http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: Try as you might to be polite... en Sun, 31 May 2026 20:10:48 +0000 http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=16622#post-225144 Thu, 14 Jul 2016 19:48:18 +0000 neddie 225144@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Ring your bell from miles back - it's the only answer.</p> <p>Then they think you're ringing someone else, but still become aware of you.</p> <p>If they don't hear and shout "where's your bell", just ring it again after you pass... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=16622#post-225138 Thu, 14 Jul 2016 18:32:19 +0000 gembo 225138@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Recently been thanked many times for ringing my bell. Somedays you eat the bar and some days the bar eats you </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=16622#post-225122 Thu, 14 Jul 2016 16:02:40 +0000 kaputnik 225122@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>There was a girl on the news in the US who found a dead body in a river while looking for Pokeymen. The body was unrelated to Pokemon, just a coincidence. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=16622#post-225119 Thu, 14 Jul 2016 15:54:19 +0000 amir 225119@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>It would make a lot more sense if they were hunting virtual cake. But real cake would be even better </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=16622#post-225117 Thu, 14 Jul 2016 15:24:36 +0000 jdanielp 225117@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@Cyclingmollie that is certainly a positive aspect of the new craze although there is also a definite potential for accidents due to inattentive Pokémon 'trainers' wandering around - I have been looking at the hashtag on Twitter on and off and there are various people exclaiming about how they have spent X hours walking around using the app, but have yet to spot any references to related accidents yet! </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=16622#post-225114 Thu, 14 Jul 2016 15:08:36 +0000 Cyclingmollie 225114@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>I saw my first phone-equipped hunting party</em></p> <p>My daughter and her friends are off to hunt Pokemon on Arthur's Seat this afternoon. It's good to see her getting out the house. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=16622#post-225113 Thu, 14 Jul 2016 14:29:12 +0000 nobrakes 225113@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Anybody seen that Jackass sketch when they go out to the golf course with a gas powered air horn? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=16622#post-225112 Thu, 14 Jul 2016 14:27:13 +0000 Klaxon 225112@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I tend to treat my bell as if it were a car horn and to be used sparingly as it usually indicates I've made a mistake or expect someone to unreasonably give way.</p> <p>Exceptions being at blind corners, passing from behind on narrow paths, or any dog walker.</p> <p>'I am here' </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=16622#post-225111 Thu, 14 Jul 2016 14:26:25 +0000 SRD 225111@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>i was on a led ride some months ago and nearly died of mortification because the leader kept using their bell shrilly everytime they approached a pedestrian. </p> <p>moderation in everything is the only rule of life... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=16622#post-225110 Thu, 14 Jul 2016 14:24:07 +0000 kaputnik 225110@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Bells work. Sometimes.<br /> Bells don't work. Sometimes.<br /> Some people get annoyed if you ring a bell. Others don't.<br /> Some people don't get annoyed if you don't ring a bell. Other's do.</p> <p>Regardless, it will always be you the cyclist that's at fault. Always.</p> <p>Don't get me started on those stretchy dog leashes. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=16622#post-225108 Thu, 14 Jul 2016 14:22:38 +0000 jdanielp 225108@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@nobrakes you'll need to add Pokémon Go to that list... I saw my first phone-equipped hunting party embarking from the Student Union at Heriot-Watt earlier this afternoon. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=16622#post-225106 Thu, 14 Jul 2016 14:01:26 +0000 PS 225106@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Having been subjected to more "don't you ring your bell at me" comments than I care to remember (there are a lot of down trodden unhappy prickly people out there), I tend to deploy the bell in limited circumstances (blind corners, at a distance, for laughs). </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=16622#post-225104 Thu, 14 Jul 2016 13:20:09 +0000 nobrakes 225104@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Bells are useless when the canal towpath is populated with an ever increasing horde of people listening to their IPods at full volume. I nearly had a head on collision with one this morning under a bridge. I always ring my bell at least 3 times on approach to each brdige and slow right down, still nearly came a cropper as the guy was determined to run straight into me.</p> <p>I would like to see legislation for prosecuting pedestrians who cause accidents through their complete lack of awareness due to immersion in ifacebookagram </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=16622#post-225103 Thu, 14 Jul 2016 13:17:22 +0000 Nelly 225103@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>@WC, nice to catch up earlier.</p> <p>On this subject, you cant win. </p> <p>I do have a bell on my commuter bike but have had abuse hurled my way when I use it along the lines of "you scared the $%*t out of me with that bell".</p> <p>If I time it wrongly going up toward Edinburgh Park station and The Great 5 pm Exodus from RBS and BoS is taking place, I sometimes amuse myself by filtering between the bodies sans bell - and in this entirely unscientific survey I have found minimal levels of pedestrian whine. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=16622#post-225101 Thu, 14 Jul 2016 12:29:30 +0000 Rob 225101@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>There's an element of society which believes the slow must always make way for the fast, and not just the ones leaning on the horn and punishment passing cyclists. I know I certainly believed this when I first started bike commuting in Edinburgh. When you have this mentality, you'd rather leap into the bushes (or ride between the yellow lines and the kerb) than inconvenience someone else.</p> <p>I think they're assuming you believe the same, projecting anger/frustration onto you then denying any fault for causing the non-existent anger/frustration. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=16622#post-225098 Thu, 14 Jul 2016 12:00:08 +0000 jdanielp 225098@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I had a vaguely similar situation on the canal towpath the other evening when, upon spotting a dog on a long lead emerging from one of the Wester Hailes bridges, I slowed down and gave the dog and its owner a wide berth as I proceeded under the bridge. Shortly after passing the owner I heard something complainy along the lines of that I should have rung my bell... However, the primary difference in this case was that I had rung my bell as I was slowing down on approach to the bridge so I replied to point this out as I exited the bridge on the far side. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=16622#post-225097 Thu, 14 Jul 2016 11:59:58 +0000 Wilmington's Cow 225097@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I do think bells have a place (and I've changed my position on that post-argument-threads-passim), but don't have one on this bike yet, and in this particular circumstance it just didn't seem necessary in the slightest.</p> <p>As you say, ringing my bell would have actually inconvenienced them more! </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=16622#post-225092 Thu, 14 Jul 2016 11:44:16 +0000 Rob 225092@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I do what you did, slow and wait for a gap. What would ringing the bell in that situation achieve? They'd have to stop and move off the path just so I can get by a little sooner (maybe)? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=16622#post-225089 Thu, 14 Jul 2016 11:00:23 +0000 Wilmington's Cow 225089@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Heading alongside the tramline, couple ahead (I shall be as unkind to label them as neds) walking a big dog in the same direction as me, veering off the path and back on. People walking the other way, I stop pedalling and slow weeeeeellll before reaching them, down to walking pace a good ten yards back to let the people coming the other way pass. I then take a wiiiiiiiide sweep past them, and only once clear start to accelerate properly again. At which point I hear a shout of, "Whit's wrang wi' usin' yer bell like?"</p> <p>I declined to engage in pointless conversation. </p>