flashing light

[Brains]

Flashing lights to be seen
Steady lights to see

For those who regularly cycle in an urban environment such as city commuters, then a flashing light has a much higher chance of being seen in a rear view mirror than a steady one.
For that reason the tens of thousands of Boris bikes in London are all fitted with flashing lights fore and aft, that come on as soon as the bike is removed from the rack.
It is only a matter of time before flashing lights become compulsory, and fixed ones optional

 

[mjr]

What's the research on "much higher chance"? Flashing lights are "blink and you miss it".

The hire bikes have dynamo powered flashers because they're cheaper, legal and nearly indestructible. I doubt research came into it much. don't think they're much use on London's unlit bits at night and take my own steady light if I expect to be there.

 

[ufkacbln]

On the Gosport Ferry one day I was harangued by an unpleasant woman about how my lights were going to kill people because their flashing could cause an epileptic driver to have a fit

We had quite an audience!

Asking her if she was aware that a pho or-epileptic would not be driving did not go down well, nor did asking her if she was aware of the close range of flashing that triggered photo-epilepsy, and pointing out that the lights were outside that range was equally poorly received

I do accept though that asking her if she would at least have the courtesy to be aware of the most basic of facts before gobbing off was less than polite

 

[fossyant]

So long as you don't use high powered flashing lights on unlit roads or paths, You'll seriously upset anyone coming the other way,and if they have a better light than you, you may find they turn in on "vaporise mode" and remove you from the face of the planet.

 

[Psycolist]

I ride in a variety of situations from pitch black, unlit lanes, to superbly lit dual carriage ways. For the dark bits I have a 3 brightness, spot light style, triple LED , with which I can actually see the road surface ahead even on the darkest night, but when riding in lit up areas, just a small LED front light to be legal. At the rear I use twin rear LED lights, one on either side of the rear wheel, and, all of them, always set on constant. I have never used a helmet light, but I am a great believer in the spoke mounted tube type reflective strips. If kept reasonably clean, these are as good as lights, in respect of other people seeing you as a road user . Even from a fairly acute angle, these throw out a solid disc of reflected light when the bike is rolling, which is unlike anything else that uses the road, and I believe they really make Joe Public look twice. When night riding, I also ensure I use reflective clothing. Not wishing to tempt fate, but the 3 times I have been knocked off, have all been in daylight.

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

you get a bright flash that dazzles you and then blackness followed by another bright flash and so on.

This. Particularly a nightmare on unlit cycle paths where the oncoming flash is pretty much directly in your line of vision.

 

[summerdays]

All of my lights have various options of steady, flash and last purchase includes pulse.

The rear light I've taken to leaving on steady if on a cycle path or a nice flash (one of my weaker lights), but if I'm cycling on city roads then flash or pulse (never using the flash sequence where it's off more than on).

The front ones are easier to adjust as you go along so I just change them as the situation needs, so cycle path in the dark steady of varying brightness, or city roads more likely to be flashing.

I'm not worried by a car pulling out of a side road because he realises I'm a bike rather than a car as they normally know that anyway in a city where there are lots of street lights, I'm more worried by getting lost in a sea of car lights.

Outside the city I don't tend to do much riding in the dark and when I do I go for very bright multiple lights and combinations.