5 ms·

> it's disturbingly easy to sneak up on a lone pedestrian at night and give them a scare when you announce that you're passing them on the left. I'm a rather la

by arp242 3y ago

> it's disturbingly easy to sneak up on a lone pedestrian at night and give them a scare when you announce that you're passing them on the left. I'm a rather large male, and recognize I can strike an imposing figure, and hated scaring people like this. I took up whistling whilst riding near people at night just so they could know that I was there. This is also a thing with these electric scooters and such. It's just the speed difference that can really surprise you; I'm "scared" by that. I had this just yesterday where a kid passed me on a narrow footpath. I wouldn't have minded to step aside, but I do need to know they're there. Really should have a bell. I don't know how that would work on a unicycle though.

kmoser 3y ago
I've seen bells for skaters made with a metal or plastic ring you can pass through your finger. They'd probably work just as well for a unicyclist. (In related news, Firefox's built-in spellcheck doesn't include "unicyclist" but Chrome's does.)
- arp242 3y ago
  > Firefox's built-in spellcheck doesn't include "unicyclist" but Chrome's does It does in the British English dictionary, but it's not recognized in the en-US one. I had assumed they would both use the same dictionary, but maybe not(?)
  - wlesieutre 3y ago
    There are a lot of words like colour, centre, realise, etc that aren’t spelled the same so having separate dictionaries makes sense
    - arp242 3y ago
      Yes, obviously, but it's mostly the same and you'd expect the bulk to be shared.
decohen 3y ago
I have a standard bike bell mounted to the back of my seat post. It took a bit of practice to be able to find the lever while riding, but it works quite well, and has helped me avoid more than a few collisions.
- HanClinto 3y ago
  That's a really good idea! I could also see one being mounted under the front of the seat being a convenient place to reach -- but maybe just a handheld bell (maybe one that strapped to ones' fingers?) would be best.
rokkitmensch 3y ago
> but I do need to know they're there. You may /want/ to, but you categorically do not /need/ to. I'm going to get by you on my bike faster than you will notice and react, and if I'm moving anywhere near commute speeds, I will have to holler against the wind, and pray you move predictably. It's vastly safer for both of us (although perhaps startling for you) if I move through your reaction zone quickly enough to avoid you unpredictably leaping into the collision zone.
- WaxProlix 3y ago
  You may /want/ to zoom past, but you categorically do not /need/ to. You can slow down, so as not to holler against the wind, say something like "on your left", and be courteously about your way. Also, feel free to use the roads and bike lanes that exist for your pleasure rather than putting yourself through the emotional angst of lamenting the negativity you've put on however many poor pedestrians per day. If you're sharing a space with pedestrians and moving at speeds that defy their reaction times, you're rude at best and dangerous at worst - take that vehicle on the road!
  - eternityforest 3y ago
    As a pedestrian, even saying "On your left" doesn't actually mean anything to me. I'm going to turn around and look, because I can't tell which way is left in less than a second, then jump in a random direction in an absolute panic. There's also a chance I might move right in front of you because I decided to move instead of look and got the directions mixed up.
  - HanClinto 3y ago
    That's fair. It could be that cycling on college campus pathways was not the most efficient. In my case, there were no "roads" to get between campus buildings -- only winding sidewalks and grass. Unicycles don't react to changes very well -- they're highly momentum-based, and bumps affect them much more than bicycles. Passing on the grass is possible, but difficult (especially with a 24" wheel like I used), and was often the source of wipeouts when I would attempt to go around a group of pedestrians that was taking up the entire path. Inevitably, this was a gaggle of cute girls, who would giggle as I faceplanted into the grass. Not my finest moment. But if nothing else, this should certainly cement the idea that I certainly didn't unicycle because it was "cool". :) But it wasn't just pedestrians and unicycles on campus sidewalks -- bikes were extremely common, and pedestrians were used to getting out of the way of cyclists. It's generally that they just couldn't hear me coming.
deleted 3y ago
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by arp242 3y ago

kmoser 3y ago

I've seen bells for skaters made with a metal or plastic ring you can pass through your finger. They'd probably work just as well for a unicyclist. (In related news, Firefox's built-in spellcheck doesn't include "unicyclist" but Chrome's does.)

arp242 3y ago
> Firefox's built-in spellcheck doesn't include "unicyclist" but Chrome's does It does in the British English dictionary, but it's not recognized in the en-US one. I had assumed they would both use the same dictionary, but maybe not(?)
- wlesieutre 3y ago
  There are a lot of words like colour, centre, realise, etc that aren’t spelled the same so having separate dictionaries makes sense
  - arp242 3y ago
    Yes, obviously, but it's mostly the same and you'd expect the bulk to be shared.

decohen 3y ago

I have a standard bike bell mounted to the back of my seat post. It took a bit of practice to be able to find the lever while riding, but it works quite well, and has helped me avoid more than a few collisions.

HanClinto 3y ago
That's a really good idea! I could also see one being mounted under the front of the seat being a convenient place to reach -- but maybe just a handheld bell (maybe one that strapped to ones' fingers?) would be best.

rokkitmensch 3y ago

> but I do need to know they're there. You may /want/ to, but you categorically do not /need/ to. I'm going to get by you on my bike faster than you will notice and react, and if I'm moving anywhere near commute speeds, I will have to holler against the wind, and pray you move predictably. It's vastly safer for both of us (although perhaps startling for you) if I move through your reaction zone quickly enough to avoid you unpredictably leaping into the collision zone.

WaxProlix 3y ago
You may /want/ to zoom past, but you categorically do not /need/ to. You can slow down, so as not to holler against the wind, say something like "on your left", and be courteously about your way. Also, feel free to use the roads and bike lanes that exist for your pleasure rather than putting yourself through the emotional angst of lamenting the negativity you've put on however many poor pedestrians per day. If you're sharing a space with pedestrians and moving at speeds that defy their reaction times, you're rude at best and dangerous at worst - take that vehicle on the road!
- eternityforest 3y ago
  As a pedestrian, even saying "On your left" doesn't actually mean anything to me. I'm going to turn around and look, because I can't tell which way is left in less than a second, then jump in a random direction in an absolute panic. There's also a chance I might move right in front of you because I decided to move instead of look and got the directions mixed up.
- HanClinto 3y ago
  That's fair. It could be that cycling on college campus pathways was not the most efficient. In my case, there were no "roads" to get between campus buildings -- only winding sidewalks and grass. Unicycles don't react to changes very well -- they're highly momentum-based, and bumps affect them much more than bicycles. Passing on the grass is possible, but difficult (especially with a 24" wheel like I used), and was often the source of wipeouts when I would attempt to go around a group of pedestrians that was taking up the entire path. Inevitably, this was a gaggle of cute girls, who would giggle as I faceplanted into the grass. Not my finest moment. But if nothing else, this should certainly cement the idea that I certainly didn't unicycle because it was "cool". :) But it wasn't just pedestrians and unicycles on campus sidewalks -- bikes were extremely common, and pedestrians were used to getting out of the way of cyclists. It's generally that they just couldn't hear me coming.

deleted 3y ago

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