Commuting in the dark of night.

[cyberknight]

TBH, whilst it did feel less safe in the dark, I suspect properly kitted out as you are, you're actually much more visible to motorists than you are during the day.

indeed i find the overtakes are better as they tend to give more room in the dark than in daylight

 

[Zanelad]

Then I'd be late for work.

Leave earlier then. The bulk of my commute is on unlit roads. I use a decent light to see the road and a smaller flashing light up fron and a fixed light at the rear. You'll soon get used to the roads and know where any problem areas are. I too find passing motorists give me more room when it's dark.

 

[roadrash]

Then I'd be late for work.

But to be honest, hurtling downhill along a pitch black country lane still seems like a scary prospect.

seriously , bearing these two comments in mind, leave earlier , ride slower

 

[Dayvo]

I experienced the very same two weeks ago.

The mornings are noticeably darker from week to week here, and instead of just being seen by my flashing light, I needed to see the road ahead, too.

I did my research and settled on a https://road.cc/content/review/252199-niterider-swift-500-front-light which I am very satisfied with.

 

[stoatsngroats]

ProViz clothing seems to be a real help, stealth colours often, and a great reaction when head lights light it up.
Having dual lights is one of my choices too, I have rechargeable and battery light front and rear, and carry spare batteries so that I’m not caught without lights. I have found that even a Moon meteor 250 (old one) and a battery smart front light give enough light for unlit roads, but I don’t rush about.
Same for the rear, just bought a Moon Comet for the rear, which I run with a battery Smart R1, also I have put Cateye bar end lights on the drops too, which I feel has showed the width of me... others may not agree, but I feel that wider passes have resulted from this.

 

[cougie uk]

Deffo have the two lights on the back.

Reflective jackets are nice but get reflectives on your feet or lower legs. The movement catches the eye far better than a jacket. Reflective overshoes would be great.

 

[steve292]

Reflective jackets are nice but get reflectives on your feet or lower legs. The movement catches the eye far better than a jacket. Reflective overshoes would be great.

You are not wrong. Also I run 2 lights front and back.

 

[classic33]

I've done all year round commuting, early starts and late finish's. It's not as bad as you may feel it will be.

Your eyes will adjust to the available light, meaning it won't seem as dark after a while. Being visible from behind is as important as forward visibility.

Adjust your riding, and timings, to suit the requirements of the commute. There may be less traffic on the roads at those times.

 

[furball]

I've got lights coming out of my ears at the moment. I've got two sets of rechargeable LED's on the front and back and I've installed a Dynamo and light set today as add ons/fail safes.

But to be honest, hurtling downhill along a pitch black country lane still seems like a scary prospect.

There's no need to be hurtling anywhere.
Your speed should be determined by conditions. In wet weather verges become churned up and it isn't always clear what's road edge and what's verge. You should only go at a speed you can take in what you are seeing which, however good your lights are, will be less than in daylight.
Fog, frost, ice, snow, torrential rain and wind all add different challenges when riding in the dark but you should learn how to cope with each providing speed isn't your main criteria.

 

[Andy in Germany]

I leave for work at 5.45 am and my commute takes an hour.

Over the last month, the earlier miles of my ride have been getting increasingly dark and on Monday this week, I left for work in the pitch black of night and in about another month, my whole morning commute will be in the dark.

The last time I commuted in the dark was when I lived in London where (to be honest) there is no such thing as a dark night.

But where I live now, there are no street lights in the country lanes and there are no houses with porch lights left on. It's just plain dark.

I want to keep up my commute through winter and I have no issue with cold and wet and ice and snow.

But it does worry me that I won't be able to see where I am going and that others won't be able to see me.

I've been obsessing about lights and visibility for the last month or so and I have pretty much sussed out my plan for the dark months ahead.

But I am still shitting bricks at the prospect.

Anyone else experiencing the same anxieties?

I worked for a while in Taunton and lived out in the countryside about 15k away, so my commute dropped into darkness at the edge of Taunton and stayed thus until I reached my home town; this was in 1995; the days of halogen lights with mahoosive batteries. I was on narrow category 3 roads most of the way, so no lights whatsoever.

It was a bit unnerved at first, especially at the western edge of Taunton, when I left the street lights and entered the Outer Darkness, but I actually found I preferred riding at night because I could see the cars from further away and they tended to travel more slowly. I realised after a while that in clear weather my night vision quickly worked better than a front light so I'd switch it off and turn it on again when I saw lights ahead. It was far safer than riding in traffic in Taunton by day or night.

Now I'm commuting here and I'll be riding in darkness again very soon: I'm thoroughly looking forward to it...

 

[Ming the Merciless]

You are actually more visible in the pitch black of the night and can see cars from far away. They will also notice you better than on a lit road. Sounds like you have plenty of light and will be fine. I commuted for 12 years on pitch black roads with just a dynamo light. No probs.

 

[steveindenmark]

I live in the darkest of Denmark. I have a 20km commute every working day. I leave at 4.30am.. I have an Exposure Joystick on the front and carry a spare Joystick. I have 3 lights on the rear and carry a spare. I also wear a viz vest. I really enjoy my rides in the dark. I just take it easy.

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

Good front light, two rears, maybe some reflective panels on clothing.

Ride to what you can see ahead.

 

[mjr]

Also, hi viz clothing won't run out of batteries or suffer an electrical failure.

No, it just does nothing if no lights are shining at it. Have you seen how many motorists have wildly misaimed lights or even no lights?

There's no substitute for a back light with a big surface area and good side visibility.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Indeed lights is the priority, viz if it makes you feel better