Pro tip: use a bell instead of yelling at pedestrians in bike lanes

I used to just shout "on your left" when coming up behind people on the multi-use path near Green Lake. One day a dude with earbuds didn't hear me and I nearly clipped him. Switched to a loud bell and now I give it two dings about 30 feet back. People move over way faster and nobody gets startled. Has anyone else found a specific bell that cuts through traffic noise?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_rowan11d ago

Is it just me or is this kind of a small example of how we all just expect other people to adapt to our way of doing things instead of changing our own approach? The bell works because it's a clear, predictable signal that doesn't depend on someone hearing you over their own world. Makes me wonder where else in life I'm stubbornly doing something the hard way when a small tweak would make everything smoother for everyone.

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the_andrew10d ago

Oh man, this hits a little too close to home... I'm absolutely the guy who will rearrange the entire kitchen counter layout instead of just putting the coffee mug back in the same spot every morning. My wife keeps moving my keys to the hook by the door and I keep putting them in the junk drawer because that's where I've always put them. She's the bell in this scenario and I'm the one shouting into my own noise. Makes me wonder how many tiny arguments I've started just because I refused to change one small habit... probably a lot more than I'd like to admit.