If I'm simply passing head on, I always move far left at around 100 metres closing distance (in Australia).

Never had any grief with this MO.

I ride on what people THINK is a shared pathway, so I come across a bunch of pedestrians each day. They just don't understand what the painted bike is doing on the asphalt. Ah well, their problem, not mine.

I pass cyclists on the left and check whether I'm clear before I move back to the right. School kids don't understand the road rules yet, I pass them on the right because they try to ride at the center of the pathway. It scares the hell out of them...

I give pedestrians a bit more space than a cyclist. Why? Beats me...