Etiquette

[jabberwocky]

I’ve been commuting for a several years now and think this time of year is always the most dangerous on the trails. There are a lot of new riders out there and traffic is suddenly very heavy, especially in the afternoons.

My cyclist pet peeves:
-Announce when passing. Very few cyclists seem to follow this rule. It drives me crazy. I’ve had many occasions where I called out to a pedestrian ahead and moved left, only to almost collide with another cyclist who was stealth-passing me.
-Give room to me when passing. This seems to be against the roadie code or something; it seems that roadies always want to buzz by extremely close, even when there is absolutely no reason to do so.
-Don’t pass when you can’t give everyone room. i.e., please don’t swerve into oncoming riders to pass someone. I’ve been forced off the trail a few times by people who did this.
-When you enter a path, at least glance both directions and make sure you aren’t riding right in front of someone. I took someone out two years ago when he tried to enter the W&OD at speed off a side path without looking. We both went down and were fortunately unhurt, though he ended up with a destroyed front wheel.
-If you are going to draft off someone, ask permission and let them know you’re there. I’ve been rear-ended a few times by people who snuck up and hung on my wheel. I didn’t know they were even there, slowed down and was suddenly rammed. I’ve pretty much lost my sense of humor about cyclists drafting me now, and will do my utmost to screw with anyone who tries it.

[AJsinVA]

Great points. I did not know that the orange cones meant to walk. I don’t ride that route though so I have not encountered that.

[Chris Eatough]

To announce passing either pedestrians or other cylists, I recommend a bell.
Verbal communication is confusing on the trail.
“Passing on your left” usually comes across muffled and can sound rude.
Then often all the passee hears is “left”, and they move left, right into the passer.
A bike bell always sounds friendly.
Use it early to announce upcoming pass, then use it again as you move into passing position (usually on the left) which gives the passee a clear indication of the side of pass.
Then say “thank you” as you make the pass.
There is plenty of room out there for us all to share the trail and certainly no need for the interaction to be stressful or unpleasant.
Arlington County puts out a great “Sharing the Way” flyer with similar info.
PDF is here

[fenderfan]

I *HEART* my bell! Thanks for making that suggestion, Chris!

[jabberwocky]

Yup, bells are great. Though I’ll admit that not all my commuters are equipped with them (something I should probably rectify). In addition to the advantages Chris lists, they are also audible much further away which is nice for alerting dog walkers well in advance (who sometimes need 5-10 seconds to reel in their 30 foot leash and get their dog under control).

That said, I have to say that I’ve had no issues calling out “on your left” when riding my non-bell equipped bikes. I also don’t bother with giving an audible warning to people with headphones on (I figure if they really cared about that sort of thing they wouldn’t be wearing frigging headphones) and people who are running right on the dividing line (I haven’t figured out why people do this, but they are too random about which direction they move when I give a warning so I usually try to pass them as quickly and stealthily as possible on whichever side seems to have more room).

[bArlington]

Word. Spring is when the Rookies come out.

I commute the Curtis trail and I find the people pretty great! It’s a heavily used trail – and I think that helps discipline folk on it. It is hard to casually (and stupidly) walk along it as you will be buzzed by multiple fast moving commuters.

Bells work great. I find that folk are very responsive to it. And I agree – the signal “left” usually causes the touron to step left – and get clobbered.

The other problem is crossing the GW; one lane of traffic stops; the second does not. It’s real dangerous.

But all-in-all I find the Curtis Trail to be pretty great and the etiquette is pretty high.

[Just161]

If you use the section of the Mount Vernon Trail that crosses the Humpback Bridge… You are actually meant to get off your bike and walk

When traffic volumes are really heavy on the MVT, I agree it’s a good idea to dismount and walk. However, at commuting times when there are few pedestrians/runners, and when bike traffic is sporadic enough that you can see you’re not going to encounter anyone, dismounting to cross the bridge is pretty unnecessary. The MVT at this spot was even narrower throughout much of the winter, yet there were no pylons – we just adapted.

I treat this similar to the narrow point under the Memorial Bridge – we yield to oncoming traffic and take turns passing through. I would say, just be polite to others and dismount if the circumstances demand.

And I can’t wait for the construction project to give us a nice, wide path!

I agree with Jabberwocky – this time of year is tough not only because of new riders, but also because those of us who have been riding through the winter aren’t used to so much company!

[Just161]

How many times do you/should we ring the bell to pass? Ringing 3-4 times seems like you’re mad or upset or something, but ringing once could go unheard or be mistaken. Twice?

[Vogy_Says]

@Just161 381 wrote:

If you use the section of the Mount Vernon Trail that crosses the Humpback Bridge… You are actually meant to get off your bike and walk

When traffic volumes are really heavy on the MVT, I agree it’s a good idea to dismount and walk. However, at commuting times when there are few pedestrians/runners, and when bike traffic is sporadic enough that you can see you’re not going to encounter anyone, dismounting to cross the bridge is pretty unnecessary. The MVT at this spot was even narrower throughout much of the winter, yet there were no pylons – we just adapted.

Exactly, the lane has been widened on the humpback bridge so two bikes can be on it at once. The chicanes are annoying and should be removed, people ride through them and then dismount and then people walk across the bridge and mount before going through them again- rendering the whole thing useless.

Also, the tunnel under Memorial- that can fit a biker and runner- happened to me yesterday.

[jabberwocky]

@Just161 383 wrote:

How many times do you/should we ring the bell to pass? Ringing 3-4 times seems like you’re mad or upset or something, but ringing once could go unheard or be mistaken. Twice?

I’d say it depends on how loud your bell is. I use incredibells (which are quite loud) on my fixies, and I usually only ring them once. The only times I use them more than once is situations where I want to give a lot of advance warning, so I ring them once fairly far away (10 seconds or so) and than again when I’m closer and about to pass.

[AJsinVA]

I find the commute from W&OD through Custis to be fairly open and people to be friendly and cooperative. Although I do not use a bell at this point I have been considering one. What kind would someone recommend? I would like one that is easily removed as I do not have a special commuter bike.

[Chris Eatough]

There are small ones available that give a single “ding”.
All the bells I have seen mount with a small screw.
The can be small enough that you can leave them on there for all of your riding.
You won’t even notice it’s there, until you use it.
Check out your handlebars before you buy to see if the mounting area is oversize (ie. wide).
Some bells will open enough to mount on an oversize bar, some will not.
This one would mount on most size bars.

[gromitvt]

I use a combination of bell and verbal warnings that I intend to pass. I generally use verbal if I see the person does not have headphones on and is a not in a group. Chances are if you speak clearly enough – they will hear and understand you. If it’s a group of people or if the trail user has headphones or seems distracted – I’ll give them a bell warning in advance.

I also find it helpful if you’re riding in a group and if you are the lead that you give a quick number of passing cyclists so the user doesn’t assume it’s just you and then moves back closer to center. For example if my wife and I are riding and I’m in the lead I’ll approach and say a quick “Two bikes on your left”.

[AJsinVA]

@Chris Eatough 387 wrote:

There are small ones available that give a single “ding”.
All the bells I have seen mount with a small screw.
The can be small enough that you can leave them on there for all of your riding.
You won’t even notice it’s there, until you use it.
Check out your handlebars before you buy to see if the mounting area is oversize (ie. wide).
Some bells will open enough to mount on an oversize bar, some will not.
This one would mount on most size bars.

And only ten bucks, Thanks Chris.

[Dirt]

I use the bell. I talk to people. Neither are really effective. My normal commuting bike has jinglebells on the bars. Those are much more effective than calling out or a normal bell. Honestly I’ve found maniacally singing show tunes (especially on the boardwalks where I get really good vibrato) seems to work the best for announcing my presence. Jabberwocky and I were on a ride two weeks ago and I demonstrated my prowess at announcing my presence. I belted out my own rendition of “I’m in the mood for love…” and the walkers ahead could not wait to give us room to pass. It was like Moses and the Red Sea.

That said… I was taken down 3 times in the last year by runners wearing headphones. I call out, use my bells (jingle and incredi-bell) and sing to my heart’s content and they still did not hear me. When I get close enough that they can see my light, they freak out and jump to the left, right into me. On all three occasions I chose to hit the deck rather than run over the runner. The third time (in early February) i dislocated my shoulder. I’m still off the bike from that incident. I purchased a recumbent trike so that I can ride without putting weight on my shoulder. With luck I’ll be back on the bike soon.

On the topic of the Humpty bridge: On a recumbent trike, I’m actually wider, less mobile and with less control when trying to walk it across. I just ride it. No incidents yet… though the guy that tried to pass me while riding across the bridge was a national treasure.

Hugs and Kisses,

Pete

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