What happened to biking hand signals?

So I can't remember the last time I even saw anyone use those biking hand signals. I'm not sure I even know them to be honest.  Do they still cover these things anywhere? At elementary school age I recall a going to a bike class given by the police dpt where they covered this and made you ride a course through some cones.  I think I got a sticker on my bike or a card for my wallet or something. Does this still happen?  Or has this sort of signaling gone the way of semaphore flags?

For responders with nothing but snark: If your life is so sad you derive pleasure from being insulting I feel sorry for you as do most other people. Rather than being a detractor find something interesting and post it, you'll feel better about yourself and other people will like you more. Thanks, Haddon.

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Permalink Reply by Bob Kastigar on October 13, 2014 at 6:38am

I'm having mixed feeling about left-turn hand signals.

On a busy street most cars approaching me will stop for me to turn!  There's no real need for that I can usually ride at a pace so I can turn when there's space and time to turn.

My signal is really intended for the cars behind me, not for the cars coming towards me. 

When they stop, and I go, I usually give a "thank you" wave.  Is there any other way to handle this?

Permalink Reply by Anne on October 13, 2014 at 6:45am

Yes I remember those classes too.

I never use them, mostly because other road users don't know what the signals mean!

I will point towards my turn, make it very clear to the driver where I'm going.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on October 13, 2014 at 7:17am

I usually use them. In my neighborhood, unless I'm making a left turn, it's a fairly even split between using them for cars approaching from behind and cars I'm meeting at a 4-way stop. Some drivers get them right away. Some have no clue. Some of the clueless ones slow down to see what I'm doing before they pass me or cross my path. More often than not, they seem to help.

Bob Kastigar said:

I'm having mixed feeling about left-turn hand signals.

On a busy street most cars approaching me will stop for me to turn!  There's no real need for that I can usually ride at a pace so I can turn when there's space and time to turn.

My signal is really intended for the cars behind me, not for the cars coming towards me. 

When they stop, and I go, I usually give a "thank you" wave.  Is there any other way to handle this?

Permalink Reply by David Barish on October 13, 2014 at 7:58am

I use them all the time. I have used bike hand signals when walking. If the sidewalk is crowded I will signal that I am about to turn left into the Starbucks. I really wish more people would signal their intention on bikes and  in  cars. We would all be better off. (exiting soapbox)...

Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on October 13, 2014 at 8:18am

I use them, except, like John, I indicate a right turn by putting my right arm out instead of the left arm up signal.  That signal was for cars without turn signals--yes, Virginia, cars did not always have turn signals--since one could obviously not extend one's right arm out the passenger side window.  I don't know when they stopped teaching hand signals in drivers' education classes, but young people seem not to understand the left arm up signal.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on October 13, 2014 at 8:53am

I don't think that's limited to young people. 

Lisa Curcio 4.1mi said:

young people seem not to understand the left arm up signal.

Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on October 13, 2014 at 9:17am

Anne, you forget that I am at the age where anyone under 45 qualifies as "young people". :-)

Anne Alt said:

I don't think that's limited to young people. 

Lisa Curcio 4.1mi said:

young people seem not to understand the left arm up signal.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on October 13, 2014 at 9:41am

;)

Lisa Curcio 4.1mi said:

Anne, you forget that I am at the age where anyone under 45 qualifies as "young people". :-)

Anne Alt said:

I don't think that's limited to young people. 

Lisa Curcio 4.1mi said:

young people seem not to understand the left arm up signal.

Permalink Reply by Thunder Snow on October 13, 2014 at 11:40am

I usually signal my turns, though not my slowing or stops.  I use my left arm for all signals, as I'm used to holding my right hand on the throttle when I motorcycle, and it's easier to just ride my bicycle the same way, rather than rethink the whole thing each time.

Permalink Reply by BritBoy on October 13, 2014 at 5:08pm

Growing up in England we had the Cycling Proficiency Test - i think we got a little badge or something if we passed - which I think pretty much everyone did.

I had always wondered why the brakes were reversed on UK vs US bikes!! Makes perfect sense. I;d never seen the 'left hand raised to turn right' (or vise-versa as it would have applied in the UK) being used by cyclists before I came to the States - though a car driver is supposed to do this through an open window of his car if the indicator (that's 'blinker' in the US) wasn't working.

One other UK vs US question someone may be able to answer...in the UK we nearly always use a 'valve connector' that screws into the end of the pump and then onto the valve on the tyre (there's different ended valve connectors depending if you run Schrader or Presta valves, but the part that screws into the pump is the same) - see image below - that when not in use is stored in the handle of the pump (these were old school pumps - I imagine a lot of UK pumps are like the US ones with the flexible hose that comes out of the body of the pump). 

I sometimes worry about damaging the vale tip on a Presta valve when wriggling the US adapter hose off, as well as damage to the interior of the plastic/rubber adapter hose that comes into contact with the valve screw thread - with the UK valve connector this was never an issue as it screwed right on making for a perfect seal each time and for easy removal without losing any of the air...


Jeff Schneider said:

I learned these signals (all using the left arm only) in about 1966, and never got out of the habit of using them:  https://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/publications/pdf_publications/ds...

Left arm-only signals really make sense when you are descending a steep hill with an intersection at the bottom.  You get to keep your right hand on the rear brake lever.  In England, bikes have the rear brake lever on the left for this same reason.

Long ago when most kids rode bikes to school and learned these signals there, we already knew them well when we became drivers.  Now most kids don't ride a bike for transportation, never learn the signals, and don't know them as drivers.

I like using proper signals, and still do it out of habit, even though I know few others pay attention or understand.

Permalink Reply by The Korn on October 14, 2014 at 12:19am

I signal my turns all the time.  In my mind it doesn't matter whether the driver really understands what I'm signaling, because whether or not they understand they have an idea that I'm about to do something different and tend to go slowly and cautiously as a result.  So it's pretty much a best case scenario as far as I'm concerned for everybody!  They don't hit me, and I don't get hit, and they're not unpleasantly surprised that I'm all of a sudden cutting in front of them.

I don't bother signaling stops.  I think they're self evident.

Permalink Reply by Fran Kondorf on October 14, 2014 at 1:41am

Anything that makes me more visible to motorists is good, so I do it early and often.

I'll also signal stops sometimes as a courtesy to bikes behind me in traffic. Safety first, yo'.

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