[mlfreeman]

In potentially-dangerous-animal country (e.g. grizzly bears, mountain lions, etc), it could be a safety mechanism...I was told repeatedly you need to make some kind of distinctive noise regularly so they won't get startled by you rounding a bend.

[chasd00]

those people, i've encountered them too, don't give a shit about anything let alone being safe around wildlife. If prey distress calls could be confused with music they'd be blaring that just as well.

[calmbonsai]

That's what "bear bells" are for...in bear country.

Mountain lions are avoidant at all times unless it's a mother with cubs and even then they'll let you know well in advance.

Otherwise, just normal conversation, your smell with even a light breeze, and the vibrations on-trail will alert all animals to your presence.

In other words, the "trail music" theory is bullshit. They just want to listen to their music.

[fc417fc802]

> Mountain lions are avoidant at all times

Actually sometimes they stalk people but I guess that's neither here nor there because bear bells aren't going to help in that situation.

[calmbonsai]

I've heard of "being followed" by a mountain lion out of curiosity or, perhaps, scavenging when ill, but never a full-day stalk.

There was a recent death in our "backyard" though https://vt.co/news/us/details-emerge-solo-hiker-killed-by-mo... that was, clearly, the result of a planned attack by a teenage male so, perhaps, their behavior is changing.

Still, it's so rare, we don't have enough modern data.

[chickensong]

Bear bells have been shown to not be effective.

[calmbonsai]

Cite?

In some parks, there use is required by-law.

Given that they've been in continuous use for centuries I question the conclusion that they're not effective, but I'm open to altering my opinion backed-up with data.

[chickensong]

https://www.nps.gov/articles/hiking-in-bear-country.htm

> Bear bells may be a popular item to put on your backpack, but they don’t effectively warn a bear you’re in the area. Bears won’t hear the bells until you’re too close. Yelling, clapping, and talking are more effective ways of alerting a bear to your presence.

https://www.backpacker.com/stories/ask-a-bear-do-bear-bells-...

> In the most advanced testing, bear biologist Tom Smith jingled bear bells in varying volumes in front of brown bears in Katmai National Park. Regardless of how vigorously he shook, 15 different sets of bruins ignored the bells. And yet they snapped at attention the second he broke a pencil in half.

It's not that the bells definitively have zero value, but their effectiveness has been questioned enough that there's been a shift in opinion about them over the last couple of decades.

[m463]

lol.

that's like harley riders with unmuffled motors "for safety".

On the other hand, I remember being in japan and watching some construction vehicles in tokyo. They were surprisingly quiet. After a while I realized what it was - in the united states all construction vehicles have these annoying "beep-beep-beep" sounds while they're working (for safety).

I wonder if one day they can play those only when someone walks nearby or play in some technologically quieter way.

[ArnoVW]

In France I see (and hear) more and more use of a special type of warning device, "le cri de lynx" that reduces sonic pollution by building sites.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BljL3XO0fyg&pp=0gcJCTIBo7VqN5t...

[VageGast]

It does remind me of a video from Tom Scott about the use of white noise for reversing trucks. It has multiple benefits over the old beeping sound, including being easily able to hear the direction the sound is coming from. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fa28lIGuxq8

[lostlogin]

Sadly I don’t speak French and Searching for whatever this is isn’t working.

If it’s noise cancelling it sounds amazing.

Can you further expand?

[tom_]

It's the noise you hear at about the one minute mark when the digger is reversing: https://youtu.be/BljL3XO0fyg?t=59

Actual cri du lynx: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtsdVQWGibQ

[lostlogin]

Oh this is horrible.

We don’t want people run over by reversing vehicles, but also, if I had to listen to that every day, I’d leap in front of them.

[slobotron]

IMO, in person it's much nicer on the ears than the old single-tone beep that they used to have. It's less jarring and easier to locate where the noise is coming from, ye olde beep seemed to come from everywhere at once.

[fc417fc802]

> while they're working (for safety).

Should only be while they're backing up. It signals to anyone around that the vehicle is in reverse. At least the ones I'm familiar with.

[toast0]

> some technologically quieter way.

I'm not going to watch the video linked in sibling comments right now, but "pulsing loud static" is a pretty common alternative to beeping around me; especially in the big citie. Kind of a big shush shush noise: sometimes it sounds a little like hydraulics working which is fine because if you hear those, something big is happening and you should pay attention.

Anyway, the real nice thing is it's loud and attention catching near the source, but it seems to disipate faster than beeps, so you don't really hear it when it's not relevant.

[throw-the-towel]

These people probably don't do it for this reason, but you're correct, at least when it comes to bears.

[mrexroad]

Huh? I’ve never met anyone in the backcountry that played music to keep predators away. Even when forced to hike at dusk, the primary risk is quietly stumbling on a predator out stalking, or worse, a predator’s offspring. At most you clap every so often, maybe talk/sing to yourself, or dangle some stuff from your pack at higher risk times. Animals will do the hard work of avoiding you When you’re nearby, but its quite unnecessary to notify everything with in a 1km radius of your presence.

[yujzgzc]

This is my reason for blasting music from my bicycle. Feels less rude than clicking a bell at the pedestrians and somewhat more effective at attracting attention.

[VorpalWay]

That is definitely the wrong thing to do. It isn't rude to use the bell, and as a pedestrian I appreciate a single ring (obviously, don't ring like a madman either). Playing music loudly in a public space is way more rude than using your bicycle bell.

[yujzgzc]

Too many close calls with inattentive pedestrians in my area. I ring, no move, or worse, they get startled, and turn around into the middle of the bike lane. If I have to choose between coming off as rude and keeping my brain enclosed, I know what to do.

[VorpalWay]

You need to ring when you are still some way away, so they have time to react, and if they don't you can slow down and ring a second time. And travel at an appropriate speed for the location.

(I have an ebike, so this is especially important. Mine is a legal one: 25 km/h max, 250 W, etc. If yours is faster, this is even more important.)

[craigds]

i like to sing "geeettt outt of the biiiiike laaaannne!" as loud as possible with my big fat tenor voice as i ride past them ringing my bell repeatedly the entire time. a single bell ring never seems to get anyone's attention

[cwillu]

It's great for announcing that an asshole is approaching.

[shermantanktop]

“Heeeeere I come!!!” Boom psst boom psst waka waka

[lostlogin]

Better still, a nice free hub. If you don’t pedal, it’s noisy, if you back pedal it sounds urgent.

As an upside, your better get good at hill climbing as freewheeling or backpedaling up hill takes some practice.

[nephihaha]

We don't have bears or mountain lions where I live but mountain bikers still do this.

[what]

How about don’t ride on the sidewalk or any pedestrian path.

[yujzgzc]

Right, I don't! it's the other way around where I live. Lots of pedestrians distractingly lolling about in the bike lane, maybe with a dog and a loose toddler too. So, music.

[Dilettante_]

There are shared pedestrian/cyclist paths in some places.

[VorpalWay]

Mixed bike/pedestrian paths and sidewalks are extremely common here in Sweden at least. Some are split into two halves, but mixed is more common.

[KolmogorovComp]

It's amazing how HN readers are immune to second degree and fell flat into the trap.