A friendlier way to say “get out of my way!”
We definitely need this on cars: two different types of horns, one as a respectful nod/nudge, and the other to wake the mfs back into their lane.
People who bike, walk, or ride public transit with speakers blaring should be
launched into the sunshunned. The bell part is ok though.On trails, or sidewalks, or on the bus, then yeah sure.
If you’re cycling on the road, especially on a class 2/3 ebike, ESPECIALLY in a car-centric location I think you get a pass. Being heard by cars is more important than not annoying the one or two people who might be on the sidewalk.
Horns aren’t enough for car-brains. They need a constant reminder.
Seeing as this is aimed at cycling on trails/off-street paths – the only realistic place where conflict would occur that isn’t with multi-ton motor vehicles – I’m of the general opinion that adding weird noises to a tranquil environment detracts from the very purpose for going to that place at all.
Some sounds are nature-provided: by wildlife, rustling foliage in the breeze, or even the local 16 meter high waterfall, which are all unavoidable. Other sounds are from the visitors themselves, be it the occasional dog bark, a cough, running shoes trodding on asphalt, or baby strollers rolling by.
Then we have the sounds of enhanced human effort, usually bicycles but also motorized wheelchairs and mobility scooters. In recent years, the whirling of more electric motors in ebikes, escooters, e-skateboards, EUCs, and more have added to this auditory landscape, but usually no more than a whoosh and is counterbalanced by enabling more people to enjoy the natural environment. A reasonable trade, in my opinion.
So then we get to the purported utility of an ostensible bike bell that’s really more like a programmable Bluetooth speaker. What exactly is this solving? Is the trail so jam-packed with people that only a loud and gregarious sound can break through to indicate one’s intent to pass? How much passing can one realistically achieve in such a people-dense situation?
If there are such places here in the USA, then they’re few and far between, falling victim to their own success. The solution would not be to add noise, but to add space. If everyone and their mother wants to be somewhere peaceful and away from the deadly hazard of automobile collisions and road noise, then that should be a hint that more trails and pedestrianized places need to exist.
Degrading the trail experience for everyone else with obnoxious sounds seems like the wrong solution to the wrong problem. And finally, bonafide bike bells are cheaper. Or ya know, just use your words while passing: “I’m on your left”.
