"to your left" enough audible signal when passing?

[wolfish]

Just started riding again, after moving from California last summer. I’ve been riding the Mt Vernon Trail from DC, sometimes just to Old Town sometimes all the way to Mt Vernon and back to DC. When passing I make sure to announce in loud voice rather than with a bell, and with enough time to avoid last minute reactions from pedestrians, runners or other cyclists. There are times where other cyclists will react quite “bipolar-lunatic” just because I’m not using a bell but rather, yelling “to your left” or “to your right”. The rules for using the trails dictate to use audible signal but it is not specific about the use of bells (or farts for that matter) so I usually ignore the hate however this morning I had fellow cyclist, acting like a lunatic, chasing me and dangerously tailgating me while yelling and cursing at me, just because I did not use a bell when I passed him and obviously even more fired up because I was ignoring his cyclist rage.

My question is, how is it that something as simple as not using a bell can trigger a dangerous reaction from a fellow cyclist to the point of becoming a risk himself to other cyclist? Is there any history of “cyclist rage” on that trail either in the morning when commuting or at any other time in the day? I’m 45 years old, have been riding since I was a kid, in four different continents, in the west coast for close to ten years, never have seen a fellow cyclist react like this guy did today.

Quick edit: to let everyone that I wasn’t passing anyone on the right, I announced I was going to pass on the left, with enough clearance and no one coming either way so totally safe.

[jrenaut]

This discussion has been had on this board a bunch of times, most recently here. The only consensus is that some people are a-holes.

Also, welcome to the forum. We should all go for a bike ride!

[DismalScientist]

Welcome to the Washington area. The bipolar-lunacy you describe is not specific to cyclists. It is endemic throughout the entire population of the area.

I signal passing pedestrians with a bell. I signal passing cyclists with an “on your left.” If the passees are unhappy with my choice of signalling, they can just stuff it.

[Tania]

I prefer to use AND hear a bell only because most of the time you have to be actually passing me for me to hear your “on your left/whatever” in which case I kinda already know you’re there… A bell gives me some advance notice when you’re behind me and out of my peripheral vision.

But I try to always thank every cyclist who announces their pass.

Oddly enough, before I started commuting into work (and just went for the random w&od weekend ride) I used to loathe hearing bells. It took one ride home from DC in nice weather among throngs of runners/pedestrians/casual cyclists before I changed my mind.

[mstone]

Using a bell is obviously superior, but that’s no reason to be a jackhole if someone does it wrong.

[mstone]

Another thought is that your signal isn’t as audible as you think it is, and he was actually upset about an unsignaled (and unsafe?) pass. Still no reason to be a jackhole about it.

[Supermau]

I use a bell. I find that most people hear it and understand it except for those lost in headphones whom I would hope are smart enough to hold their line. Besides, I get tired of shouting my pass. The bell has proven its effectiveness enough for me.

Sound like the other rider had a chip on his shoulder or is simply nuts.

[PotomacCyclist]

There’s just no pleasing some people. Those types can be found driving cars, riding bikes or walking in crosswalks and roads. Unfortunately they exist and sometimes there’s not much you can do to avoid one of their rages. Hopefully you can manage to avoid getting injured by their actions.

I mentioned on another thread that there was some jerk on the day of the WWII flyover, on the 15th Street protected bikeway. I was riding up slowly, on a CaBi bike, when I pulled up behind an older man walking in the bikeway. He shouldn’t have been doing that, but I figured that he might be a veteran. At the very least, I could tell that he was older, maybe in his 60s or 70s, and likely from out of town. I wasn’t going to make a big fuss about it. I would wait until there was a safe point to pass.

I did pass by after ringing the bell. Then another guy rode up. He was a younger guy, maybe late 20s/early 30s, with a stud earring on each side. He announced loudly that the older man should not be walking in the bike lane. That man mumbled something and waved his hand in the air. I don’t know if he swore or not. I was only a few feet away. Then the young guy made a sudden stop and semi-U-turn, right into the older man, nearly bumping into him. He shouted out, “What?” He flew into a rage at the older man, getting into his face and becoming very aggressive about enforcing the bike lane rules. His girlfriend called out, “Jason, let’s just go.” But “Jason” continued on. Completely ridiculous response, even if the older man had swore at him, which I’m not sure he did. The man appeared to be frail and weary from the hot weather that afternoon.

A passerby stepped in. This guy was pretty big, maybe 6’3″, 200 lbs. and also in his early 30s (I think). He tried to keep things from getting out of hand. He asked “Jason,” “Is this really worth getting into a fight over?” Jason was still steamed, but he finally relented and moved on. If the other people weren’t there, I think he might have pushed or slapped the older guy. Even an inadvertent bump could have caused problems for an older man walking uphill on a hot day in a stressful situation with an angry younger man.

I get that “Jason” is probably upset about pedestrians and trucks occupying bike lanes. But this wasn’t the appropriate situation for such a stand. Not even close. He almost bumped into the older guy with his bike when he turned back intentionally. He almost bumped the guy again while he was lecturing him loudly. It’s not far-fetched to think that he could have induced a heart issue for someone of that age in those specific conditions. Some people are just jerks. They have hair-trigger tempers. Even if there was a kernel of justification for a reaction, they go way overboard and their response turns out to be far worse than the initial infraction (if there even was an initial infraction).

[Powerful Pete]

What supermau and the others have said. Bells work and are not annoying.

Having said this, if I have the entire trail wide open and I will in no way disturb the other rider I will occasionally pass without ringing…

[Emm]

You just had a psycho. I had a guy a few weeks ago on the W&OD who tried to knock me off the trail WHILE I was passing him (I called the pass, VERY loudly), tailed me cursing and swearing, and then cut ahead of me in a way that almost knocked me off the trail again, and then swerved around so I couldn’t pass him again (while of course slowing down, and nearly hitting some pedestrians). He tried the same routine again when another cyclist passed him (once again, called his pass and was safe). As a female on a pink road bike, on a rural part of the W&OD this scared the sh*t out of me.

Outside of that guy though, in my 2 years commuting and using the trails around DC, I’ve never encountered someone who was dangerously crazy. Annoying and unsafe–totally. But not crazy to the point of me almost calling for help.

You mentioned in your post passing on your right though–don’t do that on a trail. That’d make me go a little lunatic too.

[bentbike33]

@Emm 116588 wrote:

You mentioned in your post passing on your right though–don’t do that on a trail.

Unless the passee is going the wrong way in the left lane.

[Crickey7]

I’m not saying you did this, but signaling does not make a pass okay. I’ve had riders call “on your left” while at my elbow, no more than a couple of inches away because there was a rider coming in the opposite direction at the same time. I let that passer have a piece of my mind.

[Drewdane]

@DismalScientist 116570 wrote:

Welcome to the Washington area. The bipolar-lunacy you describe is not specific to cyclists. It is endemic throughout the entire population of the area.

I signal passing pedestrians with a bell. I signal passing cyclists with an “on your left.” If the passees are unhappy with my choice of signalling, they can just stuff it.

Ditto. Especially that last sentence.

[Rootchopper]

I agree you encountered the DC species known as “I AM THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON ON THE PLANET”. There are a lot of them here and they probably have no idea how inadequate they are. Or how utterly obnoxious.

BTW I know you meant no offense but some of my best cycling friends are bipolar. None of them would ever act like this.

[mstone]

Actually, I just realized that you’re saying you call “to your left”. That sounds an awful lot like “move to your left”, and seems like pretty much the worst possible thing to be yelling.

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