The Guardian's blogger Ben Thomas seems to be having a bit of trouble with bell usage:
So now I have one ‚Äì but I don't know how to use it. I either ring it too close, and the victim jumps three feet into the air…Or I do it from too far away, and…nobody notices, and then it's too late to ring again
Bollocks.
I'm amazed when cyclists try to float the argument that there's something difficult or confusing about using a bike bell. Surely anyone who has mastered the complex trick of balancing on two wheels can get the hang of something as simple as a bell. You would have thought, at least.
This whole thing about not knowing how and when to use a bike bell is just a rationalisation. Another similar argument says that if you ring your bell pedestrians turn to look and in doing so step into your path. I've tested this before—I actually counted the number of turn-and-look incidents and found that it's actually pretty unusual for someone to step in front of you (on my local shared path, at least).
I suspect that the real reasons cyclists are reluctant to ring lie not in the (imaginary) complexity of using a bell but in embarrassment at two things. Firstly, it's seen as childish. I don't know why but it seems that "real" cyclists don't tinkle bells—"real" cyclists left bells behind with training wheels. The second is embarrassment at being misunderstood, as Ben Thomas explains:
Personally, when I'm on foot, I don't like bells. I can never get past the undertone of reprimand. The Highway Code says car horns should only be used "to warn other road users of your presence"; and bells are to "let [road users] know you are there when necessary". Yeah yeah. The fact is that car horns don't say "Ahem...", they say "Oi, dickhead!", and for many pedestrians, bells do too.
Sure, no-one wants their courtesy mistaken for rudeness or aggression, but it's easy to turn this around—and it's something that's really wonderful about bikes. On a bike when you pass close to another human being, you can actually speak to them. How about that for a novel idea? So just say "Hello" or if they've moved aside "Thanks" might be appropriate. That's something you can rarely do from a car, and it invariably puts your bell-ringing in the right context. Whenever I ring my bell, I always greet the other person as I pass and more often than not they will say "Hello" or "Thank-you" back.
Of course, depending on the local customs where you are, the reactions to a bike bell might well be very different.
So for the confused and/or shy, here are my tips for safe and happy bell-ringing:
- fit a loud bell or horn (but not too loud—the AirZound is overdoing it for shared path use!)
- ring it early, ring it loud and proud
- don't be afraid to ring it a second (or even third) time as you get closer, if you're not sure the person has heard
- as you come alongside the other person, greet them cheerfully—you are having fun after all!
- repeat as required
And one more point from Ben Thomas, which I can agree with: on a shared path, pedestrians have the right of way so the onus is on cyclists to pass with care.
No wonder they call you Surlydave ;-)
IME, bells are best rung at a bit of a distance, on getting closer "Excuse me" or "Clear us a bit of space there, please" can be said.
I've had people have a go at me for ringing a bell prior to now (it's "Agressive" apparently). I really think it stems from the way people use their car horns, and they think that's what the bell means. I usually stop & explain that I just want them to know that I'm there, having had people jump with fright before now if I pass without a warning...
The rarity of reported bike path disembowellings suggests that the occurrence of such misunderstandings is pretty rare. That's certainly my experience. In years of cycling I can only remember two or three or maybe four situations where someone objected to my bell-ringing, and where I've stopped to politely explain my intentions (i.e. it means "Here I come" not "Get out of my way") the objector has actually been quite appreciative.
On the flip side, people regularly respond to my cheerio with a greeting or thanks of their own. That's enough justification for me to keep ringing it.
As a cyclist that also runs along the bike paths (yep triathlete), I also ring my bell to alert people when I am passing. When I am running I really appreciate the bikes that do ring but I find that more than 50% do not use a bell. Its not that hard and its safer for all of us.. Keep ringing those bells.
Comments
I was abused by a bloke in Melbourne once for ringing my bell as I approached on a shared path. I rang once, no reaction. I rang again, not a move. I rang a third time as I near him and he snapped and yelled "OK, we heard you.'' Would have been nice for him to show some sign of it.
I regret to this day I didn't double back and disembowel him for his rudeness.