On your left – tales of woe

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Viewing 15 posts - 16 through 30 (of 129 total)
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  • #939359
    vvill
    Participant

    @pfunkallstar 18269 wrote:

    I never try to startle anyone but it is a fine balance.

    Agreed. Generally if there is not much trail traffic and the pedestrian/runner is going slow and steady I will go as far left as possible and just ride past. I’ll call or use my bell otherwise. With cyclists I’m still not sure. I passed someone mashing really slowly on a Custis hill one time and got a “call your pass!” or similar but there was no one else around and I passed well clear from them. Often I will call for cyclists and get zero acknowledgment. And of course I’ve been passed with no call many times – which I don’t mind except when it’s a group of 3+ pacelining downhill.

    #939360
    JeffC
    Participant

    @vvill 18272 wrote:

    Agreed. Generally if there is not much trail traffic and the pedestrian/runner is going slow and steady I will go as far left as possible and just ride past. I’ll call or use my bell otherwise. With cyclists I’m still not sure. I passed someone mashing really slowly on a Custis hill one time and got a “call your pass!” or similar but there was no one else around and I passed well clear from them. Often I will call for cyclists and get zero acknowledgment. And of course I’ve been passed with no call many times – which I don’t mind except when it’s a group of 3+ pacelining downhill.

    To be clear, I don’t mean “startle” as in giving somebody a heart attack but more startle as to make somebody running in the middle of the trail be aware they are on a shared path and cannot meander like they have consumed a six pack.

    LOL, the slow masher was probably me. What’s wrong with saying you are passing every time? As has been stated here many times, the Custis has parts in poor conditions and is treated as a de facto one lane trail in certain locations with many riders veering in the other lane to avoid rutted spots. Maybe the other biker sees something like glass or debris or something ahead that somebody coming up behind does not, maybe the other biker is going to turn but is too lazy to signal and does not think anybody is behind them. Even if the trail appears clear to you, it might not be to somebody with better visibility, nothing wrong with saying you are passing and lots of good reasons to do so so, this coming from somebody who gets passed a lot.

    #939362
    Dirt
    Participant

    Generally I’ve found that things have improved on the trails a lot over the last year or two. It seemed to me that I had close calls or serious mishaps with people almost every week in years past. I’ve really only had 1 or 2 in the last year and those get chalked up to “we all make mistakes now and then”.

    That said, when I see headphones, I usually make really weird and not expected noises, instead of just saying “on your left!”. I’ve talked about psycho babble singing as my favorite alert. Other things do too. Oddly enough, people seem to get out of the way when they hear me say, “I’m not going back to prison!!!” or “We’re all gonna die!!!”. Don’t know why, but those two seem to work pretty well.

    I’ve had bad luck with bells. People hear it, but many are startled by it and behave unpredictably.

    #939363
    Tim Kelley
    Participant

    @JeffC 18273 wrote:

    As has been stated here many times, the Custis has parts in poor conditions and is treated as a de facto one lane trail in certain locations with many riders veering in the other lane to avoid rutted spots.

    Let’s get this knocked out. Where specifically does the Custis need attention? I’ve start a thread here: http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?2105-Custis-Trail-Needs-Work&p=18276#post18276

    #939365
    rcannon100
    Participant

    My experience with hostility is small but consistent. Spending a lot of time on the trail, it does not happen often – but when it does happen, it is hostile. Both on the Custis and the MVT I have had people go absolutely ballistic. My usual read is that they were in a bad mood anyway and they want something to take it out on.

    Contrary to Dirt, I use a bell and find I get the best response (your experience may differ, please consult a mortician if taken internally). I find that if I say something, noobs and tourists will instinctively turn toward me in response – meaning to their left into the trail. With the bell, I find most people step to the right and do not respond to it as if someone is talking to them.

    I always ring. It’s better if its a habit. Dont think about it. Dont make a decision “do I signal or not signal.” Just signal. Make it a habit. The good people will hear you. The haters – well who cares.

    And then of course I have an exception. Kids. If their are small kids anywhere near, I usually run silent – and try to move far away from them. I find that if I make any noise at all, they will move toward me. I slow down – and even go off the trail – to give them a wide berth.

    The haters are a small but consistent group. Have learned to simply ignore them. They are their own worse karma.

    #939371
    KLizotte
    Participant

    I wonder if calling “stay to your right please” and ringing a bell is better for peds that are obviously tourists, esp if one is biking on the glorified sidewalks that they call trails around here. I’m thinking of areas around the Nat’l Mall in particular. I surmise people would respond better to a command than having to digest what “on your left” means and acting accordingly within a matter of seconds.

    #939375
    dasgeh
    Participant

    Personally, I always call passes, generally saying “passing” but sometimes “on your left”. I agree with assertion that the folks that go ballistic are just going to go ballistic — bad day, bad attitude, bad shoes — whatever reason. Can’t let them impact your day.

    Most importantly, I think there are lots of people on our trails – especially the ones closer to monuments and memorials – who just don’t understand what a MUP is and how they should be walking. I’m convinced the worst stretches are the narrow sidewalks near the Lincoln, and the path between the Cemetery and 110. A simple system of signage would go a long way towards helping everyone out. Not just wayfinding signs — though those are great and necessary — but basic rules. E.g. stay to your right. Be aware that faster peds and cyclists will pass on your left. Call your passes (if they put on the sign something like “Signal passing by either ringing a bell or saying ‘Passing’.” I think people would start conforming to one practice). Keep pets on a short lease (can we ban pets? pretty please?).

    #939377
    americancyclo
    Participant

    @rcannon100 18279 wrote:

    And then of course I have an exception. Kids. I find that if I make any noise at all, they will move toward me. I slow down – and even go off the trail – to give them a wide berth.

    This. Kids always turn toward the sound and that moves their bike into the other lane. I still ring my bell, but I do it far back enough that they have time to correct. Meaning I slow wayyyyy down. Got to get the kids in to the good habit of knowing what a ringing bell behind them means!

    #939378
    vvill
    Participant

    @JeffC 18273 wrote:

    LOL, the slow masher was probably me. What’s wrong with saying you are passing every time? As has been stated here many times, the Custis has parts in poor conditions and is treated as a de facto one lane trail in certain locations with many riders veering in the other lane to avoid rutted spots. Maybe the other biker sees something like glass or debris or something ahead that somebody coming up behind does not, maybe the other biker is going to turn but is too lazy to signal and does not think anybody is behind them. Even if the trail appears clear to you, it might not be to somebody with better visibility, nothing wrong with saying you are passing and lots of good reasons to do so so, this coming from somebody who gets passed a lot.

    I guess the only excuse I have right now is the pollen in my throat every dang ride and I’m generally a quiet person. But yeah there is nothing wrong with calling every pass, I just sometimes feel like it’s not necessary and is more likely to be obnoxious/startling than beneficial.

    #939379
    rcannon100
    Participant

    If we all signal every pass, then we core commuters create a culture. The consistent signaling will make signaling normative, not obnoxious or startling. Those that dare tread on our hallow grownd :p will quickly become acclimated to the culture…. and of course the haters will still be in a bad mood. The best thing we can do is define the culture on the trail.

    #939380
    Dirt
    Participant

    @rcannon100 18294 wrote:

    If we all signal every pass, then we core commuters create a culture. The consistent signaling will make signaling normative, not obnoxious or startling. Those that dare tread on our hallow grownd :p will quickly become acclimated to the culture…. and of course the haters will still be in a bad mood. The best thing we can do is define the culture on the trail.

    Yup! We are definitely responsible for defining our own culture. That goes for stop lights and riding politely too.

    #939385
    pfunkallstar
    Participant

    I’m fine with trail culture as long as it isn’t Oregon Trail culture, in which case Little Annie has just perished from dysentery.

    #939392
    consularrider
    Participant

    @pfunkallstar 18302 wrote:

    I’m fine with trail culture as long as it isn’t Oregon Trail culture, in which case Little Annie has just perished from dysentery.

    So that’s why there’s been no word from ACC since she ordered her Tri gear? ;)

    #939397
    DaveK
    Participant

    @consularrider 18309 wrote:

    So that’s why there’s been no word from ACC since she ordered her Tri gear? ;)

    Last heard from trying to float her wagon across a river in Kansas.

    #939403
    vvill
    Participant

    Ok so on my way home today I called *every* pass but at one point another guy on a road bike flew by me with zero warning. *shrug* There just doesn’t seem to be much consistency with calling passes. I also experimented between the bell and calling passes. The bell seemed to get more attention instantly but also startled people more. Except in one case where calling the pass startled someone enough to move to their left. I’m not convinced on this one.

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