WillRod wrote:My question is... what do you do if they don't hear your bike bell?
If you're going to pass within falling-over distance, then slow to walking speed. If you can't pass, try "Excuse me, please" once you're close enough. If it's a frequent problem, perhaps it's time to push the council for a wider track and maybe a new footway alongside.
I think there's a period of refamiliarisation going on in places where cycling fell to tiny levels, but people will eventually remember what bike bells sound like: traditional brringers are more easily recognised (as well as allowing the operator more expressiveness), then temple bells (which I find easier to fit on road bike stems), then the cheap pingers (which seem to need at least a fast double-strike before most people react). In my experience, it does get better and most people share nicely, although you always might encounter someone just cut up by a lout who misdirects their anger.
Do I just have to put up with it or do I get a horn?
Surely a horn will have even more of the same problem because even fewer people will recognise it as meaning a bicycle? If you're really encountering more of the "I ain't looking for no stinking bike" crowd, it might confuse them enough so they look and make eye contact and then people tend to be friendlier because it usually deanonymises you.