I was thinking about getting a FOX 40 whistle or something. This would help in traffic to warn those "drifty" drivers. You know, the ones who just kinda wander into your lane? It would be great to just give them a huge blast on the whistle and watch them wake up. I think it would give walkers a heart attack, though.

In some cities in the US you arnt allowed to use a whistle in traffic, they reserve it for police.

I dont say on your left, bikers are usually ok with it, but peds freak the **** out.. My friend uses a bell which works well, I just give a wide berth.

Is there any jurisdiction where it's mandatory to announce you're passing? In my bike-friendly town, people are accustomed to bikes everywhere. It's been my experience that most people do not announce a pass, except in circumstances where the slow party is hogging the bike path/lane.

I had one incident at night where I was approaching the backs of three peds hogging the entire width of the bike path. The beam of my headlight cast their shadows, and they looked behind and noticed my approach. I wasn't biking fast, and they had plenty of time to move over, which they did. But as I passed, silently, one of the peds proceeded to yell out after me, "on your left, on your right, down the center!" Ummm, it's pretty pointless for me to announce after the slow party has noticed me and moved over....

No matter how fast, how slow or how far she rides, I would draft her to the ends of the earth.

I use a whistle. It works well. I alert them pretty well in advanced though. I blow loud enough to make them turn and look.

Their are those who are using headphones that can't hear you. That's why the whistle works best fo me and the reason I alert them several bike lengths ahead of time.

I gave my whistle to my honey, who always forgets to use it... and I had a "headphoner" ahead of me. When I yelled "on your left", she turned after my third yell right into my path.

AMEN. Preach it, Brother.

I like to sneak up, give a blast of my air horn, and watch em freak out.

I don't usually say it unless they're totally hogging the lane, riding 2-3 abreast or whatever. Even then, I've usually had to slow down and wait behind until it's safe for me to take the other lane...

i was passing a guy lastnight and i thought he was aware of me and it was in traffic so he should have been more aware, and he goes to turn left from the ride side of the road and almost takes me out, i skipped and avoided him, at the light he was on the left side i was on the right, and i said "oh hey, watch out be a little more careful" he said "you watch out, ******" i don't think warning him that i was there would have made him less angry, maybe this is a situation where a bell would have worked

I try to communicate as much as possible when I'm on the road. It's more jolting to me to be passed w/o a heads-up of some kind. So I treat people the way I'd like to be treated.

All the cyclist I pass ride in the bike lane or close to the shoulder, so I just pass them like all the motor vehicles do generally in the centerish position of the primary lane and give the cyclist I am passing a good passing clearance 4' minimum. This is on busier roads where they won't suddently swerve left as they are used to being passed by lots of motor vehicles. If on a quiet street I can give even more passing room or even go into opposing lane. So in both these cases I don't need to say/yell anything.

On MUPs I will always say something, usually not 'on your left' as it can cause confusion - but a friendly loud 'hello' when I am very far back, far enough so the cyclist can look back, swerve, etc. and get back to right position before I pass. All too often I note other cyclists yell something with too little advance notice.

Al

after having on your left fail too many times i now just shout "bike behind you" and wait to see what will happen.

and i only do this if i think passing with no warning is going to cause trouble.

my logic being: i try to stay right and don't need every idiot who is gonna pass to yell; so if someone is riding responsily and i have room i extend them the same courtesy.

I'm on the quiet side of the ledger. I admit there is a time a place for some kind of warning. But it's a fine line. I've noticed that 'serious' road bikers, all too often just get downright rude, yelling and acting as if nobody else has a right to the road. I'm kind of embarrassed to be riding with them sometimes. Gets really bad in Prospect and Central Park.

Instead of saying "on your left"

I usually say.. "PASSING on your left"

that way no one gets confused.

^^
good point.... if it gets heard; i find i almost have to yell at the top of my lungs sometimes for people to actually hear me and that's hard when you're really hammering it.

just the thought of using a whistle makes my jaw ache... i recently broke my bell on a colder day.... looks like the fates are conspiring against me to get an air zound?

(if only people payed attention to what the heck they were doing in the first place!)

Once while setting up for a right hand hairpin junction onto a trail, I got loudly on your lefted by a pair of runners who were going straight. It scared the **** out of me! Naturally I cut hard left, and almost got hit. :).

I used to say it all the time but I usually just had people get in front of me. Cyclist don't seem to be as much of a problem as ped/rollerblader/jogger's when it comes to passing. The only time I generally need to say anything at all is on the MUP I take as part of my commute. After a while I gave up because the only people that were actually in my way or I couldn't pass safely all had ****ing ipods blasting in their ears and wouldn't hear anything I said anyway. I did have a fun encounter with someone with giant headphones on walking their dog today, I passed hard left almost off the wide path and their dog took off to chase me and started pulling them and their giant 1980's headphones with it.

Considering how when you're on the path people are either on the phone or on the ipod or walking their dogs on 20 foot long extendaleashes, man, I just give them 3-6 feet and pass them. Sometimes they *****, but, I figure, if I'm not within arm's length of them, and I'm not expecting them to move, where I am is none of their business. Like I should yell so they gank fluffy into my direction? Fluffy is on the 20 foot extendaleash.

I hate paths. I hate extendaleashes. And one day Fluffy is going to get it like the squirrel did.

Where I live on MUPs people are like programmed rats to move over when they hear a bell. It seems to cut through iPods too

At 4AM, I find this to be the funniest thing I ever read.

the worst part about passing someone up is when you get stopped at the next light and they speed right past you because they didnt have to slow down. thats when I feel like an a$$hole.

"Tag, you're it" as you pass them seem to work on occasion. The one time I said on your left, the guy turned left.

it's really not that complicated folks. you should always announce that you are passing by saying "on your left" or "passing on your left" but you shouldn't assume that the person you are passing is going to automatically respond in the appropriate way. chances are none of you are working to maintain a consistant cadance or heart rate, so slowing down for just a second to give the person you are passing time to figure it out and give yourself time to see how they react isn't a big deal. show a little patience, don't be like those jerks on TT and tri bikes who refuse to slow down and race down paths and streets like they're on a close race course.

Most dual-use trails around here have a 15mph speed limit anyway.

I just start laughing out loud. People give me a lot of space. If there are two people...one often grabs the arm of the other and pulls them safely off the path.

I almost never call out. Even then only to peds. Bikers, I wait until traffic allows me to go nice and wide around them. BTW I usually just click my foot in and out of my SPDs. Sometimes peds are surprised enough to look back to see what's up.

i really only use it when i need to pass a pedestrian. but i agree it always makes me feel like an ******* when i'm yelling at people... if i can manage to get around them without saying anything i generally will

On my canti equipped touring/ CX-y trail bike I just chirp my brakes from about 20m away.

i was on a path once and a woman was riding slowly down the middle. I came up behind her, whistled (not like a two fingered cab hailing whistle but rather like a quick singsongy one) to alert her that i was there and then passed on her left (mind you not much faster till i cleared her and i had already slowed before getting to her). She proceeded to yell at me for not saying "on your left." I would have thought that someone who is that caught up in bike path etiquette would be riding on the right side such that on her left is the only place to go as opposed to rolling down the middle of the path at 5 mph giving sassy lectures to everyone that doesn't adhere to what is apparently an individualized version of the code.

Shoulda shown her a little U-Lock etiquette.