Passive Aggressive Pedestrians

srchar wrote:

I'd still thank them for making the effort even if the execution makes things worse.

Depends on how much worse...

Sriracha wrote:

I always find a decent bell helps. As a pedestrian I hate it when I only become aware of a bike when it's already time to step aside. It's far more comfortable to know of its approach well before then so I have ample time - the lack of urgency makes the interaction much more pleasant. So as a cyclist I use my Lion bell loud and clear from as far as possible. Generally I find that makes the difference.

In my experience you can't win:

If you ring or ping a bell, the pedestrian thinks you're being aggressive and ordering them out of your way.

If you don't use a bell, but say something, you'll get people asking why you didn't use a bell.

If you don't make any sound but just sneak past you'll get someone miming having a heart attack or making some snide comment.

My experience is that you can win, but you have to think it through from their perspective, recognising that they are enjoying a peaceful walk lost in their thoughts.

If you ride up their arse and hammer your bell at them, then yes, it comes across as aggressive - like you are asserting your priority. And if they didn't already know you were coming it is a shock as well.

I find the key is to sound the bell from far enough that it comes across as a warning of your impending approach rather than as a demand to step out of your way immediately. That way you are just opening a necessary negotiation rather than asserting your urgent priority. And, it gives them time, that is the key; remember they are ambling along lost in thoughts, not alert on point duty scanning for incoming hazards.

I only came to this by considering how it feels for me when I am the pedestrian. The ones who teleport themselves up to within a metre before whoosing past do give me a heart attack. The ones who come up silently and then sound a bell or voice right behind are little better, they just trigger the fight/flight response. The ones who I can hear from some way off, usually by way of a bell, are no problem.

Sriracha wrote:

The ones who I can hear from some way off, usually by way of a bell, are no problem.

But for some PEDs just being a cyclist is apparently a problem, as they steadfastly refuse to hear the tinkle of an approaching bell, the shifting of a deraileur, the friendly hello, the louder bell, and finally the shout.

Try to remember most are not like that. In fact, I've never met one myself.

Sriracha wrote:

My experience is that you can win, but you have to think it through from their perspective, recognising that they are enjoying a peaceful walk lost in their thoughts.

If you ride up their arse and hammer your bell at them, then yes, it comes across as aggressive - like you are asserting your priority.

By using terms like "hammer your bell" and "asserting your priority" I think you're deliberately misinterpreting what brooksby meant.

On my way to work I ride on a couple of narrow lanes with almost no traffic and am likely to meet people walking or jogging. I'm always happy to slow to a crawl or put a foot down for someone else, it's not hard to be considerate. The only people who are a problem are those wearing headphones and considering only themselves.

Shared paths have been discussed on here many times; there are always going to be problems mixing dog walkers, family groups or teenagers with cyclists moving on both directions at higher speeds (even if that's 10 or 12 mph). Converting a pavement into a cycle facility by painting a white line down it - or in some cases just a few blue signs - simply doesn't work. The few stretches of shared path I occasionally use are busier since the lockdown so to both avoid causing concern to anyone and to maintain social distancing I ride on the road. But that's not appropriate for everyone. Again, it's decent infrastructure that makes all the difference.

i HATE that little blue sign! the one that means cyclists MAY use it, but its shared with pedestrians, or the other ones that say this is one side for bikes, one side for people. And then you still get people walking in the bike lane who then act surprised when you appear behind them. Im quite tempted to go round spray painting every damn one of the things making the bikes vanish.

david rides wrote:

i HATE that little blue sign! the one that means cyclists MAY use it, but its shared with pedestrians, or the other ones that say this is one side for bikes, one side for people. And then you still get people walking in the bike lane who then act surprised when you appear behind them. Im quite tempted to go round spray painting every damn one of the things making the bikes vanish.

It actually doesn't mean that - it just means cycles must stick to the cycle side. Pedestrians are still allowed to walk on any part of the path they like - it's still a footway, that just happens to permit cycling on one part of it.

Simon E wrote:

Sriracha wrote:

My experience is that you can win, but you have to think it through from their perspective, recognising that they are enjoying a peaceful walk lost in their thoughts.

If you ride up their arse and hammer your bell at them, then yes, it comes across as aggressive - like you are asserting your priority.

By using terms like "hammer your bell" and "asserting your priority" I think you're deliberately misinterpreting what brooksby meant.

On my way to work I ride on a couple of narrow lanes with almost no traffic and am likely to meet people walking or jogging. I'm always happy to slow to a crawl or put a foot down for someone else, it's not hard to be considerate. The only people who are a problem are those wearing headphones and considering only themselves.

Shared paths have been discussed on here many times; there are always going to be problems mixing dog walkers, family groups or teenagers with cyclists moving on both directions at higher speeds (even if that's 10 or 12 mph). Converting a pavement into a cycle facility by painting a white line down it - or in some cases just a few blue signs - simply doesn't work. The few stretches of shared path I occasionally use are busier since the lockdown so to both avoid causing concern to anyone and to maintain social distancing I ride on the road. But that's not appropriate for everyone. Again, it's decent infrastructure that makes all the difference.

Thanks, Simon E.

For the avoidance of doubt - I have never 'ridden up someone's arse and hammered my bell at them'.  That's what comes of looking ahead, I guess (especially nowadays...).

I will ring the bell a couple of times (I've got a Crane E-NE bell on both my bikes, if you want an idea of sound) ahead of actually coming into conflict, hoping the pedestrian will hear it and look around.

If I have to (if they're wearing headphones or 'being Principled', for example) then I will wait behind them until I can pass.  I always say thank you.

I will even slow down and even ring a bell as I approach a bend on a shared-use path or a narrow section, if I can't see that the way ahead is clear.

And yet my experiences still tend toward those described in my earlier post.

YMMV.

I've found the same reaction to my use of a bell. I've spent sometime trying to explain to friends and colleagues that the sounding of a bell is letting them be aware of the presence of a cyclist. They don't need to get out of the way as the cyclist has already decide from way back their course of action. All they need to do is keep their line or stop!  The bell like a car horn is not a get outta my way signal. It's a be aware of my presence signal. There are to many bellers out there who use it as the former pretty much like motorists lean on their horn!   

I've used a standard bell for years and have only ever twice had people be passive-aggressive by just continuing and ignoring me.  One I had to brush past after riding behind slowly and repeatedly saying 'excuse me' (and whom I'd've have been willing to respond with actual aggression had any been offered, and  a couple who were probably just deaf and despite repeated calls and rings seemed surprised when I passed.
Slow down, give ample room/time for the pedestrians to trun around and step aside, say 'thank you' and smile.  A traditional 'tring-tring' bell isn't aggressive.