Cyril Haearn wrote:................Compulsion would be grrrreat
I'm not convinced about compulsion - on the road, with all the background noise, they're inaudible. Motorists will laugh, and pedestrians are better protected by our use of the brakes - and, a kind shout is accessed much quicker then a bell! Our behaviour on the road is also crucial.
On cyclepaths/greenways walkers often don't hear the current tinkerbells - and so often they're plugged into some electronic music or just jabbering away. If we're going to adopt "audible means of approach" it needs to be audible. When the world was young, we had large bells that certainly could make the whelkin ring, but the world is a noisier place.
I'm all in favour of "audible means of approach", but it needs to be audible. If it becomes compulsory, it needs to be well thought out, practical and in consultation with cyclists - neither of which is understood by government.