il padrone wrote:
If the roads are that busy and noisy it is highly unlikely that a pedestrian will be stepping out into the road without looking I'd think. Regardless the law does not specify the environment of use. It would be equally pretty useless honking a horn in a road tunnel. It is often pretty useless honking a horn in city streets with building echo and such. Should this be grounds for removing the legal requirement for motor vehicle horns ??
Legal requirement for a bell does not prevent you using your voice for warning as well. By any legal definition though, no, a part of your personal anatomy is not a 'device'.
I am not talking about using my bell when riding on a road like that, but many of the shared paths I use are alongside busy arterial roads (and freeways). Basically, coming up behind a pedestrian on a shared path, but due to noise from the adjacent road, they can't hear the bell.
It has nothing to do with horns in cars, but a horn in a car produces a vastly louder warning than any feeble "ting ting" from a bell. Also, I ride all weather and in the rain my bell makes more of a soft "thunk" noise rather than a "ping". Car horns are not affected by weather.
I don't know what the ADRs are for car horns, but there is no standard for bells. My understanding is that as long as you have one and it "works", it is fine. Whether it makes it an effective warning device is open for debate. My experience is that it is fine for a friendly warning in a quiet environment, but is pretty much useless the rest of the time. Cyclists are not wrapped up in sealed soundproof boxes and can use their voice as an audible warning device. The volume is easily adjusted to circumstances. Motorists have horns because they can shout at the top of their lungs inside their vehicle and nobody will hear them.
So yes, the law says I need a bell, but does not mandate that I use it (or dictate where on my bike it must be located, just that it be attached)