Report a Comment

I'm both a cyclist, predominantly on sidewalks/streets, and a pedestrian.
I think the best way to alert pedestrians is to ring a bell well in advance to give pedestrians a sense of your speed, location, and direction. When I bike I also pay close attention to pedestrian's ears: earplugs? bluetooth?
In my experience as a pedestrian, shouting "on your left" is not particularly helpful. When a biker shouts it he/she is already right behind my back. It's a normal first reaction to turn around to face the person talking to you, expecially when you don't expect anyone to be right behind your back. Usually it just startles me. i have to constraint myself not to move.
Finally, a couple of words about the story and some of the comments. First of all, as far as pedestrian safety is concerned, it seems to me that biking is a very safe mode of transporattion. We are talking about one unfortunate incident in a year or perhaps more. How many pedestrian fatalities occurred in a comparable time period from incidents involving cars? trip-and-fall's? other everyday mishaps?
Second, as bikes become more ubiquitos and socially acceptable, both bikers and pedestrians are going to develop the appropriate etiquette and expectations. Perhaps bell ringing won't be considered as negative as some comments suggest.
Third, certainly the difference in speed is a factor in this incident, but it is unrealistic to request bikes to ride as slow as pedestrians walk. There's no point in biking in this case! I think there's enough room on the road for both bikes and pedestrians provided we have some normal common sense and understanding of each others limitations and expectations.

by M_NoVa on Jun 13, 2012 6:18 pm • link • report