That is bad behavior. Call em out as you see fit.
2016-09-11 16:58:32
24
Calling out people who don't let you know that they're passing on a trail
Thanks to strava flyby, I have the name of someone who passed me and others on the trail today without calling it out. It was very crowded, with rollerbladers, cyclists, walkers, and little kids learning how to bike. The jail trial, like others, is a multi use trail. When i said "thanks for letting me know you're passing" and then told him he needs to call it out, all he did was shake his head and ride away. It happened last month, too, and i called the guy out on it as well. Wondering if it was the same guy, cause that person shook his head, too, and didn't apologize. So I was going to post his name and ask if anyone knew him, because i really wanted to talk to him to find out why he shook his head, why he thinks that it isn't a dangerous thing to pass people at 20+mph without saying anything. Does anyone else call out other cyclists for shit behavior like that?
2016-09-11 14:52:36
Maybe he is mute, autistic, or severely introverted.
2016-09-11 17:22:59
Ironically Stef I checked strava and you passed me on your bike as I was finishing my run this morning. Unless there's another Stef out there.
2016-09-11 20:49:52
There is no barrier in regards to this person as far as mental or physical impairment.
2016-09-11 22:55:17
If the rider is endangering only themselves, I don't worry about it, but if the behavior is potentially endangering others, it may be of use to engage.
2016-09-12 09:42:12
Pretty much every time I call, I actually use my bell, I startle people so I try to judge their walking, if they're walking or riding in a straight line following road rules I pass left and give a pleasantry as I pass. If they're walking or riding like drunken sailors I hit the bell and 8 times out of 1o watch them jump or bang away on the bell only to see earbuds as I skirt by them. Now there was no excuse for the 4 abreast joggers by South Side Works yesterday afternoon...
https://youtu.be/VVlmUeNfZHE
2016-09-13 08:54:01
Call him out, @stefb. Do it.
2016-09-13 09:39:43
I do the same as sped and find the same issues with ear buds. When I run on the trails I stay far right all the time. If I have to pass or deal with puddles I look back and if it looks even semi busy but clear enough I stick out my left arm a bit so people behind know what I'm doing. I get annoyed when slow bikers or walkers or joggers ride or run several abreast and don't make an attempt to move over. When I ride with my wife we try to ride abreast but we have a system to move into single file where we communicate who is dropping back.
2016-09-13 13:34:06
I did say something once earlier this year because I thought it was an intentional buzz at a high rate of speed. It resulted in an agreement to disagree...
If that person is reading this, "you're an a-hole."
2016-09-13 15:08:19
Yeah! Post that name you heard from someone else and call that guy out! You (or some other internet vigilante) could probably even use social media/engineering to figure out where he works/lives and who his friends are! You could call his employer and try to get him fired or start harassing his friends and family through social media!
Somewhat new to BikePGH. This shit is seriously allowed/condoned?
2016-09-13 16:45:58
Rusty Red and I rode around North Park Lake over the weekend at a slow "poky"-man pace. Lots of bad cycling etiquette going on up there, and mostly NOT from the roadies. I think I heard only one 'on your left' the whole day despite uncountable close passes from cyclists going maybe 12MPH while we were doing ten. And yes, I will be stopping at that red light (hand signal included), so when you cross my wheel it is Your bad.
2016-09-13 18:06:09
A second hand story about the North Park lake loop. Someone was stopped by a county cop for making a right turn at a stop sign without stopping. But the reason the cop made the stop was because the rider was in the "car" lane, no mention of stopping if you're in the bike lane. So, based on my experience, don't expect to see many riders stopping at the lights or stop signs while in the bike lane. Heck, I've seen the cops/rangers drive by people riding in the wrong direction in the bike lane several times, and that seems to be ok with them too.
2016-09-13 18:51:10
Bottom line is that if you are trying for KOM on Strava don't do it on a beautiful weekend afternoon on a popular bike riding spot.
2016-09-13 19:52:19
I had to use the Google to figure out what Strava and a KOM are, guess it's the anti social media guy in me. In any case I'll never win any fancy crowns because I ride a heavy ass touring bike and go as fast or slow as my legs push on any given day. That being said at times I'm guilty of poor etiquette on the bike trail as I sometimes get lost in thought while I'm riding and don't realize I made a bonehead move until the deed is done so I am generally pretty forgiving of others and would have been to the joggers above in the video had one of them said sorry or at the very least acknowledged me as I squeezed by.
2016-09-13 20:08:46
I wouldn't bother calling someone out...
As a runner and cyclist...most people inherently drift to the left when they hear someone say 'on your left'. This leads to a very dangerous situation, which has led to many people just blasting by people. Is it safer? Probably. Does it piss you off when you get passed... definitely. With more and more people wearing headphones, it's even more frustrating when you're yelling and then slowly pass someone who had no idea you were behind them.
I've had close calls on both fronts...
It's like someone not using a turn signal...it's annoying but happens everywhere.
2016-09-14 19:07:36
My experience is like Tucks': if I call out before passing a ped, they'll most often step and turn to their left: directly into my path. Often enough that I believe passing unannounced is probably safer.
OTOH, if there's insufficient room to pass or I have any doubt about the person holding their line, I'll slow down and call "Excuse me" and wait for their inevitable bumbling "What do I do?!?" episode to resolve itself before passing and thanking them.
YMMV.
2016-09-14 20:19:15
I've had better luck w/ a bell, vs. "on your left". YMMV.
2016-09-14 21:58:53
I definitely prefer the bell to calling out. I'm still trying to figure out ideal timing but lately have been taking a two ding approach. First ding about 50' out if no response a second at around 25'. If I see I have a adequate room to easily pass I don't even bother as I believe it's more rude to startle than pass briskly with reasonable clearance. In trying to find a balance between loud enough and relatively pleasant, (trying to reduce the startle factor), I've been through a few different bells and am now on the stem mount PDW Alexander Graham Bell. My favorite being the Crane Suzu but I don't have a decent place on the bars to mount it.
2016-09-15 09:10:10
I think announcing "onyer left" has problems- often the emphasis is on the left part, which is what registers to those without earbuds in. I prefer "PASSING on your left" as the passing signals your intent, then describes where you will be. Discuss.
The runners in the video appear to be a team - local XC? If the cyclist approaching was a single rider, there was adequate room to get by. If not but a group of cyclists not single file, they could have squeezes over.
2016-09-15 13:13:50
It was actually close, less than a foot between my shoulder and the outer guys. I thought they would tighten up a bit as I approached but when they didn't I held my line, if I'm going down because of someone they're coming with me.
2016-09-15 14:25:09
Thank you for the slow-motion video of shirtless, glistening fellas jogging. Mrow.
Seriously though, It's pretty annoying. I've encountered them several times recently in Point State Park, etc... running in a wide group, not leaving any room to pass... even when you ask nicely.
2016-09-15 14:55:18
I'm of two minds about calling people out. Sometimes I think it's right and I'll do it. But 95% of the time, it leads to defensive shittiness from the person I've called out - whether driver, runner, or cyclist, including one roadie on the North Shore Trail who screamed at me for not holding my line as he sped up behind/beside me.
I think I've had a total of like 3 people ever apologize or understand what I'm telling them.
If I trusted myself to not escalate the shittiness, I'd probably do it more. But it keeps me more sane to keep my mouth shut.
2016-09-16 09:36:32
If I'm with someone and I notice a person silently passing me, I'll often call them out to the people in front of me that there's another, silent rider passing...
as for when i myself am passing someone, I'll usually say "coming up on" or "passing on your left", because I too have had a few people think i meant "get on your left" when i called out without the verb. i still get people who jump and stumble in front of me, but it's less, and definitely fewer than when i just ring a bell at people--with just the bell, I've had people jump, then go to one side, then the other, or a group will go to different sides, then run to all be on one side... I've actually told people, 'i don't actually care which side you go to, just pick one...!'
2016-09-16 13:19:41