All posts in the topic Stealth Bicyclists (Short link)

Jul 02 23:16 UTC

If it's any consolation to Neala, her annoyance about
"stealth" bicyclists is also shared by a number of us who bike around the
area.
Both of my bikes have bells and I generally start sounding them from 30 or
so feet behind whoever I'm approaching.  And, for good measure, I'll also
yell out "on your left" when about 10 feet away.

I know some "serious" cyclists eschew bells because of the "added weight"
negating their efforts to trim away all unnecessary equipment
and paraphernalia.  Unfortunately, in my case, the additional weight of a
bell is negligible compared to the existing weight of the rider.  ;-)

But I've never understood why even serious cyclists can't/don't use the "on
your left" verbal advisory for both pedestrians or for other cyclists who
they're passing.  Yes, I've had some pedestrians get startled and actually
turn into the left (that's where survival of the fittest may come into
play).  And yes, I've had some pedestrians fail to hear my bell or my "on
your left"  But if the advisory is given early enough, even a half-way
decent/nimble cyclist can avert disaster.

On the paved trails where I bike around Shoreview, I rarely hear it.  On
Summit Avenue's paths, I've heard it once or twice.  (And I get passed a LOT
on Summit.  Heck the St Paul police have even thought about issuing me a
"slow vehicle" warning triangle.)

As to Neala's other complaint (about cyclists on sidewalks rather than using
the "useable path," I rarely see many cyclists using the sidewalk when a
path is available unless they're very young or obviously not very
experienced.  At the same time, it's a permitted use except in business
districts IIRC ... and I think it has to be designated as a "no bikes
allowed" area in business districts but may be wrong on that count.

Rick Mons as forum participant (and my last post of the day as such)

On Thu, Jul 2, 2009 at 3:26 PM, Neala Schleuning <email obscured>>wrote:

> As pedestrian, there are two things that really annoy me (one of which is)
> ... bicycles that come up behind me ...
>
without a warning.  What ever happened to those little bells that you pulled