commuting in the dark rant

[Kiwiavenger]

Just finished my normal 7 mile ride into work and the amount of people i see going down a dark cycle track with No reflective/bright clothing, No lights and no helmets astounds me!!

i must have passed 5 people with no rear lights, 7 coming the other way with no front lights and some with the cheapest cat eye/cheapy asdas own bike lights and all wearing black/dark clothing. also people must think its safer riding down the cycle track as 80% of people dont bother with wearing a helmet!!!

also why do people hop onto a kerb to RLJ then immediatly hop onto the road again afterwards!! just because you ride on the pavement for 10 yards doesnt negate the fact that you have jumped a red light!!!!!

rant off.

on a lighter note im now fully in love with my bike again (minus a small indexing issue on the front mech)

 

[400bhp]

I don't get the no lights thing too.

A decent set can be had for next to nothing.

 

[upsidedown]

What's not wearing a helmet got to do with how dark it is ?

 

[ianrauk]

What's not wearing a helmet got to do with how dark it is ?

You asked before I did

 

[BentMikey]

The only bit that matters out of that rant is the not using lights and the RLJing. The rest is just fail.

 

[Cubist]

"Just finished my normal 7 mile ride into work and the amount of people i see going down a dark cycle track with No reflective/bright clothing...."


There's an irony here..... if you saw them, and they were on a cycle track, what's the issue? The whole poiint of reflective clothing is to stand out when car headlights shine on them. Scotchlite on a cycle track would be pretty pointless.

Some people genuinely can't afford more than a cheap set of supermarket LEDs!

 

[gambatte]

I noticed a few bikes on Friday. Dinnertime, my walk into town. Before I got there I passed 2 youths on BMXs, not a brake component between them. The next one I saw was solitary at the bike rack. Hybrid. Only saw the rear brake, or the few components that were still attached.

The next 3 were after my swim. finishes 9pm, so it would have been 9:15pm. There's a BMX park next to the baths. I pulled out onto the main road behind 3 youths on BMXs. All in dark clothing, no lights, all over the road, the pavement, the traffic island. 100 yards of 10mph for me, till they all peeled off.

Now I'm not saying I'm in a car I should be able to go at 30mph. I'm quite resigned about the fact there are cyclists out there like this. Just makes me think that cyclists are a minority and we're probably a minority within the minority?

 

[Kiwiavenger]

The helmet issue was also to do with the no lights. i know a few bits on the track that are a nightmare if you hit them wrong. (differnce between hitting 1 hard lump or 15!!) and with no lights and no helmet your in for a bit of a headache!

The cycle track opens up into the city centre onto a fairly busy road, and next to the main route from east bristol into town so used quite a lot i just wouldnt find it safe to be going through there at 7Am wearing dark clothing and with no lights on! the helmet this is my own thoughts on it as ive had my head bounce off a kerb after hitting some diesel. lol

ive calmed down a bit now! just want to get out and ride but am stuck in a stuffy air conditioned office till half 4.

 

[Archie_tect]

Kiwi, you have inadvertently mentioned the wearing of a helmet which is a recurring subject and any criticism of the wearing or not wearing one is not aimed at you.



Welcome to CC!

 

[Crankarm]

The helmet issue was also to do with the no lights. i know a few bits on the track that are a nightmare if you hit them wrong. (differnce between hitting 1 hard lump or 15!!) and with no lights and no helmet your in for a bit of a headache!

The cycle track opens up into the city centre onto a fairly busy road, and next to the main route from east bristol into town so used quite a lot i just wouldnt find it safe to be going through there at 7Am wearing dark clothing and with no lights on! the helmet this is my own thoughts on it as ive had my head bounce off a kerb after hitting some diesel. lol

ive calmed down a bit now! just want to get out and ride but am stuck in a stuffy air conditioned office till half 4.

Calm down dear. But you already have.

You saw the lightless lidless cyclists didn't you, what's the problem? These cyclists seem immune from being knocked down or crashing so it is the way to go. I have come to the conclusion that too many cyclists lit up like beacons and christmas trees get splatted so incongito ninja cycle appareil is best.

 

[Little yellow Brompton]

Just finished my normal 7 mile ride into work and the amount of people i see going down a dark cycle track with No reflective/bright clothing, No lights and no helmets astounds me!!

i must have passed 5 people with no rear lights, 7 coming the other way with no front lights and some with the cheapest cat eye/cheapy asdas own bike lights and all wearing black/dark clothing. also people must think its safer riding down the cycle track as 80% of people dont bother with wearing a helmet!!!

also why do people hop onto a kerb to RLJ then immediatly hop onto the road again afterwards!! just because you ride on the pavement for 10 yards doesnt negate the fact that you have jumped a red light!!!!!

rant off.

on a lighter note im now fully in love with my bike again (minus a small indexing issue on the front mech)

So you saw the cyclists without lights or reflectives, where is the problem? What you should be asking yourself is how many cyclists with light and relfectives did you not see?

 

[gambatte]

I guess the problem is that the onus is on them to follow the laws of the road that we are all subject to. Just as we'd condemn a motorist driving at night without his lights on.

IMO the laws are there to protect not just the POB, but also the person who'll potentially hit them.

 

[goo_mason]

There's nothing in the law that says cyclists MUST wear a helmet or wear hi-viz / reflectives. I wear them myself, but that's personal choice.

I have to admit I'm staggered by the number of people I meet that believe that it's against the law to cycle without a helmet. Mind you, many of them also think it's perfectly acceptable to use a mobile whilst driving, run reds 'if it looks safe' and break the speed limit, so their ignorance re. helmets isn't surprising.

 

[400bhp]

So you saw the cyclists without lights or reflectives, where is the problem? What you should be asking yourself is how many cyclists with light and relfectives did you not see?

He saw these, but there's no guarantee he will see them in the future.

He saw them, but perhaps too late?

 

[Dan_h]

Once while riding through Reading in the dark with my Night Vision jacket, flashing and static lights at the rear and a bright sigmasport light on the front some ninja in black with no lights or reflectors decided to tell me that I was dangerous because I was not wearing a helmet... I could not even be bothered to answer that one!