DeanB

Hey all,

So when approaching people from behind I always announce "passing left." unfortunately walkers always get startled, freak out and sometimes jump left. Is there a better way to pass people? I'm always scared I'm going to hit someone.

As an aside how about runners with headphones?

Chickenstrip

Don't ride fast on MUPs. Road bikes are made for the road, believe it or not you are safer sharing the road with cars than a path with pedestrians and families on cruisers.

surgeonstone

Don't bother, just give them room and pass. Attempts to warn end up in scaring the crap out of them and creating a possibly more dangerous scenario.

bikerjp

I have some nice trails around here that are fairly wide on often not very busy and a great place to ride. When I see people or other bikes ahead I sort of assess the situation. If they are walking/riding straight and on the ride and there is good room on the left I just slow down a bit and pass as far left as possible. They often have headphones on anyway and wouldn't hear me if I did call out. If they are taking up too much space or walking a dog or being generally oblivious I slow and say "passing". Sometimes they freak but TS they should be paying more attention on a MULTI-user path. I don't say "left" because some people actually move left. Most people know that "passing" means they should be on the right and usually move right automatically. I have had a few know-it-all type people correct me and say that the proper alert is "on your left" but I just ignore them. I just passed them safely so clearly it worked.

RoadTire 

I give plenty of warning verbally or bell before I get so close to startle them, and if that's not ack'd by them, use my bell for a few more dings. If they don't ack me I go far left and slow down. Also, the Dakota Trail has few peds, high percentage of road bikers so folks get a lot of exposure to the bikes passing.

recneps345

I agree even though you will hear many of them saying how much they hate bikers. They end up getting scared either way, but I would rather them scare and react after I have passed versus giving them time to jump in my way. I do slow down a little and plan on my bailout plan if they do something stupid. I have had people practically jump on top of me trying to get out of the way. It is amazing how spastic some people can be when they get a little scared.

DeanB

I'm not talking strictly about MUPs, these are 15 mile trails used by many road bikes going much faster than I.

10 Wheels

I ride on the road and don't announce passes. Go around them with a wide space in between.

SCochiller

That sounds wise. I would bet there is a good chance a startled ped would move into your path.

Adrian_

I find that if I have to announce that i'm passing to pedestrians, either I am in the wrong place or the pedestrians are. 90% of the time it's the latter and in that case I just yell at them out of frustration(crossing when I have green, walking down the bike lane or in the middle of the road, parents allowing their kids to run out into the street, etc)

Homebrew01

Correct, same with slower cyclists. I sometimes say "good morning" after I am past.

Crappymonkey

I just give them a very wide pass. If there's no room I'll wait till a space opens up. Often peds have earphones in so they wouldn't hear me if I announced myself anyway.

Stealthammer

I have used various bells and verbal warnings (e.g., "On your left..." or On your right...) but in my experience people who use crowded trails often very quickly become deaf to these methods or become "programmed" to react exactly wrong when they hear them (e.g., moving left when they hear "On your left" or stepping to one side and spinning around to see where the sound is coming from).

As such, I have adopted a method of subtly getting them to react in a way that benefits my needs and doesn't allow their previous "programming" or conscious reasoning to cause them to react poorly. I move to the right or left as the conditions warrant, and then I flick my outboard brake lever a couple of times. The sound is completely unfamiliar to them so they react unconsciously as they would if they suddenly heard a bee buzzing right next to their ear. They move in the opposite direction and spin to avoid the sound, giving me almost the entire width of the trail or path.

Off-road or in organized rides I still use "On your left" or "On your right" but it seems most off-road riders and hikers, or riders who regularly ride in large groups, are better able to process the intent of the warning and they react more appropriately. With "Joe Average" on the road or a MUP however it is important to bypass their "freewill" and conscious reasoning and get them respond instinctively.

dissident

I just use my loud hubs and coast for a few seconds. Unless their headphones are blaring, they'll hear me, but if they are walking side by side chit chatting, usually they do not have headphones blaring.

clones2

^^^^ this.

TrojanHorse

I was riding down the LA river trail the other week and came upon a group (8 or so?) people riding beach cruiser type bikes and generally occupying the entire path. So i slowed down because I know this will be a mess, hollered "on your left" and they promptly start wobbling all over. So they start saying "middle, middle" and sort of parted like the red sea. Weird.

In my opinion, the only people who know what you mean by on your left are other cyclists... pedestrians are likely to actually move left. I don't get it, the little path looks exactly like a two lane road and everybody knows how to drive on the road... but there you go.

I do whatever I think will get me by there without crashing.

Ghost Ryder

Most of the time my bell or voice is good enough, on MUP's I usually just assess the situation & pass when I feel it's safe for both parties.
I had an incident one time where a lady was crossing a bike path(beer in hand @ the kids park), & I slowed down to a crawl, I rang my bell to let her know I was there.
She yells out slow down then!!! I said I'm going slower than you're walking, I'm just letting you know I'm approaching, not asking you to move. She says "F*^k off!!! As the parents @ the playground shake their heads @ her.
I always go slow whenever I'm @ this MUP cause there's always kids playing here. I also ring here to set an example for the kids, there's always tonnes of them riding here too.
Ringing the bell is the right thing to do in most cases, it's an offence if we ride without a bell, lights, & a helmet in our city.

I had to get an Air Aound Air horn when I was commuting @ night.
Let me tell you this thing is loud as hell as has scared the heck out of a few people.
The times I scared a few people I was walking with my bike on the sidewalk, & it was people stopped in the middle texting or talking.
I ring my bell first, then say excuse me as I get closer, if I get no response they get my air horn.

achoo

So?

Just because they might be doing something stupid doesn't mean you should too.

At best, MUPs are for getting where you need to go so you can really ride.

slowandsteady

On the rare occasion that I am on a MUP, I say "I am passing you on your left." Yes it takes much longer to say, but that is the only thing that keeps people from leaping left into my path. I say it slowly and enunciate every word. I also slow way down. On your left or passing left is just too short and unclear. People assume you are giving them instructions to move left as in "get out of my way." If you take the time to slowly and clearly say "I am passing you on your left", you will find that folks will stop jumping left in front of you.

That said, if I am on a group ride where I know folks are experienced cyclists I will just say "On your left." But I would never do that on a MUP with riders and pedestrians I don't know.

Mike F

+1

jesspal

Use a bell.

njkayaker

As far as I can tell, the problem is that cyclists warn pedestrians too late (and too loudly). Keep in mind that cyclists are moving much faster than pedestrians expect or are used to. What might work better is announcing yourself way in advance and more than once (people tend not to understand the first announcement). Heck, using a bell might be better.

apollored

I usually just say "Excuse me please." but normally the sound of my gears clicking when I change to slow down alerts them.

If there is enough space I might just say that but pass them anyway slowly.

Ghost Ryder

I always say thanks after I pass someone who moves over on MUP's or on the street.

Pinkbullet3

Two options.

1. Attach a loud siren to the front of your bike and sound the horn from afar.

2. Say "passing right" in hopes of walkers getting startled, freaking out, and jumping right.