Biker 'startles a woman' while 'riding like a normal person.' AITA? 'She YELLED at me.'

"AITA for 'startling' a woman by saying 'on your left' while riding my bike like a normal person?"

I live in a mountain town where bike commuting and recreational riding are extremely common. I was riding on a paved multi-use trail that’s clearly marked as a bike path but is also regularly used by pedestrians. I understand pedestrians generally have the right-of-way, and I always try to be courteous and give people space.

I pass walkers all the time, and I always call out “on your left” in advance, slow down, and pass with care. The other day, I came up behind a woman walking in the middle of the path. I slowed down and clearly said “on your left” before passing. There was plenty of space, and I passed her at a slow, safe speed.

As I passed, she angrily yelled “Hey!” not in a startled or surprised way, but like she was mad at me. I was taken aback, so I stopped a little ahead of her to clarify, and said something like, “I said ‘on your left,' did you not hear me?”

She replied, “No, I didn’t hear you, I’m listening to an audiobook.” That rubbed me the wrong way, because it sounded like she was blaming me for her not hearing me, so I said, “You do realize how ridiculous that sounds, right? It’s not my fault you can’t hear what’s going on around you because you’re listening to something.”

She then told me I should’ve stopped my bike completely when she didn’t move out of the way (again, she was walking down the center of the path, and there was more than enough space to safely pass on the left).

I told her, respectfully but firmly, that it’s not reasonable to expect cyclists to stop entirely because someone is walking in the middle of a bike path and can’t hear warnings due to wearing headphones.

She then pointed out that I was wearing headphones too, but I wasn’t actually listening to anything at the time, I just had one in my ear and could hear her perfectly fine. I explained that the difference is, I could hear everything around me and had full awareness of my surroundings.

I told her in the future she might consider keeping one earbud out or turning the volume down so she’s more aware, especially when using a shared path. Then I left. I know I probably didn’t need to stop and engage, but the way she yelled at me made it seem like she thought I had done something unsafe or careless, which genuinely confused me. Am I the ahole?

Here's what people had to say to OP:

Possible-Tangelo9344 said:

ESH. Why bother stopping to argue? Your writing style here comes off that you are very quick to judge based on your interpretation of this woman solely on her appearance (very I say hi to strangers and expect a thank you energy). So seems like you were predetermined that she wasn't going to fit the local cycling religion.

What if this woman was deaf? Partially deaf? She shouldn't have been in the middle of the walkway, but it seems like you judged her early and then tailored your behavior to get that impression confirmed when all you had to do was yell a quick sorry or something and go about your day.

beckdawg19 said:

I was with you in the first half, but YTA. You took it personally, stopped, and made a whole argument of it when you could have just kept going and this whole situation would never have existed. I've been startled by bikers many times while walking with headphones. It happens, and you make weird, surprised noises sometimes. But I'd absolutely be weirded out and defensive if they stopped to harass me about it.

The-Reanimator-Freak said:

I’d have just kept riding. I’m not the Batman of manners.

GraveArchitectur3 said:

YTA based on your writing style. Also because she was right, if she didn't hear you and didn't move over then you should have slowed right down. Would you have acted the same way if the person was partially deaf or hearing impaired? (probably).

OkSecretary1231 said:

ESH. Everyone way overreacted to a commonplace annoyance. (As a sidenote, I think cyclists underestimate the Doppler effect and don't realize how much "On your left!" can just sound like "BLEH!" when you're not expecting it lol. But I probably have auditory processing issues anyway.)

pottersquash said:

ESH. Why'd you stop?