Well, nuisance to some is fun rant to others, so here goes... I agree with much of what other bikies have pointed out, and once again I find it astonishing yet utterly true that something as simple as letting slower moving folks know that you are coming up behind them on a path can be so complex. Communication is hard. I want to be direct, I want to be courteous, I want to be efficient, and I want to get the message across that I am passing on the left. In my opinion it if you are using a multi-use transporation corridor path then you do need to somehow communicate your passing maneuvers, and if that can be done without startling or confusing the other users, all the better.
I agree that being consistent has its merits, especially on the road. But one thing that I love about modes of transportation where we are not encased in our 1-ton shells, is that we can choose how and what to say to each other depending on the situation. I have a bell on one of my bikes, and it is a "friendly" sounding ring tone, and the ding-ding is usually met with a smile, wave, and/or thanks from folks that I pass. Other times I choose to use my voice in various ways, e.g. a semi-shout- Hey-UP! for groups of folks stopped on path, a sing-song voice of "passing" for peds that look like they are lost in revery, extended "here I come, I'm passing you, good job" as I s-l-o-w-l-y make my way around a child on a bike, and "on your left" to other folks on bikes who appreciate that phrase. And yes, I have to judge books by their covers and make a call before I approach each individual, but it is sort of a fun game. When I succeed in making the brief encounter friendly, I enjoy the external gratification of a smile from someone that I pass or who passes me. Sometimes you may have the time to say "hello" first, but usually not. It's never the same interaction twice, and that is the joy of cycling encounters. And even though there are times when someone is surprised or peeved no matter how hard I've tried to give them advanced warning of my approach, I find that most of the time the encounter is positive. [And all this from someone who finds themselves reading bikies more than actually biking these days. This spring I will lean on you all to help me rally to start transporting my infant son Reuben and myself by bike again. What a whimp I am, and I'm out of practice!] -india On Tue, Nov 27, 2012 at 1:29 PM, Jym Dyer <[email protected]> wrote: > > "On your left" is NOT commonly used by pedestrians, many of > > whom are NOT active cyclists. Therefore, it is self-serving > > to think that everyone cycles and is therefore conversant > > with our terminology. > > =v= It's not "our" terminology, it's MUP terminology, and > I've heard it used by runners and skaters, all over the U.S. > Kindly don't impute negative motivations onto others. > > > "Good morning," on the other hand, is used by far more > > people in the course of daily interaction and is an > > attention-getter especially if it comes from behind. > > =v= Its meaning is not specific to this particular function. > > =v= Whatever. I've seen this discussion going on for decades > with no action, so it doesn't matter what phrase anyone picks > until somebody actually does something with it. Then we can > all complain about it, hooray! So in summary: > > "On Your Left" = Courtesy > Interminal "On Your Left" Online Threads = Nuisance > > <_Jym_> > _______________________________________________ > Bikies mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org > -- :typed by one hand while nursing: WeAreAllMechanics.com [email protected] Stay connected- Follow WAAM on Facebook<http://www.facebook.com/We.Are.All.Mechanics>
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