@OneEighth 4240 wrote:
The only thing any of us can really do is lead by example.
Good point. I’ve tried many different techniques for getting people to increase the frequency that they announce their intention to pass with no avail. Sarcasm and rudeness have been particularly unsuccessful, though they sometimes feel good for a few moments. The one that was really effective was the “Honk if you’re horny” sign on the back of my bucket panniers. I had a lot more people warning me of their intent to pass…. or they were just laughing at me. Not sure.
I’ve been running on local MUTs a bit more often these days. It is DANG scary sometimes. It is really good for me to do that now and then to remind me how obnoxious we are as cyclists. I’m a firm believer in spending a bit of time in someone else’s shoes. It reminds me that I need to slow down when I’m in an area with a fair amount of traffic of any kind. Do I really need to get to work any earlier? It is much better if I dial it back a little and be safe and polite. This has had an interesting effect. Last week I had three times where I almost got rear-ended by cyclists when I slowed, rather than make a dangerous or impolite pass. I was polite and kind to the loved and valued members of society who almost killed us all.
I’m actually pretty good about announcing my intent to pass. I pretty much do it all the time. On a rare occasion I’ll forget that I need to vocalize the warning… I guess that I just assume that people can hear the noises in my head. I think most of the regulars have heard my schtick for announcing my intent to pass. I’ve found that insane, psycho-babble singing (best when out of tune, off key and with the wrong words) alerts the world that I’m coming by. (This morning it was the Chicken Dance song.) People are not exactly sure what is going to pass them, but there’s little doubt that they don’t want it to be behind them.
Thanks for the great discussion.
Pete
PS: If you look carefully at the photo of my bucket panniers, you’ll see the black smudges at the bottom of the bucket. That’s where I actually was rear-ended by a cyclist who a) couldn’t believe that I would actually stop at a stop sign; and b) was texting while riding. I was polite and helpful in getting him back on his bicycle. I had to fix his front wheel and brake lever. I did laugh at him openly though. Sometimes it is hard to resist the “holier than thou” attitude. Gotta work on that.
