Riding without lights...

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Cab

New Member
Location
Cambridge
I have two pet hates regarding cycling without lights (in the dark, obviously).

Firstly, I hate people doing it. I mean, why not just get some lights? They're not that expensive, they aren't hard to fit, and you get more respect on the roads for having them, and you're probably a bit safer. Be visible, get something reflective too, make sure you've got good clean pedal reflectors.

Secondly... Oh just stop complaining so much everyone. Not you lot, I'm referring to all the motorists I know. As in "I saw three cyclists without lights, absolute disgrace, going to get killed". To whigh the reply is "So, you were on a city street, well lit, you could see them, everyone else could see them, are you not overreacting?"

Fine, they should have lights. Fine, they're in the wrong. You're a complete angel on the roads? No, you're not are you, so just smeg off and stop complaining about cyclists with no lights, especially stop complaining to me just because I'm also a cyclist. What am I going to do, tell all of the other cyclists at our next 'top secret cyclist get together' or something? What do you wantme to do about it?

It will increase risk riding without lights, but on city streets that are lit it isn't that dangerous. I'll wager that good reflectors improve safety more than average lights.
 
Cab said:
Secondly... Oh just stop complaining so much everyone. Not you lot, I'm referring to all the motorists I know. As in "I saw three cyclists without lights, absolute disgrace, going to get killed". To whigh the reply is "So, you were on a city street, well lit, you could see them, everyone else could see them, are you not overreacting?"
.

strange how they notice cyclists without lights then mow down the ones with them;):biggrin:
 

bonj2

Guest
Cab said:
I have two pet hates regarding cycling without lights (in the dark, obviously).

Firstly, I hate people doing it. I mean, why not just get some lights? They're not that expensive, they aren't hard to fit, and you get more respect on the roads for having them, and you're probably a bit safer. Be visible, get something reflective too, make sure you've got good clean pedal reflectors too.

Secondly... Oh just stop complaining so much everyone. Not you lot, I'm referring to all the motorists I know. As in "I saw three cyclists without lights, absolute disgrace, going to get killed". To whigh the reply is "So, you were on a city street, well lit, you could see them, everyone else could see them, are you not overreacting?"

Fine, they should have lights. Fine, they're in the wrong. I'm sure you're a complete angel on the roads. No, I'm not actually, just smeg off and stop complaining about cyclists with no lights, especially stop complaining to me just because I'm also a cyclist. What am I going to do, tell all of the other cyclists at our next 'top secret cyclist get together' or something? What do you wantme to do about it?

It will increase risk riding without lights, but on city streets that are lit it isn't that dangerous. I'll wager that good reflectors improve safety more than average lights.


So, you're complaining about people who complain about people with no lights, whilst simultaneously also complaining about people with no lights.
So if I complain about you, that presumably makes me someone who complains about people who complain about people who complain about people with no lights, but also someone who complains about people who complain about people with no lights?
 

domtyler

Über Member
bonj said:
So, you're complaining about people who complain about people with no lights, whilst simultaneously also complaining about people with no lights.
So if I complain about you, that presumably makes me someone who complains about people who complain about people who complain about people with no lights, but also someone who complains about people who complain about people with no lights?

I think you got that a bit wrong bonj,
 
OP
OP
Cab

Cab

New Member
Location
Cambridge
bonj said:
So, you're complaining about people who complain about people with no lights, whilst simultaneously also complaining about people with no lights.

Damn right :biggrin:

Not so much complaining about people with no lights to be honest, just saying why I think they'd be better off with lights. I don't get home or go to the pub and waffle on about it, I just thought I'd bring it up while I was thinking along those lines.

So if I complain about you, that presumably makes me someone who complains about people who complain about people who complain about people with no lights, but also someone who complains about people who complain about people with no lights?

Your reasoning appears to be sound.
 

Cathryn

Legendary Member
It really bugs me too. Was out for a run in Leeds last night and this flippin' girl was cycling through Leeds, pootling through red lights, going the wrong way down a one way street, cycling on pedestrian areas (okay, I do that too) and had NO LIGHTS. I was desperately tempted to take her to task (in a polite, sisterly kind of way, I promise) but was too breathless. But it really bugged me. Not using lights is inexcusable!! Grrrrr...
 

pjm

Senior Member
Location
London
Cab said:
As in "I saw three cyclists without lights, absolute disgrace, going to get killed". To whigh the reply is "So, you were on a city street, well lit, you could see them, everyone else could see them, are you not overreacting?"

Fine, they should have lights. Fine, they're in the wrong. You're a complete angel on the roads? No, you're not are you, so just smeg off and stop complaining about cyclists with no lights, especially stop complaining to me just because I'm also a cyclist. What am I going to do, tell all of the other cyclists at our next 'top secret cyclist get together' or something? What do you wantme to do about it?

Firstly you appear to be tarring all the motorists you know with the same brush here, they all complain and none of them are angels on the road. So I suppose its not entirely unexpected that you get flak on behalf of all cyclists.
The reason I think motorists have a right to complain about this is the potential for not using lights to be way way more dangerous than you describe it. The crowded well-lit city street that you describe is one extreme of the spectrum of night-time roads. The other being a completely dark country road with a cyclist dressed completely in black, wandering all over the road.
In this situation, equally extreme to the one you describe, I can perfectly easily imagine a driver behaving like an angel and driving safely at a sensible speed and nonetheless have a colission with the cyclist. Sure, the cyclist is at fault, they are an idiot for having no lights, but that doesn't make it any easier to deal with if you hit someone.
The reason drivers get annoyed with any cyclist not using lights is because they don't know that that same cyclist isn't going to put them in the same position on the quiet country road, its a point of principle.
 
OP
OP
Cab

Cab

New Member
Location
Cambridge
pjm said:
Firstly you appear to be tarring all the motorists you know with the same brush here...

By complaining about cyclists with no lights, then complaining about people complaining, I had hoped that my post would appear to be absolutely dripping with irony. I think that most people got that, sorry that you didn't ;)
 

BentMikey

Rider of Seolferwulf
Location
South London
pjm said:
The reason drivers get annoyed with any cyclist not using lights is because they don't know that that same cyclist isn't going to put them in the same position on the quiet country road, its a point of principle.

Can't argue with cyclists needing to ride with lights at night, but what if it was a dog, or a pedestrian, or a fallen tree on that quiet country road?

The highway code does state that you should drive at a speed where you can stop in the distance you can see to be clear. That means unlit cyclists or unlit anything else shouldn't be a problem to a safe and competent driver.
 

Tetedelacourse

New Member
Location
Rosyth
Cab said:
By complaining about cyclists with no lights, then complaining about people complaining, I had hoped that my post would appear to be absolutely dripping with irony. I think that most people got that, sorry that you didn't ;)

I got it:thumbsup:

But it's understandable others not getting it given your other posts in recent times;)
 
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