Making my bike safer after falling off

[mjr]

Am I hurting other cyclists, pedestrians, etc. No, because there were none

Yes, because there were some elsewhere and you contributed to the drip-drip-drip of enabling motorists to drive beyond what they can see to be clear. I hope you are stopped and fined for the illegal green flashing light.

 

[oldstrath]

Yes, because there were some elsewhere and you contributed to the drip-drip-drip of enabling motorists to drive beyond what they can see to be clear. I hope you are stopped and fined for the illegal green flashing light.

Nice. Fortunately you are a software developer in East Anglia, not a policeman in Highland Scotland, all of whom appear to have a more nuanced view of the world than your simplistic 'it is illegal'. You don't consider the possibility that an 'illegal' light might in some circumstances be useful? No, probably not, you just expect us all to behave as if the things you wish were true actually are. Well, they aren't.

 

[mjr]

You don't consider the possibility that an 'illegal' light might in some circumstances be useful?

I can see why it would be useful to impersonate a doctor on an emergency call, but that doesn't make it right.

 

[oldstrath]

I can see why it would be useful to impersonate a doctor on an emergency call, but that doesn't make it right.

Oh come on. You really, honestly, believe that some driver is going to mistake a man on a bike with an intermittent rear-facing green flash for a GP on an emergency call, using a roof--mounted green flasher, and, up here at least, bright green and white markings?

I know the NHS is strapped for cash, but we haven't yet reached the point where rural GPs are using fixed wheel TT bikes to make emergency calls.

 

[Jody]

Surely DRL's are as stupid as high viz?

 

[mjr]

Oh come on. You really, honestly, believe that some driver is going to mistake a man on a bike with an intermittent rear-facing green flash for a GP on an emergency call, using a roof--mounted green flasher, and, up here at least, bright green and white markings?

Very little some road users do would surprise me.

I know the NHS is strapped for cash, but we haven't yet reached the point where rural GPs are using fixed wheel TT bikes to make emergency calls.

We have medics on bikes in towns and cities for emergency calls around here, but so far I've only seen them with blue lights (which I think are blue covers over common white flashers). I don't know if that's because they're ambulance-style or because some nobbers are already riding bikes with flashing greens...

Surely DRL's are as stupid as high viz?

And about as easy to hold a sensible evidence-backed discussion about, too.

 

[SavageHoutkop]

Surely DRL's are as stupid as high viz?

Depends if you use the hi-viz daily or not. DRL always on irrespective of conditions = stupid. Hi-viz on foggy days, to me, <> stupid (= foglights if we need an equivalent car item).

 

[SavageHoutkop]

On the green light point I've still never seen a green-light for a medic, all emergency lights I can ever recall seeing in the UK are blue. Other countries seem to use blue and/or red, but I don't recall ever seeing a green.

 

[Jody]

Depends if you use the hi-viz daily or not. DRL always on irrespective of conditions = stupid. Hi-viz on foggy days, to me, <> stupid (= foglights if we need an equivalent car item).

I see plenty of people wearing hi viz on the sunniest of days or at night.

 

[SavageHoutkop]

I see plenty of people wearing hi viz on the sunniest of days or at night.

Oh agreed, I'm not a hi-viz fan much either. I do however have a hi-viz bag cover (only one they had at the time) and have previously owned high-viz waterproof jackets (same issue). At night reflectives help way more than hi-viz, as for the rest of the time - if they're not looking for you they're not going to see you!

 

[mjr]

On the green light point I've still never seen a green-light for a medic, all emergency lights I can ever recall seeing in the UK are blue. Other countries seem to use blue and/or red, but I don't recall ever seeing a green.

The youtube videos all seem to be of London, which uses both blue and green when a doctor is on board a fast-response car

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRnZAPLkgGA
- it seems parts of Denmark also use green for doctors.

Hi-viz on foggy days, to me, <> stupid

Why? The reflective bits often don't work because the fog is reflecting headlights back to drivers too (reducing the relative conspicuity of it) and the fluo bits often don't work because the shorter wavelengths of light needed to trigger it are scattered more easily by fog IIRC (reducing the relative conspicuity of it).

Some of the worst crashes seem to happen to people who are wearing all the "more visible" myth clothes - is it because they think they will be seen and don't fear the mistakes of nobber motorists as much as me in dark blue?

 

[SavageHoutkop]

Hi viz - the fluorescent bits anyway - really stands out to my eyes in fog. Lights do nothing except create chaos unless under the fog as already noted, but hi viz stands out in low light conditions and fog. While out with Master SHK (who has a bright pink scooter, bright enough for high-viz) one evening recently I noticed it was practically glowing where everything else was dull - which reinforces my previous experience of my own hi-viz showing up well in fog.

Reflective in fog I agree not useful.

Edited to add: Days when I've felt hi-viz useful probably come to one a year.

 

[SavageHoutkop]

Some of the worst crashes seem to happen to people who are wearing all the "more visible" myth clothes - is it because they think they will be seen and don't fear the mistakes of nobber motorists as much as me in dark blue?

I'm under no illusions that anyone has seen me - if they don't look, they won't see, no matter what I'm wearing.
On the green lights - interesting - yet another rule where London does something different from the rest of the UK, just like ASLs for motorbikes and red routes and so on.

 

[MiK1138]

Chin up @MattDB it was bad luck, will probably not happen again for a long time.
I once slid in the wet on 2.00 Big Apples, so, really, it can happen on any bike.

Ah there's your problem Pat even the biggest cooking apples aren't big enough for the bike and apple skins are very shiny, could try oranges, pitted skin and all that

 

[mjr]

On the green lights - interesting - yet another rule where London does something different from the rest of the UK, just like ASLs for motorbikes and red routes and so on.

Grren lights are used elsewhere and I have seen them but I guessLondon has more people with video recording devices.