The Rules

[TwoWheelsDC]

@ejwillis62 83160 wrote:

I had to log in to post this quick rule, “Do not wear bike shorts that are so small for you that everyone you pass gets a view of your butt crack.” I am seeing way way to much of this on the mount vernon trail. Just horrible. Get bigger pants. So far I have only seen men doing this but I am sure with the warmer weather it will even out but please people spare those of us behind you.

Bibs. Problem solved.

[Emm]

@ejwillis62 83160 wrote:

I had to log in to post this quick rule, “Do not wear bike shorts that are so small for you that everyone you pass gets a view of your butt crack.” I am seeing way way to much of this on the mount vernon trail. Just horrible. Get bigger pants. So far I have only seen men doing this but I am sure with the warmer weather it will even out but please people spare those of us behind you.

Can I add “If you are a man and wearing bike shorts/bibs on your ride to work, make sure they are sized large enough so that it leaves a little to the imagination, or change before you get into the office.”
There is nothing more awkward than a man walking down the hallway (especially when it’s the head of your agency) and his bike shorts are so tight you can see EVERYTHING through them. I’m not a prude, but certain things should not be visible at work.

*shudder*

(note: I’m sure this also applies to women, but I haven’t encountered it yet…)

[guga31bb]

@Mikey 82840 wrote:

They are all good. Should we make our own set of “rules”. I can think of a few locally specific rules.

1. Call your passes, and only pass when safe

At risk of further derailing this thread, why is “call your passes” such a point of emphasis? If I’m driving a car, no one expects me to honk before passing someone. If I’m jogging, no one expects me to call my pass. So why cyclists? When I’m biking, I don’t particularly care if people call their passes or not — either I’m going straight and others can pass without hitting me, or if I need to change direction (eg to pass someone) I look before moving.

I ding my bell when passing people because so many on this forum seem to get agitated about silent passes, but I never understood the reasoning…

[JimF22003]

I only call a pass where the trail is fairly narrow (i.e. most of Custis, much of the MVT) or when I’m passing folks who are walking two or more abreast. It’s kind of silly to do it on a nice wide section of the W&OD trail…

[jrenaut]

Call your pass when there is any danger that the person you are passing might move into your path. When in doubt, call it. Anyone annoyed by a single bell or a quick “on your left” from a reasonable distance shouldn’t be anywhere near a MUP.

[Geoff]

@guga31bb 83168 wrote:

why is “call your passes” such a point of emphasis?

I think it is harder for a cyclist or pedestrian to be aware of what is happening behind them than it is for a driver. There have been times when I carelessly moved a little to the left and nearly bumped into an unannounced passer. And then there are the pedestrians who, not knowing a bike is coming up behind them, make all kinds of unexpected moves. I think it helps keep us all safer if you let people know you are there.

[Emm]

@guga31bb 83168 wrote:

At risk of further derailing this thread, why is “call your passes” such a point of emphasis? If I’m driving a car, no one expects me to honk before passing someone. If I’m jogging, no one expects me to call my pass. So why cyclists? When I’m biking, I don’t particularly care if people call their passes or not — either I’m going straight and others can pass without hitting me, or if I need to change direction (eg to pass someone) I look before moving.

I ding my bell when passing people because so many on this forum seem to get agitated about silent passes, but I never understood the reasoning…

Because sometimes, people will unexpectedly swerve a little to the left while they reach down for their water bottle or some other object, or try to avoid a pothole or another issue on the trail that the person behind them may not have seen yet. Recently on MVT I swerved a little to the left to avoid some gravel on the trail, and of course at the same time the guy behind me was trying to pass on my left without warning me. He nearly knocked both of us over—he was going VERY fast, and I’m pretty sure he would have wrecked his $6,000 road bike had it hit my hybrid and fallen over on the trail.

Had he called his pass, I would have been polite and just ridden over the gravel while praying that I didn’t get another flat.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@guga31bb 83168 wrote:

At risk of further derailing this thread, why is “call your passes” such a point of emphasis? If I’m driving a car, no one expects me to honk before passing someone. If I’m jogging, no one expects me to call my pass. So why cyclists? When I’m biking, I don’t particularly care if people call their passes or not — either I’m going straight and others can pass without hitting me, or if I need to change direction (eg to pass someone) I look before moving.

I ding my bell when passing people because so many on this forum seem to get agitated about silent passes, but I never understood the reasoning…

I call passes because, frankly, you can’t win either way. Seems like 1/4 of people get pissed that you ding, 1/4 get pissed if you don’t, and the other half are oblivious. The people who appreciate dings seem to be the more experienced trail users, so I tend to worry more about appeasing them rather than the others…so I ding. The times that I actually think you should call passes is around people walking two (or more) abreast (or with dogs), or around people not paying attention and being unpredictable, or if you need to pass closely for whatever reason.

When I’m preparing to make a pass or deviate from my current path, I tend to do a quick head check to make sure no one is in my baffles…basically the same as when driving.

I generally only use the trail for non-biking if I’m walking my dog…then I appreciate dings just so I can make sure and be extra attentive to where my dog is, how much leash he has, etc…not that I don’t pay attention to those things generally, but it’s nice to have a little warning so I can tighten the leash up a bit.

[guga31bb]

@Geoff 83172 wrote:

And then there are the pedestrians who, not knowing a bike is coming up behind them, make all kinds of unexpected moves. I think it helps keep us all safer if you let people know you are there.

Yeah, all these are comments are fair. It just seems strange that, eg thinking of those signs on W&OD (I think?) that say to call your passes, the emphasis is on calling passes rather than not making unexpected movements without looking first.

If someone has a dog or child, or is walking 4 abreast on Key Bridge, I’ll definitely ding. But it sounds like if I pass someone with a lot of space then I can do it without dinging and without feeling guilty?

[mstone]

@guga31bb 83177 wrote:

Yeah, all these are comments are fair. It just seems strange that, eg thinking of those signs on W&OD (I think?) that say to call your passes, the emphasis is on calling passes rather than not making unexpected movements without looking first.

If someone has a dog or child, or is walking 4 abreast on Key Bridge, I’ll definitely ding. But it sounds like if I pass someone with a lot of space then I can do it without dinging and without feeling guilty?

Nope. Cars have mirrors, cars are expected to stay in their lanes, drivers have a duty to be aware of their surroundings and act predictably on a public road, and in the worst case if you brush another car with your car you’ve caused some property damage. People don’t have mirrors, reasonable people don’t expect that normal people walk in straight lines in a lane, people have a fundamental right to just wander about and stop whenever they want to, and in the worst case someone gets hurt if you sideswipe a pedestrian when scorching past on a bike. Most of the people out on the trail are just wandering around, that’s the nature of a shared use path. If you want to ride like you’re in a velodrome or a street, ride in a velodrome or a street.

edit to add fun historical trivia: before mirrors and lane markings became standard, motorists audibly signaled before passing other cars. I think some states still even have that on the books, though it’s pretty much ignored unless someone honks while passing a cyclist.

[Geoff]

@guga31bb 83177 wrote:

if I pass someone with a lot of space then I can do it without dinging and without feeling guilty?

I would still announce the pass. Never know when a ped will make an unexpected U-turn.

But just so you know, I don’t announce every single pass myself. At intersections, where there are lots of things going on and announcing the pass just adds to the noise. When the person has already seen me. When I’m concentrating on something else, like a pothole (but then I do feel guilty).

[dasgeh]

@guga31bb 83177 wrote:

Yeah, all these are comments are fair. It just seems strange that, eg thinking of those signs on W&OD (I think?) that say to call your passes, the emphasis is on calling passes rather than not making unexpected movements without looking first.

If someone has a dog or child, or is walking 4 abreast on Key Bridge, I’ll definitely ding. But it sounds like if I pass someone with a lot of space then I can do it without dinging and without feeling guilty?

Calling a pass is really a simple task for the person passing, while looking back is more movement and involves more danger (they take their eyes off the road, and they will probably drift a little in the direction they’re looking) for the person being passed. The thing about looking before making movements is that (1) most of us make small adjustments in our line _all the time_ and don’t impact anyone else so there’s no reason to be constantly looking back — unless there happens to be someone making a tight pass, which really doesn’t happen all that often; and (2) when someone is coming from directly behind you, and/or is coming up a lot faster than you, you can look before moving and still not see them.

The person passing in the best position to know it’s necessary, and it has the smallest impact on them, so the passer should just call their passes.

As far as joggers _not_ calling their passes, when two peds bump, you don’t risk the same injury. When a ped passes a bike, they should theoretically call the pass, but really, they’re probably more at risk than the slow cyclist, and the speed differential is probably not great, so again, low risk.

[guga31bb]

Hey, this was really informative, thanks everyone.

[Steve O]

@dasgeh 83183 wrote:

When a ped passes a bike, they should theoretically call the pass

Hot damn! If I’m running and I pass a bike, I’m calling that pass all afternoon: “Hey! Passing. Passing. On your left. Yeah, me, the wicked fast runner smokin’ on by! On your left! Yep, goin’ on by! Yowzah!”

[Fast Friendly Guy]

I warn loudly whenever I see runners, walkers, joggers who are going the same direction ahead of me who:

1. look at their watches
2. reach for their phones or music players
3. are approaching trail junctions or bridges
4. slow unexpectly

I don’t take chances! Voice, bell, whistle–whatever it takes to get their attention. Am I disturbing their Zen? Probably, but I’d rather have someone angry with me than see someone get hurt for lack of attention (and that includes me!)

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