Get some f*****g lights!!!!

[Firestorm]

https://www.cyclechat.net/

 

[Norm]

Nothing will make that cyclist safer than having a bright front light which won't get lost in the other traffic.

Can't agree with that any more than I agree with BM's comments on seeing reflectives.

The safest thing that I have found is a head mounted light, which I can "flash" towards people who may present a danger, such as those emerging from side-roads. That way, not only do I not get lost but I can actively grab people's attention.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

p.s. Jezton, it's flying monkey's own implicit admission that he had relatively poor lights. He went out and bought a better one after all.

'Relatively poor' is correct. They were still pretty damn visible. But I took a look at what Gaz said he used, saw that they were better, and I have replaced the weakest Cateye with one of the latest kind of light.

Does this mean I will be abandoning my reflective backback cover? Absolutely not.

In fact, I thought I would make this a little more objective, and I have asked some of the drivers (a sample of 12, in fact - a mix of women and men of different ages) who share my morning ferry ride about my visibility - some of those were people who had previous come up to me to say how much they appreciated my visibility, some were not. I asked two very simple questions:

1. "Do you think I am adequately visible after dark?" - to which all answered "yes"; and

2. "What is it that is most noticeable about me?"

The answers to this were not so unanimous. Whilst two had noticed the new light, which is good (both of whom were older women, not sure what that implies...), and two people said 'lights' (in general), it is still the reflective backpack cover that more remark on (7 out of the 12). One person picked out the reflective flashing on my longs / overshoes. One person added that they thought that I should cycle on the other side of the road into traffic as this would be safer... there's always one. I did point out that this was not only illegal but a lot more dangerous for me and for other cyclists and drivers. They didn't seem convinced. This seems to be a more common thing amongst people who have never cycled as adults (or who cycle very rarely)...

People may find this counterintuitive or not, but don't shoot the messenger: I am simply reporting some 'findings'. I was just disapppointed that not one person mentioned my 'sculpted buttocks' or my 'impressive thighs'...

PS: On the colour issue. IMHO colours are pretty much irrelevant after dark - like Sam I dress in black - with the reflective bits I mentioned on the backs of the shoes, ankles, legs etc. And black is defintely more visible during the day, especially against the snow.

 

[fossyant]

Children, please. Off to your rooms !

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Well, I can't argue on the snow and ice, but I can on the darkness. If I'm not mistaken in that you live near Toronto, that currently has around a half hour more daylight than London, yes? I think I commute in darkness more than most as I teach up until dark, which means I ride home in darkness on most of my commutes, even through midsummer. I'm always slightly surprised when people start commenting on how it's time to get the lights out again in late summer/autumn.

I live in a rural area which has no streetlights at all. That was half the point. It's quite rare in the UK (in my experience), and certainly very rare around London, I would guess - though you can correct me on that. It's the combination of the hazardous conditions and the darkness which makes my commute so 'interesting' for 4 months of the year...

On the rudeness, perhaps you can drop that now? It's not productive, and it's coming across to me as nothing more than a whinge, and as though you have nothing better to get at me with.

I'm not interested in 'getting at you' or anyone else. I'm interested in an interesting and productive discussion, and even learning stuff and changing my mind if something is pointed out to me - as indeed I have as a result of this discussion. If someone is pleasant and adds to the discussion, there's nothing to add. If however, anyone is rude and unpleasant, I'll tell them (or the mods if they go way over the top).

I don't see why the standard of conversation on an 'fun and friendly' forum should by default be childish and rude - that's all.

 

[400bhp]

I might start a thread entitled "black is white".

I'm sure that would provide controversial.

 

[Norm]

You'd get some Douglas Adams quotes if you did.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

This is a well known case where reflectives, won't work. You need a light source pointing from near your eyes towards the cyclist, and there isn't one when you're waiting at a T-junction. It's one of the reasons that active lighting is reliable and far better than hiviz.

Of course your cyclist's dim lights didn't help matters either.

I've never said that hi viz is a substitute for good lights. It's a useful addition and it helps drivers to see you, but you need lights as well.

 

[BentMikey]

To move on to a different part of this discussion, I think pedal reflectors are much more likely to make people think cyclist than hiviz vests are.

 

[BentMikey]

He didn't have any reflectives.

Oh, sorry, my assumption. I don't think I've seen many yellow jackets and no reflectives on there, though they do exist. It wouldn't matter anyway, as the reflectives would almost certainly have been just as ineffective as the fluo in the situation you describe

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Isn't this just a case for having a powerful front light? Nothing will make that cyclist safer than having a bright front light which won't get lost in the other traffic.
Unfortunatly most lights sold in bike shops aren't powerful enough IMO.

But they do. Have a look at some cars next time you're out and about and you'll see they've all got bright front lights. As I've mentioned before, those motion activated security lights you find on the sides of houses can look just like a bright bicycle headlamp when they're on in the distance: I've dipped my headlights for them before now. Sure, a bright light means you're more visible than you would be without it, but you can still be lost in other traffic. The single best thing you can do to avoid this is to fit a good bright flashing LED at each end in addition to your constant lights. They really stand out.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Really, that's amazing. If you mistake vehicle lights for traffic lights, I think a visit to specsavers is in order. I've never experienced this myself, and you're the only person I've ever heard making such unrealistic claims, in my opinion.

It's nowt to do with my eyes, it's just the way my brain - being a human as I am - works. After all, a red traffic light is a collection of LEDs or a single bulb behind a red lens and a bicycle rear light is either a collection of LEDs or a single bulb behind a red lens ... if you see a red traffic light in the distance it's very easy to momentarily mistake it for something else.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

I've never said that hi viz is a substitute for good lights. It's a useful addition and it helps drivers to see you, but you need lights as well.

Exactly. There is a tendency, as in the helmet 'debate' and many others, to adopt a fundamantalist position at the same time as caricaturing anyone who disagrees, even partly, as having such a position. Luckily I am reasonable and can see this...

 

[ufkacbln]

Just going back a bit.....

Traffic lights come in pairs, so if a single light is possibly mistaken as a traffic light, surely a pair of red lights (as on a car) is an absolutely ridiculous concept as it mimics traffic lights more closely?

 

[BentMikey]

Your car needs to wear hiviz too,else it might be mistaken for a bicycle and run over.