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This whole "on your left" craziness only works if you're preaching it to the choir. To be honest, I have never heard that phrase before and certainly wouldn't have known what it meant had I not been reading this article.

I agree. It's a little like yelling "fore" at someone who has no experience at golf - there' a decent chance they're still going to get plunked.

And even if the pedestrian understands what "on your left" means, there are lots of opportunities for confusion. Assuming the cyclist enunciates perfectly (which is a pretty big leap), the pedestrian isn't expecting someone to shout at her from behind, the cyclist is moving quickly, and it's very easy for the pedestrian to hear/interpret something that makes her move to her left. In a perfect world, the cyclist would shout something from far enough away that would make the pedestrian turn around, assess the situation, and move to the right. That's unlikeky to happen often, though. Maybe "passing on your left," accompanied by a bell ring? It doesn't eliminate the potential for confusion, but it informs the pedestrian that someone will be passing, and where.

Terrible tragedy, and I also feel for the cyclist in this situation, who, from the information available, doesn't appear to have done anything wrong.

by dcd on Jun 12, 2012 2:35 pm • link • report

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