It's generally not passing bicyclists that require a warning. It's passing pedestrians, and part of that is due to a speed differential. To a pedestrian, it FEELS like you are zooming by. Just like being passed by a car that is moving at 50 mph is more stressful than being passed by a car moving at 20 mph.
Although state statute says we have to give an audible warning when passing bicyclists and pedestrians on the sidewalk or path, I generally only do when in one of these circumstances: 1. I'm going to pass a pedestrian closer than I think is polite. This usually happens if the path is particularly narrow, or two or more pedestrians are walking side by side. I don't want to startle them, so I let them know I'm coming. Rarely do I have to do this with bicyclists, but every once in awhile.... 2. I'm uncertain if the path/sidewalk user will maintain his/her course, and I don't want to have a crash due to an unexpected movement. Pretty common concern with families with kids, even on bikes. Or people that appear to be looking at things on the path. Or dog walkers with long leashes. Or people in larger groups. Kids on bikes are especially unpredictable, partly because they may not be able to control their bikes, and partly because they just don't think about people coming up behind them before moving laterally. If they are walking with their parents, kids may just run over to the other side of the path to pick a flower, poke a dead animal, grab a stick, or just out of joy. I'd rather not crash into a kid, and it's good PR for bicyclists to just slow down and not scare other path users. Robbie Webber Bike Walk Madison Steering Committee www.bikewalkmadison.org Join our group on Facebook! _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org
