Air horn to deter pedestrians

[Cunobelin]

What you really need is Trotify....


[youtube]oC4rWA3pTg4[/youtube]

[thirdcrank]

Back to horns, they are not obligatory on a pedal cycle. (I presume that's obvious.) They are required on most motor vehicles and the relevant regulation is reg 37 of the con and use regs.

With regard to the sauce for the goose approach, a relevant part is here:

(2) Subject to paragraph (6), the sound emitted by any horn, other than a reversing alarm or a two-tone horn, fitted to a wheeled vehicle first used on or after 1st August 1973 shall be continuous and uniform and not strident
(My emphasis.)

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1986 ... on/37/made
Note that while the requirement for a horn only applies to certain motor vehicles, the bit I've quoted applies to "a wheeled vehicle."
Before anybody asks, I think that "strident" would be a question of fact for the court. Powerful cars tend to have powerful horns to be heard at motorway speeds. A pedal cycle might not be considered to need something to "deter pedestrians."

[Bez]

If there is an almost equal amount of vulnerability within the groups why does one get more slack on how the rules are applied or indeed what rules are put there at all over and above the rules for the equally vulnerable? How is that fair?

Because the vehicle brings with it the circumstances that give rise to that "vulnerability".

It's a bogus term anyway: you wouldn't refer to people walking around a shopping centre as being "vulnerable". Because they're not. Yet when you talk about them in the context of mixing bicycles, you mention "vulnerability", because the threat of injury to either party only starts to rise once at least one of them is wheeling around at greater speed. And obviously that risk increases vastly once you add in an engine and a ton of steel.

But to focus on "vulnerability" is, as with "road safety" philosophy, to focus on the potential victim and to overlook the real reasons why errors become transformed into physical harm.

[the_twin]

I used an airzound for a short while. The impact on other road users was not positive and it just scared pedestrians. Then it broke.

[thirdcrank]

A practical point here concerns the evidence recorded in a vid if there's a crash. In this footage, the cameraman includes an introductory reason for fitting the horn and then there's a compilation of people getting a blast and jumping out of the way. What a hoot We aren't talking about a warning bip in addition to braking to avoid a crash but the full Wind in the Willows. It's not hard to anticipate a crash when somebody acts like this and the footage would be powerful evidence. I'm not talking only about events just before the crash but the possibility that earlier material like this would emerge. Much gnashing of teeth but we are straight into furious cycling, with plenty of evidence of premeditation.

[pwa]

I wonder if someone used one of those on me, whether my reflex reaction might be to try to strangle the blighter.

[Thornyone]

A practical point here concerns the evidence recorded in a vid if there's a crash. In this footage, the cameraman includes an introductory reason for fitting the horn and then there's a compilation of people getting a blast and jumping out of the way. What a hoot We aren't talking about a warning bip in addition to braking to avoid a crash but the full Wind in the Willows. It's not hard to anticipate a crash when somebody acts like this and the footage would be powerful evidence. I'm not talking only about events just before the crash but the possibility that earlier material like this would emerge. Much gnashing of teeth but we are straight into furious cycling, with plenty of evidence of premeditation.

Yes, my thoughts too. But as long a he isn’t riding a “Charlie Alliston” bike he presumably thinks he’s OK.

[reohn2]

I wonder if someone used one of those on me, whether my reflex reaction might be to try to strangle the blighter.

Yep,it would bring out the worst in me I would imagine

[Patrickpioneer]

I shout hello, its nicer and makes people smile.

[thirdcrank]

I wonder if someone used one of those on me, whether my reflex reaction might be to try to strangle the blighter.

That seems to be pretty much what happened in the final scene of this compilation. There appears to be building work on the left which has closed the footway completely. We don't see what signs are used but it's not a black/white case of a pedestrian carelessly straying off the footway. It wouldn't be unusual to see the cycle lane coned off as a temporary footway. One way or another, it's not an ideal layout. The pedestrian seems to assault the rider and whatever the rights and wrongs, the result could have been much worse eg rider falling under a passing vehicle. Or the pedestrian might have shoved the horn where the sun doesn't shine. I'm minded of an expression including ragman's trumpet, but I don't know if it's used outside police canteens.

The vid has the title Cyclist v stupid pedestrians. How about Self-righteous cyclist v stupid pedestrians ?

[robing]

I wonder if someone used one of those on me, whether my reflex reaction might be to try to strangle the blighter.

That seems to be pretty much what happened in the final scene of this compilation. There appears to be building work on the left which has closed the footway completely. We don't see what signs are used but it's not a black/white case of a pedestrian carelessly straying off the footway. It wouldn't be unusual to see the cycle lane coned off as a temporary footway. One way or another, it's not an ideal layout. The pedestrian seems to assault the rider and whatever the rights and wrongs, the result could have been much worse eg rider falling under a passing vehicle. Or the pedestrian might have shoved the horn where the sun doesn't shine. I'm minded of an expression including ragman's trumpet, but I don't know if it's used outside police canteens.

The vid has the title Cyclist v stupid pedestrians. How about Self-righteous cyclist v stupid pedestrians ?

I agree with this point - sometimes the pedestrians are forced in to the road when the pavement is obstructed for whatever reason. However, in the majority of the encounters in the video, the pedestrians are wandering aimlessly in the carriageway without paying any attention. Especially the woman who drops the Coke can - she is walking parallel to the pavement - not crossing the road - and there is a perfectly clear, wide pavement next to her.

[thirdcrank]

... However, in the majority of the encounters in the video, the pedestrians are wandering aimlessly in the carriageway without paying any attention. Especially the woman who drops the Coke can - she is walking parallel to the pavement - not crossing the road - and there is a perfectly clear, wide pavement next to her.

A century of drivers being annoyed by pedestrians getting in their road hasn't led to any sort of ban on jaywalking and I don't see angry cyclists making any difference. Many pedestrians feel obliged to be cautious towards cars in fast-moving traffic, less so in congestion. Cyclists don't present the same threat so pedestrians are even less cautious. I've tried to explain why I don't think a klaxon is the solution, and filming the results is more dodgy still. The Charlie Alliston case has been mentioned and it's a pointer here. All dreadfully unfair to cyclists but that's life.

[robing]

I don't think a klaxon is the solution either. It was probably a one off to illustrate the point for the video.

[ThePinkOne]

My riding is nearly all country lanes mainly narrow typical 4 meters wide with no white lines or pavements, the verges are often muddy, overgrown, or high hedgerows. I use a 'PING' bell whenever i approach walkers or horse riders, as soon as i'm close enough i always say 'Hello!' in a friendly manner as to not cause any offence, this ploy usually works okay...

But what i do find a little too often are dozy dog walkers, apparently oblivious to their surroundings, or any sense of highway code road safety, and ignoring my 'Ping' as i approach from a distance at typically 15mph, the dog-walker typically is walking one side of the road, but the dog on the other side, and a 12 foot lead stretched out across the road like a barrier, often a closer up 'Ping' will only achieve a very reluctant acknowledgement, and with extremely slow reactions they take their time to reign their dog in so i may pass at 3 or 4 mph - because i'd had to slow right down, however i still say, Hello, thank you very much, but often they look on at me with hostility and annoyance...

I don't know what the answer is

Limit the speed of all users of such lanes to 5mph maybe?

Is 15mph too fast on such lanes?

One of the pleasures of walking on a quiet lane surely is to be able to bimble along without being in "constant alert for danger" mode.......

Yes I am playing Devils Advocate a bit, but cyclists can run the risk of sounding a bit hypocritical. 15mph is rather fast compared to a pedestrian.....

TPO

[661-Pete]

But what i do find a little too often are dozy dog walkers, apparently oblivious to their surroundings, or any sense of highway code road safety, and ignoring my 'Ping' as i approach from a distance at typically 15mph, the dog-walker typically is walking one side of the road, but the dog on the other side, and a 12 foot lead stretched out across the road like a barrier....

Could be worse. In the UK, at least, most farm dogs are contained behind closed gates (perhaps we have the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 to thank for that). But not so in France. There it is commonplace, on quiet rural lanes at least, for farm dogs to pelt straight out into the road in front of you, to your imminent peril. I have been bitten once thus far. It's likely to happen again. Not to mention the risk of being brought down at speed....

Forget horns/bells. What I feel tempted to equip myself with - although I haven't done so yet - is a Dog Dazer. But opinions are divided on this gadget - some saying they work, some that they don't. What's the verdict?

[I think I've asked this question on this forum before...]