That’s interesting – keep to the left works pretty well on the Melbourne trails (in my experience, anyway). Of course there are mobs of walkers and runners (and yes, cyclists) who spread themselves across the trail but in general people do tend to the left. And they respond pretty well to a bell – usually the people who are out on the right hand side crowd-in and let you past.

I generalise of course, but that’s the common pattern I’ve found. I’ve even seen groups of mums with prams (umm, on those mornings where I’ve been running particularly late) traveling in single file (probably to the cafe down at the nursery!)

The main exception to this is behind Federation Square and along bloody Birrarung Marr – where pedestrians wander randomly and (for some strange reason) seem to go deaf to all forms of warning. It is an open public space but a bit of attention to not getting run down wouldn’t go astray. Tennis fans during the Australian Open seem to be the worst. And frankly, I just can’t wait for the Commonwealth Games (to be over).

As for narrow pathways, don’t get me started on that! Although the Beer Snob has recently had a good response to politely complaining about overgrown vegetation. But as he found out, it can be difficult to know who to complain to!

Which reminds me, there’s a section of my commute route where some bushes are badly in need of trimming – I just need to work out who to report it to…

It’s horses for courses (cycles for trails?) isn’t it? You deal with situations as they arise. Sometimes I bell and shout, sometimes (especially if I’ve been drafting behind someone for awhile) I reckon a shout is enough – and sometimes you’ve just got to shut up and go for it.

As pedaller pointed out above, where we live (and in plenty of other jurisdictions, I suppose) a bell is supposed to be compulsory equipment on a bicycle. That doesn’t really bother me one way or another as long as riders show a little bit of common courtesy by giving some kind of warning. Mind you, being compelled to have a bell on your handlebar goes some way toward eliminating the embarrassment factor.

Oh yeah, and good on you for commuting on two wheels. It’s the only way to go.

I’m a mountain biker new to commuting. Traffic was heavy on my way home yesterday in Okinawa, Japan, so I broke the rules and rode the sidewalk (Okinawans don’t really believe in road shoulders). The sidewalk narrows on the best downhill portion of the ride, and I found myself coming up fast on a man walking in the same direction. Generally, a quick shout — yes, I’m a “shouter” — of, “On your right” would keep the “crunchies” out from under my wheel, but it only occurred to me now to learn the phrase in Japanese. With that option gone, the choices were: slow down – a cardinal sin that I immediately dismissed, or slide past him and hope he didn’t suddenly change direction. Thinking back, I could’ve given the old guy a heart attack.

The choice was simple at the time, but got more complex as I recalled reading Andrew’s post last week — which I admittedly enjoyed for its humor the first time. The advantage of the “shout” over the bell is that you can tell them exactly where you’re coming from vs. the omnidirectional bell that forces them to turn-and-look. The bad part about shouting is that you need to know the language to be effective!

Admittedly, I am one of those who’d be embarassed to even be seen with a bell on my bike, but much of your logic is undeniable. On the other hand, where would this world be today if some of us did not let our masculinity interfer with rational thinking!

Thanks for your thoughts.

The “keep to the left” idea would work very well …. if everyone (including bikes) adhered to it. This would upset our morning walkers immensley as they tend to cluster in groups that span the entire width of the shared paths. Not to mention groups of cyclists who I have also seen doing much the same thing.

In Sydney, many of the early shared paths are quite narrow (or overgrown with grass so they have become narrow), so it can be a bit of a squeeze anyway, so the only place for everyone to be is in the centre. The strange thing is, that after all these years, I have only just come to the realisation.

I know that turn-and-look phenomenon all too well but I doesn’t seem to happen very much to me. (Having said that, it did happen this morning: a rider in front of me rang his bell and the pedestrian did the turn-and-look thing, so I thought she’d be OK when I came past. But no, I rang my bell and she had to check again that it actually was a bike. Odd.)

Maybe there is a difference across the country – in Melbourne most path users generally tend keep to the left, so presumably they expect to be overtaken on the right. If that convention isn’t as strong elsewhere then there could be an increased tendency to check which side the bike will pass. Or maybe it is just a question of familiarity, as you suggest. Anyway I’ll have to test these hypotheses the next time I’m riding in another city.

In any case, I find it’s a judgment call. There are some very rare exceptions where I don’t ring my bell and those are circumstances where a turn-and-look would be a dangerous thing for all concerned. I know I’ve done that a few times but not all that often – I can’t even think of a recent example. (It may be that I’ve learned to bell earlier in situations where this is likely to be a problem.)

The distinct advantage that a bell (and to a lesser extent a bike horn) has over voice is that the sound is distinct and unmistakable – regardless of the connotations that I discussed above, nothing says “bike” as unambiguously as a bell. Not even saying “bike” is as clear – the other person might mishear the word, might not understand, or might not be quick enough in making the connection between the word and a fast-moving two-wheeler. After all everyone has a voice – you might be on foot, on blades or a skateboard, or even dropping in by parachute but you’ve still got your voice. Whereas only a bike has a bike bell (usually!) and that’s what makes it unambiguous.

As for that headphones thing – GRR! (And let’s not forget people riding with headphones on either.) I don’t assume that just because someone is wearing headphones they can’t hear – in fact some of the “thank-you” and waves that I get are from iPod-toting power-walkers. I find a louder bell works a treat.