Missed connection

[mstone]

it’s presumably a yellow sign, which is purely advisory?

[DrP]

Yes, those are yellow advisory signs. They have never made sense to me. I read them as “Trail Narrows, Make Yourself Wider.”

[Steve O]

@Vicegrip 123445 wrote:

The good. Cute lady and dog.

Wanna make sure I’m clear on this before I “like” the post. It was the lady who was cute, not the dog?

[bentbike33]

@mstone 123556 wrote:

it’s presumably a yellow sign, which is purely advisory?

Truthfully, I couldn’t tell you if there are actually still “dismount” signs there or not. I only have a vague recollection of them. I’m always focused on whether the underpass is occupied, or about to become so, by oncoming traffic and I should wait, or that it is unoccupied, or traffic is in my direction, and I may proceed (in the saddle, of course).

[Vicegrip]

@Steve O 123563 wrote:

Wanna make sure I’m clear on this before I “like” the post. It was the lady who was cute, not the dog?

Both!

For diferent reasons.

That was a rather poorly structured sentence.

[ursus]

I have read much of this thread with great interest because it bothers me greatly how some people on the W&OD seem to think that the trail is theirs and theirs alone, and everyone else should get out of their way. This is the case whether of not they give any indication that they are passing, and if they give an indication it is usually so soon before the pass that the person being passed has no time to decipher the passer’s statement and do something. It is amazing the near carnage that is often left in the wake of such incidents.

I add that when the passer is part of a group almost never do the trailing rider(s) say anything. Alternatively, the lead rider could say something like “three bikes on your left” although I have decided that most can’t count that high.

[Steve O]

@Vicegrip 123572 wrote:

Both!

For different reasons.

+1/2

[bobco85]

@ursus 123573 wrote:

I add that when the passer is part of a group almost never do the trailing rider(s) say anything. Alternatively, the lead rider could say something like “three bikes on your left” although I have decided that most can’t count that high.

I must admit, if I am one of the trailing cyclists, I do not always signal my pass depending on 2 circumstances:

• If I am immediately behind the cyclist(s) who called their pass (2+ cyclists in a row), I think like part of a bike train and do not signal my pass, assuming the person is already aware that they are being passed (of course, I know what happens when “you assume”).
• If there is a bit of a gap between me and the cyclist in front of me (2+ cyclists near each other), I will signal my pass. The person will end up hearing 2 “passing”/”on your left”/(DING!)/etc., but they will at least know there are multiple passers.

Hopefully my explanation is clear enough. My decision depends on if I think the person is aware that they are being passed.

[dasgeh]

@ursus 123573 wrote:

I add that when the passer is part of a group almost never do the trailing rider(s) say anything. Alternatively, the lead rider could say something like “three bikes on your left” although I have decided that most can’t count that high.

Calling passes alerts the passee to the need to be aware. In a group, I can see a bunch of calls being annoying for both the passers and the passees. And given that any passee can just turn their head and see the line of passers, I would think the ideal is enough calls to alert the passee to know it’s a group, but not so many as to be annoying. In my mind, that’s around 2, maybe 3. If I’m further back than that, I don’t call (because even if #2 or #3 didn’t call, the passee sees the others and knows).

Generally, as a cyclist, I don’t count on a walker, jogger or another cyclist that I’m about to pass hearing the specifics of what I’m saying – it’s just hard with speed differentials – so I wouldn’t bother saying “5 cyclists passing”. However, when leading Kidical Mass rides, we’re using going so slow, I do say something like “there’s a big group of us”. Of course, we rarely pass anyone except walkers on those rides.

[ursus]

@bobco85 123581 wrote:

I must admit, if I am one of the trailing cyclists, I do not always signal my pass depending on 2 circumstances:

• If I am immediately behind the cyclist(s) who called their pass (2+ cyclists in a row), I think like part of a bike train and do not signal my pass, assuming the person is already aware that they are being passed (of course, I know what happens when “you assume”).
• If there is a bit of a gap between me and the cyclist in front of me (2+ cyclists near each other), I will signal my pass. The person will end up hearing 2 “passing”/”on your left”/(DING!)/etc., but they will at least know there are multiple passers.

Hopefully my explanation is clear enough. My decision depends on if I think the person is aware that they are being passed.

As I wrote, I have no problem with a trailing rider not signaling if the lead rider warns that there are multiple riders coming. Indeed that is probably the better solution since it can be hard to discriminate between two people saying that they are passing you and one person repeating a passing announcement. The problem is at least partially mine since after one rider passes me and I am feeling that I am too close to the right shoulder, I immediately start drifting left toward the center of the lane.

Edit: A “passing announcement” does not mean an obituary.

[Tania]

I almost always ding! my approach and say “last one!” as I’m passing as part of a group. Because it’s usually true.

[scoot]

Meh. I stopped calling my passes once I realized that everyone I was passing had their windows up and A/C on. 😎

[baiskeli]

@Tania 123587 wrote:

I almost always ding! my approach and say “last one!” as I’m passing as part of a group. Because it’s usually true.

You’re still faster than the person you are passing….

[ian74]

Since I call out “passing on your left, thank you!” about 100 times a day when I commute, I find myself doing it in the supermarket when pushing my grocery cart down the crowded aisles.

[KWL]

Come on, man! More lift!

[Author]

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