Bells may backfire

Stuff reports:

It works for cats and it works for cows, so should cyclists also be required to have a bell so you can hear them coming?

That could soon be the case in Wellington, after the city council proposed changing its rules to “strongly encourage” every cyclist to have a bell for warning pedestrians when they are about to whizz past.

I’m not sure this is a great idea.

If a cyclist does not have a bell and they are coming up behind pedestrians, then the onus is on them to slow down and only pass in a safe manner.

If they have a bell, they may think that all they have to do is ring it, and the onus is on the pedestrians to get out of their way.