An appeal to the cyclists among you

[Curious Orange]

Er, isn't that the point....?

I would say that distracting road users from paying attention to where they are going, the road conditions, other road users, and from controlling what could be several tonnes of their own vehicle is a highly dangerous thing to do.

I can't speak for anybody else, but If I see a flashing light my first thought isn't, "oh, a bike", it's "what the [insert swear word here] is that!?!", closely followed by "I can't tell how far away that is because it is flashing and dazzling me".

 

[Deleted member 22389]

Sometimes I can't believe the attitude of some motorists. About 2 months ago when we had the nice weather, I had a cyclist in front of me. I couldn't see what was coming the other because we where on the brow of a hill, so I waited back in my car until the cyclist had cleared, and it was safe to pass him. It was only about a minute, but that didn't stop the driver behind me from hitting his horn.

 

[Arthur]

You can't got a week without there being a story in the Evening Standard about a cyclists death which is incredibly sad. Only the other week a young German girl was killed at Ludgate Circus. The memorial that has been setup is a daily reminder of this yet still every day I see cyclists without lights on. The other evening just up the road from said memorial the police were stopping cyclists for not having lights on, three groups of coppers, all three had pulled someone over when I walked past. Mentalists!!

The worst offenders appear to be the bike couriers which is even dafter given they are on the road more than anyone.

On the whole cyclists in London are allot better than they were a few years ago but its taken god knows how many deaths and a police crack down for people to start to pay attention. Sadly plenty of people still don't think lights are needed.

 

[Curious Orange]

It really doesn't cost a lot to buy a decent set of lights and a high-visibility vest. Modern LED lights are so much better on battery life, and much brighter with it, than they were even ten years ago, it makes no sense not use them.

 

[SAC]

It really doesn't cost a lot to buy a decent set of lights and a high-visibility vest. Modern LED lights are so much better on battery life, and much brighter with it, than they were even ten years ago, it makes no sense not use them.

Yes it does actually, or it can. If you cycle in a well lit city then you can get away with cheaper lights that will make you be seen (although if people were paying proper attention then I would hope you would be seen whatever you are wearing). If you cycle anywhere that there is no street lighting then you need others to see you and to be able to see where you are going and these lights can be quite expensive.

 

[Bad Ash]

The other day when I was in the car in the dark I caught site of a cyclist ahead of the car in front and said to my girlfriend "That guy really needs to have some lights!". Her reply was "What guy?". Thankfully I was the one driving, I gave a huge toot of my horn as I overtook him, hopefully it gave him a good fright and he realized why I was doing it.

 

[Curious Orange]

Yes it does actually, or it can. If you cycle in a well lit city then you can get away with cheaper lights that will make you be seen (although if people were paying proper attention then I would hope you would be seen whatever you are wearing). If you cycle anywhere that there is no street lighting then you need others to see you and to be able to see where you are going and these lights can be quite expensive.

Yeah, I'd be looking at the high-end lights if I wanted to cycle off-road at night too, but £25 will get you a light plenty powerful enough for most road usage. But you are right, you buy the lights for the conditions you want to cycle in.

I wouldn't advocate buying the cheapest lights you can though, particularly for rear lights, as they're cheap for a reason - they're not very bright, which means they're not so easy to see.

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

Driving the C7 home each night, in the pitch black, with poorly highlighted cyclists is NOT my favourite part of the day right now. Im nervous and I'm in a car. The blokes on bikes are clearly fearless.

 

[Stat Brother]

It's odd how in all these threads nobody every says:-

"Added to that with me going 20, 15 or 10% over the legal speed limit for that road, my reaction time and braking distance was severely compromised, which didn't help'.

Yet we all drive and we all speed

Clearly cammo man is an accident waiting to happen, and when it does it would be nigh on impossible to have sympathy for anyone other than the driver.
The onus is on cammo to avoid the accident, but that doesn't completely exonerate the driver from his duty of care.

 

[Dr. Notthenineo'clocknews]

Yes it does actually, or it can. If you cycle in a well lit city then you can get away with cheaper lights that will make you be seen (although if people were paying proper attention then I would hope you would be seen whatever you are wearing). If you cycle anywhere that there is no street lighting then you need others to see you and to be able to see where you are going and these lights can be quite expensive.

I've been described on this thread as a "I know best cyclist" but FFS you can get a hi viz vest in the pound shop. Lights CAN be pricey but are cheaper than a funeral. I often cycle home post 10pm and have now stopped being suprised by pillocks on bikes with no lights that appear to have deliberately chosen the darkest clothing possible. Shout out to the scruffy looking cyclist at the bottom of North St Yesterday (during day light) that shouted out to some student type as he was over taken at a red light for screaming out "that's it you f****** tw*t, you jump a red light!"

 

[perseus]

The headlamps in poundland for £1 are useful as a spare and can be kept on the bike. They are bright enough but break easily. Headlamps are better than poundland bicycle lights which are so naff a £1 seems a waste.

Cree LED lights are usually good.

Rationally, pedestrians should also wear them, as by mile travelled they are more likely to me squashed by motor vehicles than cyclists, and I have nearly run down a few pedestrians on my bike.

The idea of flashing lights is the driver sees the cyclist, gets distracted and runs over a pedestrian instead.

 

[Birdie Boy]

I can't speak for anybody else, but If I see a flashing light my first thought isn't, "oh, a bike", it's "what the [insert swear word here] is that!?!", closely followed by "I can't tell how far away that is because it is flashing and dazzling me".

I hope that very closely followed by your first and second thoughts, you receive a third thought that says "I need to slow down". That is lesson no.1, next week we will work on moving thought no.3 up to no2. and then finally on to no.1

 

[brighton bluenose]

I would say that distracting road users from paying attention to where they are going, the road conditions, other road users, and from controlling what could be several tonnes of their own vehicle is a highly dangerous thing to do.

I can't speak for anybody else, but If I see a flashing light my first thought isn't, "oh, a bike", it's "what the [insert swear word here] is that!?!", closely followed by "I can't tell how far away that is because it is flashing and dazzling me".

Give it a rest - it is a little red flashing light not some ultra powerful beacon ffs!! If you really have difficulty in concentrating when you see one of these you shouldn't be on the road in the first place!!

 

[Dr. Notthenineo'clocknews]

I would say that distracting road users from paying attention to where they are going, the road conditions, other road users, and from controlling what could be several tonnes of their own vehicle is a highly dangerous thing to do.

I can't speak for anybody else, but If I see a flashing light my first thought isn't, "oh, a bike", it's "what the [insert swear word here] is that!?!", closely followed by "I can't tell how far away that is because it is flashing and dazzling me".

You get dazzled by a bike light? When I cycle home from work with my lights on and hi viz (as you want it) along the cycle path not the road (as you want it) I often have to stop to allow a car to pass with full beam on, that's being dazzled.

 

[Curious Orange]

I hope that very closely followed by your first and second thoughts, you receive a third thought that says "I need to slow down". That is lesson no.1, next week we will work on moving thought no.3 up to no2. and then finally on to no.1

Thanks for your concern, fortunately I've been driving long enough that slowing down when something unexpected happens has become an automatic response, so it isn't something I have to think about (call it 'thought 0').





I would have had to think about it when I was a novice driver though, distractions are dangerous.

 

[Curious Orange]

Give it a rest - it is a little red flashing light not some ultra powerful beacon ffs!! If you really have difficulty in concentrating when you see one of these you shouldn't be on the road in the first place!!

Not all of them are "little red lights" though, are they, some of them are pretty powerful, and some people insist on having their FRONT lights flashing, which is doubly dangerous on unlit roads as not only do they distract other road users but the rider can't see where they're going 50% of the time.

 

[Curious Orange]

You get dazzled by a bike light?

Sometimes yes, I have more of a problem with flashing headlights though.

When I cycle home from work with my lights on and hi viz (as you want it)

The law requires you to use lights, the hi-viz vest is entirely your personal choice - I now wear one myself having commuted by bike for the best part of ten years and gotten fed up of nearly being run over on mini-roundabouts despite having right of way.

along the cycle path not the road (as you want it)

I think you're mistaking me for [MENTION=26444]Wrong Direction[/MENTION], cyclists have as much right to use roads as anyone else

I often have to stop to allow a car to pass with full beam on, that's being dazzled.

Yes, that is also a problem, like inappropriate use of fog lights.

 

[brighton bluenose]

Not all of them are "little red lights" though, are they, some of them are pretty powerful, and some people insist on having their FRONT lights flashing, which is doubly dangerous on unlit roads as not only do they distract other road users but the rider can't see where they're going 50% of the time.

P!ssing myself laughing - you must go into MELTDOWN when coming up to a car with TWO hazard lights flashing!!

 

[Curious Orange]

P!ssing myself laughing - you must go into MELTDOWN when coming up to a car with TWO hazard lights flashing!!

Yeah, I'd be wondering why the other four aren't working

 

[brightn'ove]

I would say that distracting road users from paying attention to where they are going, the road conditions, other road users, and from controlling what could be several tonnes of their own vehicle is a highly dangerous thing to do.

I can't speak for anybody else, but If I see a flashing light my first thought isn't, "oh, a bike", it's "what the [insert swear word here] is that!?!", closely followed by "I can't tell how far away that is because it is flashing and dazzling me".

Christ what happens when you see a police car? Do you spontaneously combust?