Another useless invention

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sidevalve

Über Member
What an awful, awful idea. Again, does an arrow at your back mean I am turning or You may pass me? It's confusing, distracting and dangerous.
If treated as a signal [and that is how it would be treated] then it means the same as a car indicator - I intend to turn right/left and just like them [although most people seem to forget this] it DOES NOT mean I have the right to turn
So we're expected to have lights, hi-viz, reflectors, a foam hat, and now a gadget to show a sign on your back as the peanut behind you thinks 'get out of my way you farking cyclist'.
It's not our visibility that's the problem, it's the attitude people have towards us! :evil:
Actually we are are not 'expected' to have lights we are legally required to have them when the weather conditions or poor visibility dictate.
Is it a good invention - no but mainly because the riders that do signal will continue to do so anyway and those that don't won't use it.
 

winjim

Smash the cistern
If treated as a signal [and that is how it would be treated] then it means the same as a car indicator - I intend to turn right/left and just like them [although most people seem to forget this] it DOES NOT mean I have the right to turn
You may treat it as a signal, but it is dangerous to assume that others will. Here is a picture of a vehicle with an arrow at its back.
thumbs.php
 

Dogtrousers

Kilometre nibbler
As a motorist following a cyclist with an arrow pointing left or right, especially flashing, I would assume he would be turning.
While driving I might notice a flashing pattern on the rider's back. But as I'm not expecting turn signals there, or indeed signals of any kind, I can't guarantee I'd interpret it as anything. I don't know. I may just assume it to be a form of flashy cycle light, and turn my attention to other things. Now if the rider's road positioning and hand signals indicated right, then I would think they were turning right.

If I did interpret it as an invitation to pass on the right, I'd get a bit irritated, as I do if cyclists try to wave me past. I may mutter "I'll pass when I'm good and ready and can see the road ahead."
 
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