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Canal Nazi

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  1. SRD
    Moderator

    Yay. I have a new moniker thanks to guy on green bike in green hiviz whose constant dinging I took exception to.

    Truly a canal cyclist who ought to have been on the road. He caught me going west just past Viewforth/boroughmuir and 'dinged' me and overtook (what's wrong with 'on your right'?) Except I was hanging back because there were pedestrians and cyclists on both sides of the path in front of me. And then, after barging through them (ding, ding...) he pushed through the chicane, despite there being a pedestrian and a cyclist waiting to come through the other way. THEN, he dismounts???! So I carry on, then he catches me again right outside Craiglockhart primary, at about 15 minutes to 9. So the path is totally clogged with kids and parents. they were all being careful and considerate and parents were saying 'watch the cyclists', but still he pushes through 'ding, ding..'. He dinged everyone - oncoming pedestrians who weren't remotely in his way, and people he was overtaking on the right.

    For crying out loud. I had to ask what exactly he thought he was gaining by this?

    I know most of you will think I shouldn't have said anything, but it was just too much.

    No wonder the Craiglockhart parents complain!

    Posted 6 years ago #

  2. amir
    Member

    Mr Toad!

    Posted 6 years ago #

  3. steveo
    Member

    When I was running on the Canal a lot earlier in the year I considered printing a sign suggesting I was deaf to see if folk would stop bloody digning at me then pushing through regardless, its very frustrating.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  4. dougal
    Member

    Bells should come with a refractory period.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  5. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    To be fair conflict is designed into the canal towpath. It's a very attractive corridor and in no way adequate for demand.

    Engaging with strangers is fraught with difficulty. I have adopted a super-formal Edwardian tone now. Good morning Sir, if I may be permitted to introduce myself...&co &co.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  6. neddie
    Member

    Good morning Sir, if I may be permitted to introduce myself...

    I can imagine you adding a

    ...Have you been drinking?

    to the end of that. Or maybe,

    ...Have thy been imbibing thysel wi vessels o ale?

    Posted 6 years ago #

  7. paddyirish
    Member

    I don't like bells for that reason - a bit like a car horn which can be used in a "get the #rule2# out of my way". I'd rather say a "hi ", which gets a pretty positive response and only use the bell if I don't get any sign that they have heard me (headphones)

    But then most of my cycling is rural and I don't use the canal in town...

    Posted 6 years ago #

  8. Luath
    Member

    Maybe he was transferring the instructions he was given by the new signs on the NEPN?
    Described on the council website as "use your bell to let people know you are there well in advance".

    Bell ringing is one of those no win games. You will always be simultaneously ringing too much and not ringing enough.

    Not that any of the above excuses barging through other path users.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  9. neddie
    Member

    @paddy

    Use the bell from miles back. Then use "Hi" when you are close.

    ("Hi" doesn't work from miles back, and bells P people off when dung directly behind)

    Posted 6 years ago #

  10. urchaidh
    Member

    No canal for you!

    Posted 6 years ago #

  11. steveo
    Member

    Use the bell from miles back. Then use "Hi" when you are close.

    As long as no one is between you and the target then it sounds like dude in between is close range dinging.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  12. SRD
    Moderator

    If there are so many people that you are ringing constantly, then just stop ringing and ride considerately and slowly until you get past the congested area, or go onto the road, especially at busy times.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  13. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    I can imagine you adding a...have you been drinking?

    Always with a 'Sir'. Freaks folk out slightly and triggers the thought that I might be off-duty plod.

    One of the things I really like about French is the way it still has mechanisms to indicate several degrees of formality right up to medieval chivalry.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  14. Morningsider
    Member

    Think I've seen this green clad guy in the Meadows. Really ticked me off - started dinging at pedestrians crossing the cycle path from behind me, so they got the impression that I was some kind of impatient douche. I adopted accepted Edinburgh etiquette and tutted loudly at such poor form.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  15. toomanybikes
    Member

    I find my bell 100 times easier than trying to verbally communicate. I don't mean it aggressively, mostly just to let people know I'm there and not to swerve, step out or get startled at suddenly having a cyclist at their side. Although I often get the volume of the ding wrong and it accidentally comes off as aggressive.

    Although I don't see how dinging someone oncoming who's already seen you could be anything but aggressive.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  16. Arellcat
    Moderator

    If there are so many people that you are ringing constantly, then just stop ringing and ride considerately and slowly until you get past the congested area.

    This.

    The number of times I've remarked to overtakers, "It's not a race track!" has diminished mainly because I use the path much less and can't be bothered inviting agro into my commute.

    But also, a ping bell does seem to sound more immediate and shouty than a traditional tring-tring bell. I wondered if it was because we still associate the latter with vicars-on-bicycles and summer afternoons in Enid Blyton books.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  17. claire3000006
    Member

    I hope it's acceptable to ding my bell aggressively when pedestrians are dawdling along the cycle lane *on the road* at Haymarket. Happens all the time. I'm considering getting a horn that makes a big honk because they often ignore my bell.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  18. SRD
    Moderator

    @claire I would suggest that is exactly the sort of thing that bells are for. but I still tend to find voice more effective, because often they don't recognize that the bell might be aimed at them, whereas an 'excuse me!' sometimes does penetrate.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  19. earthowned
    Member

    @claire You could always try singing like this cyclist:

    http://www.naden.de/blog/bbvideo-bbpress-video-plugin -->

    [+] Embed the video | Bike Lane! This is a Bike Lane!

    " target="_blank">Video Download    		Get the Video Plugins

    I don't think I have the voice or confidence to pull this off though!

    Posted 6 years ago #

  20. jdanielp
    Member

    @earthowned sounds like he (or maybe the cyclist behind taking the footage) is also doing a bit of bell ringing?

    I'm comfortable with the amount of bell ringing that I do on the towpath (although sometimes people still complain that I haven't rung a bell), although that is partly due to the fact that I have a large ding-dong bell, which has received some admiration from pedestrians. I will usually switch to vocal warnings when I'm close to someone though.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  21. Trixie
    Member

    But also, a ping bell does seem to sound more immediate and shouty than a traditional tring-tring bell.

    Yes! I have a ping bell on my hybrid (I've reached n+1 quite quickly!) and a tring-tring on my leccy bike. Tring-tring definitely gets better reception. I need to replace that ping one.

    I grabbed one of those bulb horns at the Let's Ride thingy the other month. It makes a comedic honk which I've yet to find an appropriate occasion for. It might be a good reprimand should I meet a Mr Toad pinger though.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  22. bill
    Member

    A while back I started using the bell on the tow path and Livingston paths to indicate that I am behind folks -- I hope not in an aggressive way but every now and then I get the volume wrong. Most of the time I also say "thank you" (there are heaps of 'thank yous' on warm days). I started doing this when MrBbill and I walked along the WoF and the canal a few times and really didn't like the fast, surprise bikes and felt a lot safer when folks ring the bell before overtaking.

    I also got a friendly "thanks for the bell" in Wester Hails once, which was nice.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  23. dougal
    Member

    @jdanielp Is yours a large ding-dong or a long donnnnnnnng (said the actress to the vicar, regarding his bicycle bell)?

    I find a long piercing single note sounds fantastic but nobody associates it with bicycles no matter how penetrating it is.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  24. algo
    Member

    @SRD such behaviour is really very irritating and inconsiderate and I fully support your intervention... I hope it will encourage some introspection, but I somewhat doubt it.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  25. jules878
    Member

    I have two bells! A friendly Oi bell which I can I can ping which I hope says to pedestrians "Hello, I'm approaching and don't want to surprise you".

    And a traditional bell which I use before going under canal bridges, and for pedestrians with head phones which didn't hear the friendly ping, (and occasionally for dog walkers with uncontrolled beasts if they've not reacted to friendly ping.

    I feel using traditional bike bell for pedestrians sounds like a Mr Toad "get out of my way", rather than a more polite "Hello, I'm here too message."

    I find this works for me. Mostly. But there always some for whom a ping is too much, and others who feel I should ring more!

    Posted 6 years ago #

  26. jdanielp
    Member

    @dougal ding-dong although I sometimes sound an individual ding or dong depending on the situation (e.g. when there are two quite separate pedestrians up ahead of me, I will ding before passing the first and dong before passing the second). I routinely follow up with a 'thank you' as well.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  27. DaveC
    Member

    Perhaps someone should introduce Mr Green to Mr Canal Pusher-in?

    Posted 6 years ago #

  28. TractorFactory
    Member

    This reminds me of an invention I came up with on cyclo-commute musings. The Bing-Bong Bell. A bell with two hammers. One hard plastic or metal, one with a rubber ended hammer. The hard hammer giving the more sharp piercing bing to be used at distance. The rubber hammer giving a more rounded bong for close proximity gentle nudges.

    Copyright Tractor Factory Conglomerates 2017

    Posted 6 years ago #

  29. Arellcat
    Moderator

    Posted 6 years ago #

  30. LivM
    Member

    My nearly-3yo on his balance bike was told by Gran "ting your bell to tell people you're there" and now he thinks it's a magical device to make people move out of his way while he charges full speed ahead. There's some etiquette lessons still to sink in...

    Posted 6 years ago #

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