Jeremy Vine "Have you been blinded by bike lights?"

[glasgowcyclist]

Surely the problem isn't how bright these lights are but how they are aligned and their lack of a cut-off that stops upward light-spill dazzling others?

GC

 

[glenn forger]

That says it all. It's a "problem" that bike lights can be as bright as car lights. Sheesh.

 

[pplpilot]

so when is the debate on knob ends driving with fog lights permanently on ?

 

[summerdays]

I'm one that thinks it will come to the point where we are going to need more legislation. The race for bigger and brighter continues, I don't have a problem with having generally bright lights but they are being used inappropriately. For a start I don't think you should only run a really bright flashing light, and especially not on a cycle path. If you want to run a flashing light then there ought to be a top limit on how bright the flash is. And use it with a constant bright light to see with.

I've taken to looking away when I meet really blinding lights on the cycle path, or stopping dead and letting them move around me... after all they are the one that can see and I can't when it's not adjusted properly.

 

[totallyfixed]

Ignoring Vine which is my default setting anyway, there is a problem. We are lucky in the sense that although we ride dark country lanes several time each week it is very rare to see another cyclist which is probably just as well. About a month ago I was out in the lanes at night when 2 bright lights appeared in the distance coming towards me, too far away to be dazzling, so for the time being I also kept my bike light on full beam. The road twists about a bit so although I lost sight of the light source I could still see the upper tree branches lit up. Another bend into a straight stretch of road and suddenly the lights appear again, this time I could not make out what was coming towards me but I was erring towards a [silent] tractor, the ones with their headlights closer together. A tad worrying as they are often pulling wide trailers and this one was on full beam, I dipped my light but no response from the approaching vehicle so I flicked back to high for a couple of seconds and still no response. By now I cannot see much at all so I concentrate on looking at the grass verge hoping there is enough clearance. It is almost upon me and I am proper dazzled [sometimes it is not a problem as I wear a cap and the peak cuts out the light but that night it was cold and I was wearing a beanie] Just as the tractor reaches me I hear 2 voices, it is 2 women on road bikes riding side by side chatting away and utterly oblivious to the effect their lights are having, Hi they shout, I am unable to immediately reply, too surprised to see 2 women out on road bikes this late at night. I thought about turning round and letting them know what I thought about their lights but I was in a rush to meet my better half so left them to carry on dazzling all and sundry.
If cyclists want to be counted as legitimate road users then we have to obey the law and treat others with respect. I hear some of you saying, yes but I am constantly being dazzled by vehicles that will not dip their headlights. My answer is that is down to the individual driving that vehicle and not the technology at their disposal, there are nobs on both sides of the fence. We do not have the wherewithal in the current market to use a front bike light that has a dip and main beam without paying vast amounts of money. If we did then we could also flash drivers that stay on main beam, again we decided to invest in such lights complete with a remote switch because we spend a lot of time riding in the dark, they work really well and have never had a car coming towards us that stays on main beam.
This is over a year old now so lights are brighter still:
http://www.ctc.org.uk/blog/chris-juden/bobby-dazzlers

 

[andyoxon]

Really bright lights are OK, but they may need taming, and consideration of other road users (IMO). I use a std flashing Smart light, and a ~2000 Lumen XML-T6 on the front, as the commute involves both very dark and street-lit roads. However the latter 'ebay special' has an added C&B Seen Ltd horizontal diffuser (Fresnell lens)/ vertical glare limiter, as well as my DIY 'hood', cable tied around light, to give a decent horizontal cutoff.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Springsteen was on about this years ago .... and some Mann got on the bandwagon ....

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GCr1eTbxbw

 

[roadrash]

and dont forget about the super bright rear lights

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l62scsz2yo4

 

[oldstrath]

If cyclists want to be counted as legitimate road users then we have to obey the law and treat others with respect. I hear some of you saying, yes but I am constantly being dazzled by vehicles that will not dip their headlights. My answer is that is down to the individual driving that vehicle and not the technology at their disposal, there are nobs on both sides of the fence. We do not have the wherewithal in the current market to use a front bike light that has a dip and main beam without paying vast amounts of money. If we did then we could also flash drivers that stay on main beam, again we decided to invest in such lights complete with a remote switch because we spend a lot of time riding in the dark, they work really well and have never had a car coming towards us that stays on main beam.
This is over a year old now so lights are brighter still:
http://www.ctc.org.uk/blog/chris-juden/bobby-dazzlers

Not sure we can have an off-the-shelf dip and main beam (in the sense that an auto light is main beam) whatever we pay. I use a Strada Mk6 on wet unlit roads, because they are very quiet, but I'm still not sure it is properly 'dipped'. Given how few cars there are, I'm not sure I care, but it would be nice to have a properly 'automotive like' option.

 

[oldstrath]

Generally I cannot find too much fault with either of those statements. 600 lumens is not necessary in an urban environment and I am sure some cyclists do use their bright lights to annoy drivers.

Not all of us cycle only in urban environments, and commuting to work is hardly 'extreme cycling'!

 

[Globalti]

Who is this Jeremy Vine anyway? Is he on the telly? I'm too busy either working or cycling or fettling my bike to watch much more than The Bridge 3.

 

[graham bowers]

Its very simple.
Vine is measured on his listener ratings, so he uses a technique politicians have used for years to generate votes. Pick a minority, then whip up a storm about some aspect of that minority's behaviour, real or imagined, whilst adopting a righteous and indignant stance.

 

[Siclo]

commuting to work is hardly 'extreme cycling'!

Oh I don't know about that, last night I had floods, several cases of near death motorised mayhem and the offer of being "f-ing stabbed to death" by someone on a BSO in Moss Side who just didn't like being passed. Seems pretty extreme to me.

It's very often a high adrenaline full contact sport, more's the pity.

Edit for grammer

 

[jonny jeez]

. Almost all are a tenth the strength of car headlights. .

Is that true?

I find a lot of rear cycle lights to be annoying and also restrict my vision beyond the light...so blinded, if only temporarily within a small but important area.

Is it perhaps that bike lights have a smaller lense and offer a smaller spread of thier lux as opposed to car lights..

Dunno myself but, whilst I agree the discussion on watchdog and the like is a pile of crud, some bike lights are a little too bright form my liking.

 

[Milkfloat]

Not all of us cycle only in urban environments, and commuting to work is hardly 'extreme cycling'!

Agreed - but irrelevant to my post.