Flashing cycle lights???

[Davidc]

The Law: The Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989

The Section: Lamps to show a steady light

Warning - Seriously and dangerously outdated information - now completely wrong.

The full current legal requirement is summarised here

http://www.ctc.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=4071

The detail of the flashing lights ammendment is here

http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2005/20052559.htm

 

[garrilla]

Warning - Seriously and dangerously outdated information - now completely wrong.

The full legal requirement is here

http://www.ctc.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=4071

Great. An outdated goverment website. Who'da thunk it?

 

[siadwell]

The Law: The Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989

These regs were updated in 2005 to make flashing lights on bikes legal.

http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2005/20052559.htm

If you google "lighting regs", the 1989 version is the first hit. The amendments don't come up until the third page of results!

 

[siadwell]

Great. An outdated goverment website. Who'da thunk it?

To be fair, the amendments amend the existing regs, and the link you followed is a direct one to that document, so the website isn't out of date. They just make it very difficult to find the info you need.

The Highway Code has this rule, but a little more detail or direct links wouldn't go amis.

60

At night your cycle MUST have white front and red rear lights lit. It MUST also be fitted with a red rear reflector (and amber pedal reflectors, if manufactured after 1/10/85). White front reflectors and spoke reflectors will also help you to be seen. Flashing lights are permitted but it is recommended that cyclists who are riding in areas without street lighting use a steady front lamp.
[Law RVLR regs 13, 18 & 24)]

EDIT: Actually, you are quite right, as the HC website has a direct link to the outdated regs with respect to this RVLR, and no mention of the amendments. I only knew because I'd read it on the CTC website.
​

 

[garrilla]

You've missed something Garilla, which makes your point wrong.

I wasn't making a point, I was merely relaying what the regulations said. Anyway, I'm really grateful that you were willing to point out the error instead of scoring points.

 

[Davidc]

Great. An outdated goverment website. Who'da thunk it?

Not your fault G. Typically for government what they've done is to ammend a set of regs with a set of ammendments which in part make the original illegal!

If Whitehall had a sigle brain cell somewhere in its length they'd simply publish a new and correct set of regulations when there's a significant change in the content.

(Don't believe it's just transport that suffers from this!)

 

[PK99]

Hi all,
This may just be me and my eye's but when there is another cyclist oncoming with front light flashing i find it quite difficult to gauge there position in particular distance and it seems the brighter the light the harder it is.

Anyone else find this or should i have gone to specsavers??

Simon

I agree.

A constant light indicates position and direction, a flashing light shows position but not direction until the next flash.

The worst one i saw was recently in Phlegm.

VERY RAPID Flash-flash-flash-flash-flash......LONG PAUSE.
Where has the damn thing gone?
VERY RAPID Flash-flash-flash-flash-flash......LONG PAUSE.
Repeat.

 

[Davidc]

I agree.

A constant light indicates position and direction, a flashing light shows position but not direction until the next flash.

The worst one i saw was recently in Phlegm.

VERY RAPID Flash-flash-flash-flash-flash......LONG PAUSE.
Where has the damn thing gone?
VERY RAPID Flash-flash-flash-flash-flash......LONG PAUSE.
Repeat.

And that is quite clearly not a legal light under any of the rules!

 

[Davidc]

Trouble is with all this that if there's an accident and you're outside the legal niceities then some smart ars'd barrister on the other side will try to claim you were responsible for it.

 

[BentMikey]

I wasn't making a point, I was merely relaying what the regulations said. Anyway, I'm really grateful that you were willing to point out the error instead of scoring points.

Why would you assume I was trying to score points? My reason for not posting the direct link to flashing light info is that I hoped it would cause you to think and remember the issue.

 

[Theseus]

60

At night your cycle MUST have white front and red rear lights lit. It MUST also be fitted with a red rear reflector (and amber pedal reflectors, if manufactured after 1/10/85). White front reflectors and spoke reflectors will also help you to be seen. Flashing lights are permitted but it is recommended that cyclists who are riding in areas without street lighting use a steady front lamp.
[Law RVLR regs 13, 18 & 24)]
​

How the feck to you fit reflectors to uncaged SPD's?

 

[BentMikey]

And why on a recumbent?

Just like having no pedal reflectors (Look Deltas), my lights aren't legal ones either.

 

[siadwell]

How the feck to you fit reflectors to uncaged SPD's?

Ah, you have discovered one of the anomalies in the regs that did not get changed, despite lobbying from the CTC. This also applies to 'bents.

 

[oxford_guy]

I'm not very good at reading legal-ise - does it imply that you can have bright flashing *front* lights? I hope not...

 

[iacula]

It doesn't seem to mind front flashers, I use them myself as well as a steady front light.