Audible Warnings/Couriers/trail
WHEELE...@epamail.epa.gov
Subject: RE: Audible Warnings/Couriers/trails
Here's my response to Jaffar Bentchikou's request for opinions on
the best way to give warnings about passings. This summer I
bought a bell (I think it's called an "incredibell." It's very
small, but based upon my experience of using one, and also being
a frequent pedestrian, it's much more effective than verbal
warnings, especially with pedestrians. (Verbal warnings work
reasonably well with bikers being overtaken because the
difference in relative speed are less, plus bikers should be more
alert. At first I thought it was nerdy, and also would offend
people, but I've found that if I use it well in advance
(maybe they call it "incredibell" because it can be heard from a
long distance) of overtaking pedestrians they react very
favorably, and frequently say thank-you. This allows the
pedestrian time to react and to set the terms of the passing
(they can move left, right, or two of them can split). I know as
a frequent pedestrian and hiker, that I find verbal warnings from
bikers almost as bad as no warning.
I'll also express my opinion on the question of do couriers give
all bikers a bad reputation. I don't think so, I think nearly
all of us give bikers a bad reputation. Sure, it's mostly
couriers who surprise pedestrians on downtown streets and who
dart through intersections against lights, but very few bikers
obey all relevant traffic rules (especially waiting for lights
and not riding on the wrong side of streets, agaist traffic). An
example: The latest WABA newsletter tells a story of a biker who
ran into an 87 year old woman on the CCT. She was severely
injured. The biker was going very fast. The biker stopped and
waited until help arrived, but then he split and refused to
identify himself. This is not a rare event.
Most trails are just not safe for both bikers and pedestrians,
especially speeding bikers. Maybe that's who many trails have
those sharp turns that people on this exchange frequently
criticise. Maybe they're intentional instead of just stupid
design. Maybe they are there to encourage people who what to
bike fast to do it in the road. (Isn't that what the Beatles
meant?) -John Wheeler