Whether to Wave

[Drewdane]

@sjclaeys 55474 wrote:

The Wall Street Journal has an article on whether to wave while cycling or running. I fall in the camp of waving when on the road, but not on a trail unless you know the person.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323566804578551733633353690.html?mod=WSJ_hps_MIDDLE_Video_second

Uh, yyyyeah…

No.

[rcannon100]

I wave appropriately at this girl every day

[ATTACH=CONFIG]3125[/ATTACH]

[AMRunBike]

When running, I wave if waved at first. I have probably been known to initiate the wave, too, especially if I just came off a three-person streak of people who’ve waved at me; it’s then a reflex, and I’m like, oh, people be wavin’, yo. I am ready to wave, too. (But not in that voice. I don’t know what’s wrong with me today.)

I almost always do a head-nod-bob-acknowledgement thing, and usually a smile, too, even if I’m not waving. Again, this is when running. I do almost none of this when on the bike. Hmm, am I an a$$?

[Brent]

@AMRunBike 55565 wrote:

I’m like, oh, people be wavin’, yo. I am ready to wave, too.

This gets me too.

[jnva]

@Brendan von Buckingham 55535 wrote:

I don’t wave thanks at cars either when they do something they’re supposed to.

I hear ya on this. I begrudgingly wave to cars that stop along the W&OD in falls church, but I know most people in the cars are annoyed that I “make” them slow down.

[MV Clyde]

I mostly nod and smile. I also kinda raise my fingers off the handlebar in a half wave sort of thing. I have no idea if anyone notices.

[KLizotte]

@DaveK 55541 wrote:

If it’s the guy wearing a celeste Bianchi kit and riding a celeste Bianchi Milano while wearing sneakers, he shoaled me repeatedly riding across the Mall the other day. I got so mad after repeatedly passing him that I almost shoved him into a bus.

Yeah, that looks like the bike; can’t be too many of them around. Don’t recall what he wears on his feet and haven’t any opinion on his shoaling abilities given that we are always heading towards one another on our commutes.

[Vicegrip]

will give a thanks hand to cars that stop at intersections. will give a head nod if given one or a wave in an area where there are not 30 bikes a min coming the other way. I admit that I often go into a zone where I am heads up on the stay upright, moving and alive stuff but wander off in my own little world otherwise.

There is one bike rider in particular that that travels at about the same time as I do but in the opposite direction of my daily route who I wish would wave.:o

[Henry]

@Vicegrip 55603 wrote:

There is one bike rider in particular that that travels at about the same time as I do but in the opposite direction of my daily route who I wish would wave.:o

Perhaps you should make your wishes known there.

For the record, I am mostly an “acknowledger” and not an “initiator”. Assume others are like me and mostly enjoying the too-brief journey along the unwired path of solitude.

I do wave at cars and mouth “thank you” to the drivers at intersections who don’t act like they want to kill me (even if it’s what they are supposed to do).

[Dickie]

@jnva 55569 wrote:

I hear ya on this. I begrudgingly wave to cars that stop along the W&OD in falls church, but I know most people in the cars are annoyed that I “make” them slow down.

I have found the complete opposite. I thank drivers who show respect or treat a cyclist politely with a nice wave, smile and hopefully eye contact. I have found that the majority of them wave back with a smile as well. I don’t buy into the “why should I thank them when they’re doing as they should” attitude… simply put if they didn’t I would be dead and that isn’t an argument I am comfortable getting into. If anyone takes an effort to notice me, be it a driver, a cyclist, or pedestrian and reacts in a positive manner with some sort of acknowledgement what kind of person doesn’t respond likewise?

[JimF22003]

That article was actually pretty funny. I’m Mr. Moderate on the Wave Question. Don’t mean to snub anyone but it happens occasionally. MTB and recumbent riders especially seem to have their “Snub-dar” on high, so I’m especially demonstrative with them.

The ones I feel bad about snubbing are car drivers who pass in the other way out on country roads. Most of the time I have no particular reason to look at the drivers one way or another, but I do get the finger-lift wave from them once in awhile. I like to return the sentiments when I notice them (assuming they gave me the correct finger…)

[consularrider]

@Henry 55605 wrote:

… I do wave at cars and mouth “thank you” to the drivers at intersections who don’t act like they want to kill me (even if it’s what they are supposed to do).

After all, positive reinforcement is a good thing (or at least that’s what our parenting textbooks told us eons ago).

[consularrider]

I especially like to say good morning to the dog walkers, at least those who are on one side of the MUP while Fido is ten feet away on the other side with the lease stretched across the trail.

[dasgeh]

Most of the time, I start by trying to make eye contact. If someone is in their own world, no eye contact, so I don’t try any harder.

If I get eye contact, I usually smile, and most of the time give the knowing “we’re in this together” nod. This applies to bikes on the trail with me, but also peds on the trail, cars stopped at lights with me, pretty much anyone who qualifies as “in this together”. I find this kind of interaction humanizes me on a bike (to a driver or a ped), and I usually am treated with respect by that person afterwards. I’ll raise my fingers off the handbar (mini-wave) if waved/mini-waved at. I rarely to the all-out beauty queen arm wave. It helps that I never notice people first.

I’m not a fan of being overly grateful to drivers obeying the law, but if they do so in a helpful way (e.g. slow before the crosswalk, to indicate that they’re not going to run me over), I’ll try to show gratitude. Generally, though, I find a smile and nod goes a long way. I worry that a wave to drivers indicates “no, sir, you go ahead”.

When I’m biking with kids, a LOT of people wave at the kids. The toddler is shy and likes to pretend she’s invisible, so I’ll return waves on her behalf. The baby is still too young to get the waving thing, but it won’t surprise me if he just starts waving at EVERYONE when he figures it out.

In fact, I’m amazed at the difference in treatment I get from drivers when I have kids on the bike. A lot more respecting right of way, passing at safe distance, even hanging back without passing me for longer than necessary. But that’s another topic.

[mstone]

I can’t get past the illustration on the article: OMG, that’s creepy.

[Author]

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