From: Peter Lamb
Subject: Re: CSIT RTW Bulletin #12
...
At 01:41 PM 22/11/2000 +1100, you wrote:
>Give Them a Bell
>
>=A0=A0 On the shared paths, the recommendation from Pedal Power is to
ring
>=A0=A0 your bell (or equivalent) as you approach a pedestrian from
behind.
>=A0=A0
>=A0=A0 This is not only to give warning not to change course suddenly,
but
>=A0=A0 also to prevent overly startling them (a well maintained bike
with
>=A0=A0 slick tyres is the perfect stealth vehicle; hearing the
unexpected
>=A0=A0 sudden whoosh as one passes from behind at a closing speed of up
to
>=A0=A0 30km/hr is indeed not a very pleasant experience).
My experience is otherwise. I generally find that ringing my bell (yes, I
do have one) or calling put "Passing!" (my preferred option if
I must) very often *prompts* random pedestrian behaviour. I've even had
the following:
|
| <-- Me approaching
=20
V
| 1 . 2 | <--- Two
pedestrians occupying the whole path,
| 1 . 2
| walking in the same direction
as I am riding
| 1 . 2 |
| 1 . 2 | <--- I ring bell,
watch carefully how the
| 1 . 2
| pedestrians respond ...
| 1.2 |
| 2.1 |
| 2 . 1 |
| 2 . 1 |
| 2 . 1 |
| 2 . 1 |
I think that pedestrians tend to take the bell as
meaning "get out of my way", rather than "I'm coming up
from behind, just keep doing more-or-less what you were doing
before".
My preference is to slow as I approach pedestrians from behind, ride as
far to the opposite side of the path to them, and if it's a single
pedestrian, I don't ring my bell, or call out. If there isn't enough room
to pass, I call out, but with enough time to cope with the resulting
random motion.
I think that this is actually safer, but I suspect it may place me at
greater liability if the pedestrian did suddenly change direction when I
was too close to avoid hitting him, because I "should" have
used my bell.
Of course, a bike path is too narrow to pass a pedestrian while
cycling at 30km/hr. I understand that the design speed for the paths
(sight distances, etc) is generally 20km/hr, but I do know of sections of
path where I think that (in the absence of pedestrians) 30km/hr is
perfectly reasonable.
cheers,
peter
Peter Lamb
peter.lamb@cmis
Research Group Leader, Intelligent Transport Systems
CSIRO Mathematical and Information Sciences
PO Box 664 tel: +61 2 6216 7047
Canberra ACT 2601, Australia fax: +61 2 6216 7111