High-viz jackets.

[MacB]

Your lights should be visible from the side, so again hiviz doesn't have any useful addition to your safety.

Yup, to me it's irrelevant whether hiviz is an addition or an "or" to lights. It's not reliable, and it doesn't increase safety usefully.

Nothing wrong with the black, but no lights in the dark? That's clearly stupid.

To me that comes across as describing safety properties in a statistical manner, which can be misleading. Many of us don't actually care about stats we care about what happens to us personally. That's why we'll cover as many bases as we can. No-one here is saying that they won't do their best to cycle correctly and we all support decent lighting. You feel that is enough, we feel we'd like the high viz as well, belt and braces type approach. For some reason you sneer at this, even when others indicate how much clearer they see cyclists in high viz. You also intimate that high viz is some sort of placebo and instils a false confidence. Your stock response is that they'd be even more visible with better cyclecraft. I'd like to see the evidence supporting these claims.

By the way I've continued studying other cyclists that I see and, lights are No1, especially at a distance. But high viz does stand out to me, particularly close up.

 

[BentMikey]

Hahaha, still grinding that axe, srw?

I'm not sure your post actually makes sense, as you seem to be mixing up the parts of flou and retro-reflectives that together make a hiviz vest, and possibly retro-reflectives on bikes.

I'll say it again: You're wrong - the fluorescent part doesn't work well at all in urban streetlight conditions as there's no UV around to make it fluoresce:

There isn't much UV around at dusk either. You also completely ignore the fact that light garments don't always give more visibility. It depends on the background and the contrast - sometimes light colours are better, and sometimes dark colours.

 

[BentMikey]

MacBludge, why would you assume I'm sneering at anyone for hiviz? That's not really fair, or close to the truth.

I simply want people to focus their efforts where they will have most effect on safety. That's by far down to cycle craft and road positioning, and then lights.

 

[hackbike 666]

Belt and Braces,a term used on the railway quite often.

 

[allen-uk]

Bentmikey says: I'll say it again: You're wrong - the fluorescent part doesn't work well at all in urban streetlight conditions..

At risk of breaking some unwritten rule and speaking back to an Executive Member, that doesn't half sound like bo11ocks to me.

Scenario: An average driver is driving down an average shopping street in London, at dusk, and ten pedestrians are putting their lives and his at risk, dodging in and out from behind parked cars, crossing the road, all the usual. Nine of them are wearing the regulation Black Gear, being cool. One of them has a High-Visibility yellow jacket, being misguided.

Are you seriously telling me that they ALL have the same odds of being SEEN and AVOIDED, or vice versa, i.e. that they all have the same chance of being knocked down?

Allen
(Lights, yellow, reflective strips, and slow riding = my recipe for survival round here).

 

[BentMikey]

I guess that would depend on the background, wouldn't it? Hiviz isn't known as urban camoflage for nothing.

I'm a bit surprised that you could possibly think a pedestrian can put a driver's life at risk just by walking. Was he threatening to shoot the driver with a gun?

 

[hackbike 666]

Your lights should be visible from the side, so again hiviz doesn't have any useful addition to your safety.



Yup, to me it's irrelevant whether hiviz is an addition or an "or" to lights. It's not reliable, and it doesn't increase safety usefully.

Nothing wrong with the black, but no lights in the dark? That's clearly stupid.

It's irrelevant now but earlier it was an alternative to lights.I reckon Hi Viz would have saved me from a very scary incident on a Gran Canaria rounderbout a few years ago.

 

[Eat MY Dust]

There still seams to be a misconception here that because you're more visible then drivers are going to be more aware/give you more room/not do a SMIDSY. Short of having flashing blue lights and a siren, the only thing that is guaranteeing a safe journey is your riding style and awareness.

 

[summerdays]

Your lights should be visible from the side, so again hiviz doesn't have any useful addition to your safety.

My lights are visible from the side ... but not as bright as directly behind or infront. My reflectives are all the way around my body, and along my arm.

I'm a bit surprised that you could possibly think a pedestrian can put a driver's life at risk just by walking. Was he threatening to shoot the driver with a gun?

I think he was talking about their lives not the drivers life.

 

[hackbike 666]

There still seams to be a misconception here that because you're more visible then drivers are going to be more aware/give you more room/not do a SMIDSY. Short of having flashing blue lights and a siren, the only thing that is guaranteeing a safe journey is your riding style and awareness.

Not quite,im also going by the basis of what many wise motorists tell me including my dad.

The purpose is to make myself visible and I do actually know it doesn't stop all incidents.doh.

 

[allen-uk]

Eat My Dust says: There still seams to be a misconception here that because you're more visible then drivers are going to be more aware/give you more room/not do a SMIDSY.

Not on my part, pal, at least not combining all those different notions. My only contention is that you stand more chance of being SEEN. If the buggers then decide to run you down, that's a different matter.

And summerdays (lovely name) who said: I think he was talking about their lives not the drivers life.

No, I was talking about drivers' lives, on the basis that when the wayward non-drivers jump out in front of me wearing their Uber-Cool Black gear, I have to take evasive action which might mean braking/steering etc where I don't want to go.

But I get the impression that B Mikey knew that already, but 'likes a good argument'. I don't, at least not just for the sake of going round in ever-decreasings.

A

 

[Eat MY Dust]

Just to add a litlle something else. Do all the dafties out there who have no lights and no hi viz get run over/hit on a regular basis?

 

[hackbike 666]

Just to add a litlle something else. Do all the dafties out there who have no lights and no hi viz get run over/hit on a regular basis?

Got me banged to rights there.No I don't think so because twats like me manage to avoid them at the last second.

 

[summerdays]

Just to add a litlle something else. Do all the dafties out there who have no lights and no hi viz get run over/hit on a regular basis?

Somehow (luckily?) Darwinism fails. But not before usually giving someone a scare, and perhaps a grievience against cyclists.

 

[hackbike 666]

It's given me scares a few times and almost had some kid hit me because I stopped at traffic lights,then he had a go at me.