I am cracking myself up thinking of short and innocuous-seeming things that you could say instead of “on your left” like “Fear not!” or “It’s no problem!” or “Uh oh!”
Apparently, it’s MORE dangerous for cyclists to stop at every stop sign, because intersections are danger sites for cyclists and coming to a full stop at one means you take longer to get through it. Obviously this doesn’t apply when there’s a reason to stop: a pedestrian; traffic; a car that is approaching the same intersection; etc.
But it seems like what we actually need is another set of road rules acknowledging that cyclists are neither motor vehicles nor pedestrians (or horses!) and have different responsibilities and needs.
Welcome, fellow cyclist! It is an easy and green and fun way to move about a place. I have combined a folksy approach to “on your left” messaging by saying “comin’ up on yer left” which might be a little quicker to get out than a full acknowledgement of time of day, weather, etc. In addition, one can procure a squeaky bell shaped like a whimsical animal friend. https://mswbike.com/products/bells This delights children and doesn’t have the auditory urgency of an actual bell, but sounds more like a dog squeaky toy. You even have a child so can pass it off as something you got to delight them, while I just navigate the world child-free with a guinea pig bike bell.
I’m so wary of a bike too. At 53, I’m so scared of just suddenly falling sideways and breaking my knee or shoulder.
As to the “on your left” issue, I have this problem where, in critical moments, I get my left and right mixed up. I think it’d be about 80% of the time that I would start to move left if someone said “on your left.” So what to do with that, then.
I am cracking myself up thinking of short and innocuous-seeming things that you could say instead of “on your left” like “Fear not!” or “It’s no problem!” or “Uh oh!”
Biking is so much faster than walking, but rolling up somewhere without having to mess around with the lock etc or worry about theft???? Unparallelled
Apparently, it’s MORE dangerous for cyclists to stop at every stop sign, because intersections are danger sites for cyclists and coming to a full stop at one means you take longer to get through it. Obviously this doesn’t apply when there’s a reason to stop: a pedestrian; traffic; a car that is approaching the same intersection; etc.
But it seems like what we actually need is another set of road rules acknowledging that cyclists are neither motor vehicles nor pedestrians (or horses!) and have different responsibilities and needs.
Welcome, fellow cyclist! It is an easy and green and fun way to move about a place. I have combined a folksy approach to “on your left” messaging by saying “comin’ up on yer left” which might be a little quicker to get out than a full acknowledgement of time of day, weather, etc. In addition, one can procure a squeaky bell shaped like a whimsical animal friend. https://mswbike.com/products/bells This delights children and doesn’t have the auditory urgency of an actual bell, but sounds more like a dog squeaky toy. You even have a child so can pass it off as something you got to delight them, while I just navigate the world child-free with a guinea pig bike bell.
I’m so wary of a bike too. At 53, I’m so scared of just suddenly falling sideways and breaking my knee or shoulder.
As to the “on your left” issue, I have this problem where, in critical moments, I get my left and right mixed up. I think it’d be about 80% of the time that I would start to move left if someone said “on your left.” So what to do with that, then.
Your writing is lovely, as always, Danny.
This is lovely. Very EB White at the New Yorker.
LOVE this. ~Would a Harpo Marx style honky horn ease your discomfiture?