I was out and about yesterday – a whole bunch of quick errands.  Enough errands that I wrote them down and numbered them.  Then, of course, I went in a different order, based on how fast I could get from one to the next.  Typical.

This strategy led me on some back streets that while not foreign to me are not my usual routes around town.  As I was coming up to a stop sign, the bicyclist ahead of me stuck out his left arm, but instead of straight to the side or straight down, sort of mid-way between.  He did slow down a bit but then turned left onto another street.  For a minute I thought maybe it was a “I’m slowing down before I turn left” arm signal but then just dismissed it as a lazy turn signal.  But it stayed with me so you know I eventually looked it up on the computer and while there are several more than I was ever taught, there isn’t one for slowing on a left turn. 

It also occurred to me that these days I don’t actually see many bicyclists using arm signals when they are in traffic.  Are these not a thing any longer?  Then I started a mental list of some of the things that have disappeared from the world during my lifetime:  pay phones, rotary dial phones, maybe typewriters, encyclopedias, busy signals.  There are probably a lot more that I’m either not remembering or still around but getting rarer as the days go by (typewriters should probably be in this category). 

Things changing/evolving doesn’t bother me too much but I do think bicyclists would be safer if they kept up the arm signals when they are on streets with cars/trucks?

Are you still holding onto anything that is starting to disappear?