On Your Left and Ringing a Bell
When Mr. On Your Left blew through a red light, I didn’t bark at him about it cause it’s still #BiketoWorkMonth, but mentioned it to my bro Chris DiStefano who told me this:
I rang my bell at a guy and he lost it. He said, “You’re supposed to say on your left!” I told him this was a universal indicator and just more pleasant. He said, “‘Oh, you must be one of those new commuters.
I also told him a bell was universal, what if someone doesn’t speak English. He laughed like Donald Trump. That’s ridiculous, is what he replied.
To The Point
It is ridiculous that those of us who ride year around, think this is the month when the tourists show up. So to the point, a bell is most certainly used to alert people on the path of your presence. I’ve have one on all my city bikes and have never had a confrontation over it. Also, if you’re gonna say, “on your left,” it’s done as a courtesy when passing. It does not mean, “Give me your line,” and/or that the cyclists in your way should move or slow down. Like a bell, it’s a courtesy, and much different than flashing your lights in the left lane at the car in front of you, right?
There’s only a few days left of bike-to-work month, so here’s another tip for the “Commuter,” “hold your line around corners.”
And, don’t run red lights.
While I don’t think it’s necessary to write e a bell shootout, I recommend you find one with a loud, pleasant ring and that suits you. I like bells from Crane, as seen in the photo above and that’s on Amazon for $12.00. The bell du jour is Spurcycle and Mark V reviewed it. One just like it is on Amazon too for $11.00. Also see this Vine with another Crane I have that I used to get brogramers’ attention downtown.
