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Drawing from my experience as a daily bike commuter, I have found that calling out or ringing a bell typically increases the risk of a collision. Often pedestrians are using headphones, rendering any warning useless.

Typically I follow Ryan's technique mentioned above and included here: "If I notice they are not walking in a straight line or acting in a way that makes me think they won't continue going straight I will call out. However, if they are on the right side of the trail and have been walking/run in a straight line while I have been observing them, I usual just go past without saying anything. The chances of the pedestrian turning around and walking into your path are too high in my opinion just like the incident on the Four Mile Trail. I have had a lot of similar instances where this nearly happened [when I do provide a warning]."

I realize that my typical practices don't conform to official trail rules; however, the ultimate goal is to reduce the chance of a collision and from my experience the no warning technique is least dangerous though admittedly sometimes startling for pedestrians.

I believe that providing wider trails would significantly reduce the risk of collision. In Fairfax County, a newly paved section of the W&OD is a bit wider than the W&OD/Custis in Arlington. I've noticed that the slight increase in trail width allows for much more comfortable passing buffers.

by Cody on Jun 12, 2012 10:27 am • link • report