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Original poster

When cyclists ding you, does it kill a little bit of you inside?

298 replies

energywavering · 27/03/2022 09:48

Because it does me!!

And I tell you what I could probably handle the ding if a "thank you" came along after you move for them..

It's basically saying "ding ding I have right of way over you so MOVE"

OP posts:
Potatoesdonthavefaces · 27/03/2022 20:42

I generally appreciate it as it gives me the chance to move aside if I want to. I don't like it when cyclists zoom past with no warning.

Ganymedemoon · 27/03/2022 20:52

I actually hate it when cyclists don't ring their bell! No eyes in the back of my head so a useful communication tool just to let me know they're coming. It's not about right of way.

I'm also a cyclist and use my bell every time I am cycling up behind someone so they know I am there. Common sense!

Ganymedemoon · 27/03/2022 20:56

@Mindtheears

This all suggests that shared spaces don’t work very well in the Uk. Does anyone know how it is managed in countries where cycling is very popular like the Netherlands? Are there fewer shared spaces?
They don't have many shared paths in NL but in built up areas if a pedestrian is crossing a cycle lane the cyclist always has priority as they do at roundabouts with cars. It always seems very well understood whenever I am over there.
yellowsuninthesky · 27/03/2022 21:00

I hate being "dinged" as well OP but about half the population hates it if cyclists don't ring their bells, so you can't win :)

Can I ask that you wear a sign on your backs telling me how you would like me to notify you that I am going to pass you exactly this

I only ring my bell if I am on a shared path and it is blocked by pedestrians ahead, not when I can pass easily Some cyclists seem to think that you should stop to let them by, even if there is plenty of room for them and you.

yellowsuninthesky · 27/03/2022 21:01

This all suggests that shared spaces don’t work very well in the UK

I don't know if it's shared spaces but we have zero pavement discipline in the UK. When I was in the Netherlands pedestrians kept a strict right. In the UK you are lucky if pedestrians keep a strict left, they wander all over the path.

FurbleSocks · 27/03/2022 21:02

No. I actually thank them for letting me know they're coming. I go running or walking listening to podcasts so I need the ding to not get hit on the shared cycle/path. It's absolutely fine by me.

NannyKrampus · 27/03/2022 21:02

It winds me up, as it only seems to occur to me when I am walking on the pavement or in the park. In both places it is against the law to cycle in the first place. I absolutely ignore it. They can dismount and walk around or get on the road where they belong!

yellowsuninthesky · 27/03/2022 21:04

That sounds miserable - so when I'm walking along a footpath in the countryside with kids safe from traffic, no more running around looking at stuff, stopping/starting, chasing butterflies, having fun - they have to be route marched along keeping on the left

no, it just means that you keep left when you see people coming towards you or know someone want to get past. Common sense.

yellowsuninthesky · 27/03/2022 21:06

Still, it's not as infuriating (or dangerous) as when motorists drive up on the pavement because they're too impatient to wait for the road to unblock or when they park their cars on the pavement so pedestrians including children & people with buggies are forced to walk in the road. Does that make you rage or nah

Indeed!

ThomasinaGallico · 27/03/2022 21:10

@Imsittinginthekitchensink

DD was called a"fucking twat" by a cyclist last weekend who rang his bell behind her on the pavement. She's profoundly Deaf. He's lucky a didn't put a stick in his spokes.
I’m hearing impaired and while I do hear the bell it doesn’t always stand out enough against the melee of traffic sounds, birdsong, barking dogs and children shouting,

Sometimes I think we need notices on our backs on shared use paths.

nocoolnamesleft · 27/03/2022 22:08

Have to love the way cyclists ride illegally on ordinary pavements, ding the bell expecting you to leap out of the way, and when you can't because of impaired mobility (visibly using a walking aid) swear at you after they've rammed into you and knocked you over.

AnnaSW1 · 27/03/2022 22:10

@dworky that has never once happened to me. If it does I'll let you know.

ConfusedByDesign · 27/03/2022 22:21

I never realised people felt like this about such a simple and considerate act. It’s bizarre.

HorseInTheHouse · 27/03/2022 23:47

This is why I don't give a shit about all the whining about cyclists. Someone hates you no matter what you do, so I just do exactly what I think is best in the full knowledge that some people are going to be annoyed and I don't care. I'll ding my bell at you OP and you'll have a little seethe and the next person I pass will think thank god that one bothered to ding the bell, fucking cyclists always making me jump.

liveforsummer · 28/03/2022 05:53

Please don't ding at horses, some Libby not bother but a sudden high pitched sound would startle many far more than someone calling out bike on your left etc.

Bells are fine when used considerately to pre warn while they slow down and pass with space, however I live directly on a shared use path network so use it to walk pretty much everywhere and far more often it means 'dive out the way immediately because i'm coming through and will not slow down a jot.' Usually rung at the last minute. If you don't react quick enough or if you move in a different direction to what the cyclist thinks you should you're likely to get tutted, huffed, sworn or shouted at. This is almost exclusively male behaviour though so I understand the defensiveness of the cyclists positing here who are predominantly female.

lljkk · 28/03/2022 10:14

As a pedestrian in Amsterdam and Utrecht (2013, 2015) I found the conditions quite nerve-wracking. Crossing a single road went like this:

Look out for cyclists!
Look out for cars!
Watch the tram line (x2)
Look out for cars!
Look out for cyclists!

phew, back to pedestrian pavement, which was narrow, uneven, sloping, absolutely full of street furniture like posts, rails, signs. Wheelchair users go in the cycle lanes, which also have 30mph mopeds in them (no helmets). Didn't see many kid in buggies. Kids being ferried by non-motorised parents were in Christiana type bikes. I wonder what a dog-walking wheel-chair user does.

I'm planning a trip to Copenhagen this summer, keen to see how they manage ppl movement in urban space.

user1497207191 · 28/03/2022 15:36

Just been walking on our canal towpath. A group of around 25 ramblers coming towards me, in groups of 2-6, walking 2/3 abreast. None of them attempted to get into single file and were clearly expecting me to jump onto the grass verge to let them past. I didn't, I just held my ground and made them go into single file. Lots of sighing and eye rolling as they passed me.

So, it's not just cyclists who are arrogant, entitled twats. Walkers can be too!

zoeFromCity · 28/03/2022 16:23

I don't mind when cyclist ding lightly on a wide shared path to let me know they are passing around/if we are a group to let them part of the space.
However dinging on narrow walking paths where isn't even enough space for two pedestrians walking past each other is very annoying. The narrow walking path or cyclist dismount areas are designed for pedestrians and cycling there and bothering everyone else because someone wants a ride is very rude.

yellowsuninthesky · 28/03/2022 18:09

I get a bit fed up of all the cyclist-hating threads but I did get a bit fed up with all the cyclists in London today cycling on pavements when there was a cycle path (the cycle superhighway, so actually a really good one, and it was lunchtime and not massively busy). No, it's much more fun to cycle along the pavements and annoy all the pedestrians who can't walk in a straight line and walk along staring at their mobile phone screens not sure who annoys me more

yellowsuninthesky · 28/03/2022 18:11

@user1497207191

Just been walking on our canal towpath. A group of around 25 ramblers coming towards me, in groups of 2-6, walking 2/3 abreast. None of them attempted to get into single file and were clearly expecting me to jump onto the grass verge to let them past. I didn't, I just held my ground and made them go into single file. Lots of sighing and eye rolling as they passed me.

So, it's not just cyclists who are arrogant, entitled twats. Walkers can be too!

Yep! Well done you for not being pushed out of the way.
toconclude · 28/03/2022 18:32

@energywavering

Because it does me!!

And I tell you what I could probably handle the ding if a "thank you" came along after you move for them..

It's basically saying "ding ding I have right of way over you so MOVE"

No absolutely not. I'm glad of the warning, as the alternative of silent running is much riskier.
GoldenOmber · 28/03/2022 18:56

@HorseInTheHouse

This is why I don't give a shit about all the whining about cyclists. Someone hates you no matter what you do, so I just do exactly what I think is best in the full knowledge that some people are going to be annoyed and I don't care. I'll ding my bell at you OP and you'll have a little seethe and the next person I pass will think thank god that one bothered to ding the bell, fucking cyclists always making me jump.
Yes, this is my approach. Can’t please everyone, so pick a reasonable approach and those who don’t like it can lump it.
NotMeNoNo · 28/03/2022 18:59

@lljkk

As a pedestrian in Amsterdam and Utrecht (2013, 2015) I found the conditions quite nerve-wracking. Crossing a single road went like this:

Look out for cyclists!
Look out for cars!
Watch the tram line (x2)
Look out for cars!
Look out for cyclists!

phew, back to pedestrian pavement, which was narrow, uneven, sloping, absolutely full of street furniture like posts, rails, signs. Wheelchair users go in the cycle lanes, which also have 30mph mopeds in them (no helmets). Didn't see many kid in buggies. Kids being ferried by non-motorised parents were in Christiana type bikes. I wonder what a dog-walking wheel-chair user does.

I'm planning a trip to Copenhagen this summer, keen to see how they manage ppl movement in urban space.

Yes but was there any dinging? The Netherlands generally get on with cycling with much less fuss than we do. This discussion would be hilarious I expect as shared paths are rare.
Elphame · 28/03/2022 20:35

The dings also make me physically jump as I'm generally lost in thought whilst walking.

I'm sure they've knocked years off my life over the years

Birdy272 · 28/03/2022 21:10

@Elphame

The dings also make me physically jump as I'm generally lost in thought whilst walking.

I'm sure they've knocked years off my life over the years

I'm sure it's better than us flying past you or knocking into you.