'I need an 'angry' and 'excuse me' horn on my scooter' blog discussion 29 September 2011 at 12:31PM in Martin's blogs & appearances & MoneySavingExpert in the news 21 replies 3.3K views

Former_MSE_Helen

This is the discussion to link on the back of Martin's blog. Please read the blog first, as this discussion follows it.

Read Martin's "I need an 'angry' and 'excuse me' horn on my scooter" Blog.

Please click 'post reply' to discuss below.

KTM_Gordo

They covered this on the advanced rider training I did. They suggested two short toots for excuse me (one for each word!) and a longer hoot for more urgent situations.

The two-toot method, with a wave, also works as a thank you for someone giving way to you.

...but leave the anger at home - it tends to cause accidents.

Ride safely!

peterbaker

They have exactly what you need in Beijing as standard now, because all the scooters and motorised rickshaws are battery powered and otherwise silent.

The problem is that for it to work here you'd also need to transplant the Beijing population who are conditioned to this kind of thing and take the constant beeping in their stride and do not take it personally at all. Beijing pedestrians also bump into anyone who doesn't get it - just as a reminder that they need to get it - not that I would suggest you start doing that!

It is quite amazing how there are no collisions and no obvious blood on the streets in Beijing.

The way mixed pedestrian and motorcycle and motor traffic works in Beijing is a kind of open road equivalent of how pedestrian traffic does actually work (no scooters mixing it though) in our busiest London station concourses in the morning rush hour - people do not need to interact by eyes meeting or saying anything (in fact it all goes wrong if persons' on converging paths mistakenly allow their eyes to meet ) - all that is needed anywhere where there is a problem of conflict between mixed busy traffic types is a population with a common sub-conscious atune to what works best, and in Beijing that includes a constant impersonal beeping racket

The problem in London (apart from our regular commuters at Victoria or Kings Cross who do know what works in the wide marble spaces leading from the platforms to the Underground stairs and vice-versa) is that we have no common sub-conscious of what works best, just plenty of people ready to take offence if you converge on their path making urgent noises about something (we just don't get it, do we?) :rotfl:

JimmyTheWig

I was going to suggest a short "toot" for signalling your presence and a longer toot for being angry. Certainly what I'd do in the car.

Can you not get a different sounding horn attached to your handlebars or something? I'm imagining a "Dukes of Hazard" horn noise!!

hintock

Why just bikers...
They may be more vulnerable, but they are just as often more careless of other road users.
ALL road users should see themselves as equal, and it seems to me that bikers, scooters and other two wheelers, want extra.

scheming_gypsy

I'd be angry if i had to ride a scooter as well; although i'd prefer to not have a horn and bring more attention to myself.

ScarletBea

Yes, I wish more people in scooters and bikes had a 'warning' hoot as well.
I walk to work along the canal, and sometimes I get a right scare when a bike just shows up right behind me or tries to overtake me, really silently. What's wrong about ringing the bell to warm me they're coming behind?

Even in cars, there's not the habit of using the horn as a warning, which I found very strange! I was driving with some friends through a really narrow and winding road, and before each curve (which you couldn't see further) I sounded my horn, as a warning, and they were really surprised. Well, better to warn people, because there wasn't enough room for 2 cars and I'd hate to crash...
I'd also like to know if there was any car coming in the opposite direction.

flexrider

Think my next Motorbike will come with a max and paddy sound horn like this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6EOvYZ93o4 but can imagine the reaction if this went off!

MothballsWallet

Invest in scooter-mounted assault weapons instead, far more practical for London...

flexrider

MothballsWallet wrote: »

Invest in scooter-mounted assault weapons instead, far more practical for London...

Could do but im a north west Uk Kinda guy miles away from That place called London Town. Least with my alarm systems in my post would do the trick as it speaks to anyone who never obtained their GCSE results or even read the highway code.

liz545

I think some people are just a bit more on the defensive, so they're more likely to interpret your "beep" as a criticism/attack. I ring my bike bell to let people know I'm there if they're about to step off the pavement or into a bike lane, and if you're cycling alongside a canal you're advised to use your bell to let people know you're behind them - I don't expect people to always give way, I just don't want to cause an accident! However, there are always some people who shout at you or think you're being rude and want them to jump out of the way! Just can't please some people...