Bells, Horns, and Whistles

When you can't be seen, at least be heard!

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A handlebar bell is a civilized way to communicate with pedestrians. It's the audible but unspoken equivalent of a mild "Excuse me" when moving past someone in a crowded hallway. As such it is perfect for human-to-human discourse in cities and with fellow riders on bike paths.

Compressed-air and electric horns, on the other hand, are designed for communication with motorists whose ears are separated from you by window glass, engine noise, a radio's blaring, and sometimes a one-hand-on-the-wheel telephone conversation. Blast a pedestrian with one of these things and you shouldn't be surprised by his or her reaction: the same as yours would be to a car horn. There's also the disadvantage of having to hear the horn yourself, plus the chance that the next time you apply for a job, your interviewers will recognize you as the person who assaulted them. Life's like that sometimes.

Whistles

And thus we come to the last biker-to-world communication method: the whistle. Most of you have probably never heard the amazingly loud and shrill report of an original, old-time police whistle — those heavy, brass beauties created in 1883 by the Birmingham, England, toolmaker and violinist, Joseph Hudson. At that time, the London police were searching for a noisemaker of some kind to replace their clunky hand rattles. Hudson developed a whistle that, when tested by the bobbies, was heard over a mile away. It was adopted immediately.

You can read this history and, if your computer is hooked to speakers, even hear sample toots from the many models the same company still makes (the Acme Thunderer, the Siren, the Tornado, and the Pealess Tornado) by checking their Web site. Visa or MasterCard will put one around your neck, and I'd do it in an instant if I were a female commuter. I'd do it even in New York, despite the alternative-transportation law (Section 1236 [b]) requiring that "A bell, horn or other device that can be heard at least a hundred feet away" must be on the bike, but going on to state that "Sirens and whistles are not permitted."

Alas, New York isn't alone in this stipulation. But until the state can guarantee a biker's safety, I'd take the chance of getting a ticket. After all, scaring a mugger witless with a whistle would be worth the fine to see.