Riding without pedal reflectors. OK or not?
- Thread starter Red Light
- Start date
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400bhp
Guru
The main reason for the difference is that most people don't know that riding without pedal reflectors is illegal.
RJL is seen as antisocial.
Plus I believe it's the British sense of fair play. We don't like people breaking rules.
Plus,it looks irresponsible.
it's the "why should we be considerate to cyclists when they go around being inconsiderate, irresponsible and break rules."
Rightly or wrongly, that's how it is.
Personally I DGAF whether I'm liked/disliked. People are irrational.
Emmanuel Obikwelu
New Member
The fact that it is illegal is a valid arguement.
The fact that it annoys motorists is not.
A motorist that cannot control his emotions and allows himself to get angry whatever the reason is indefensible.
Anyone who gets angry while driving for any reason has a problem. They have a problem , not the cyclist rljing or the milk float , or the livestock or the old woman driving slowly in front.
Whatever you do , do not become apologists for angry impatient car drivers.
Rljing is wrong but people driving with anger management issues is more wrong
growingvegetables
Guru
- Location
- Leeds
Spend just a few minutes on Silly Cyclists –and RLJing cyclists regularly endanger themselves, pedestrians, push chairs,older people, other cyclists, motor drivers and passengers, etc etc etc ...not only directly by their own action, but indirectly by risking setting off a chain of reactions where a motor vehicle, taking evasive action,could conceivably cause one hell of a lot of damage, ........ while the RLJ cyclist carries on “oblivious”.
And you're equating that to (utterly useless!) reflectors on pedals? Honestly? That's daft.
The only effect of NOT having reflectors on your pedals is to yourself – if, God forbid, a driver hits you at night, you'll lose out for "contributory negligence". That's your personal call. Do you want the insurance cheque, or do you not?
[edited] Just adding that I voted RLJing is not OK - despite, for years and years and years, regularly cycling through one particular red light. It was controlled by a magnetic sensor - so on an evening or a Sunday, you could wait up to an hour for a bus to come along with sufficient iron to trigger the lights
. Changed now, than goodness.
And you're equating that to (utterly useless!) reflectors on pedals? Honestly? That's daft.
The only effect of NOT having reflectors on your pedals is to yourself – if, God forbid, a driver hits you at night, you'll lose out for "contributory negligence". That's your personal call. Do you want the insurance cheque, or do you not?
[edited] Just adding that I voted RLJing is not OK - despite, for years and years and years, regularly cycling through one particular red light. It was controlled by a magnetic sensor - so on an evening or a Sunday, you could wait up to an hour for a bus to come along with sufficient iron to trigger the lights
. Changed now, than goodness.
MGBLemonrider
Active Member
- Location
- Stevenage, Herts
Yes, I do it all the time - year round shift working commuter
However - Hub dynamo & edlux on the front ( on sensor so comes on in light dusk conditions), two multi led rear lights (normally one on flash/strobe other solid). reflectors front and rear.
I wear wow wow ankle straps - they live in my cycling shoes so if the shoes are on my feet the straps are around my ankles.
I have A520 single sided - won't take reflectors and M520 on my MTB which are double sided, didn't come with reflectors and the ones shown (other thread) negate the advantage of being double sided.
Pedal reflectors are great they are often the first thing/only that you see on a ninja. However my lighting is more visible and I think does shout out cyclist like moving pedal reflectors.
I did read on here a DFT guidance that if ankle reflectors were worn not to prosecute for no pedal reflectors. I think a pragmatic approach.
Traditional Pedal reflectors are great because they're always on the bike and don't require any effort by the owner so by being OE, might help save a ninja's life. The white spoke reflectors do break and fall off through usage and are only compulsory at point of sale. I need to replace mine or put something else on.
On the contributory negligence side there is a risk you could be penalised, and for this reason mainly I wear helmet and High Vis waist coat though this summer that's been replaced with a yellow night vision jersey.
However - Hub dynamo & edlux on the front ( on sensor so comes on in light dusk conditions), two multi led rear lights (normally one on flash/strobe other solid). reflectors front and rear.
I wear wow wow ankle straps - they live in my cycling shoes so if the shoes are on my feet the straps are around my ankles.
I have A520 single sided - won't take reflectors and M520 on my MTB which are double sided, didn't come with reflectors and the ones shown (other thread) negate the advantage of being double sided.
Pedal reflectors are great they are often the first thing/only that you see on a ninja. However my lighting is more visible and I think does shout out cyclist like moving pedal reflectors.
I did read on here a DFT guidance that if ankle reflectors were worn not to prosecute for no pedal reflectors. I think a pragmatic approach.
Traditional Pedal reflectors are great because they're always on the bike and don't require any effort by the owner so by being OE, might help save a ninja's life. The white spoke reflectors do break and fall off through usage and are only compulsory at point of sale. I need to replace mine or put something else on.
On the contributory negligence side there is a risk you could be penalised, and for this reason mainly I wear helmet and High Vis waist coat though this summer that's been replaced with a yellow night vision jersey.
gaz
Cycle Camera TV
- Location
- South Croydon
I'll just add that Silly Cyclists shows the worst cyclists. I see and get plenty of videos of cyclists going through red lights. 9 out of 10 times it's on a pedestrian crossing with no pedestrians around.
PpPete
Legendary Member
- Location
- Chandler's Ford
None of my bikes have pedal reflectors - all those that I might use at night have spoke reflectors (the little 3M ones that clip to individual spokes - not the dangerous kind that bridge across multiple spokes). These work best from the side view and IMO these make a much a greater contribution to my overall visibility than pedal reflectors ever could, as front and rear are illuminated by some serious lights.
At the risk of calling down the opprobrium of the UKIP tendency I really do think that UK law should be aligned with that of other EU countries - notably Germany, where the law - whilst still far from ideal, seems a little more useful.
At the risk of calling down the opprobrium of the UKIP tendency I really do think that UK law should be aligned with that of other EU countries - notably Germany, where the law - whilst still far from ideal, seems a little more useful.
What you see on Silly Cyclists is not normal behaviour but videos that have been selected to show a particular issue. Its a bit like saying that Police, Camera, Action shows how people generally drive.
The effect of running a red light will generally be to to the RLJer and maybe the bodywork of a car, just like if they were hit at night without reflectors. So where's the difference? And the risk is extremely low. Less than 2% of London road deaths are from RLJing despite so many people allegedly doing it. And it has been suggested by TfL and The Times that the reason for the high death rate of women on London's roads is they get caught up in the Green Light Grand Prix rather than jumping the red like the men.
Davidc
Guru
- Location
- Somerset UK
I have pedal reflectors on all platform type pedals (and spares - they're very cheap) because they help with being seen.
As a driver I've only seen some stealth rider Ninjas in time because of their pedal reflectors.
I don't have them on the SPD ones but wear slap wraps round my ankles at night. My shoes also have reflective strips all round. As MGBLemonrider has pointed out the DfT have in effect, through their guidance, made this an alternative. If there's an accident and the issue comes up I'm sure any half decent barrister will use that guidance in court to demonstrate the equivalence.
It's because the vast majority of drivers try to avoid hitting other road users, including cyclists. That's why they dislike RLJers, both on bikes and motorised. The same applies to people who go round without lights. Motor vehicle drivers also get agitated with pedestrians who do stupid things
RLJers put themselves in harms way. If they get abuse as a result they've earned it, even though if that abuse turns offensive that's not justified.
As a driver I've only seen some stealth rider Ninjas in time because of their pedal reflectors.
I don't have them on the SPD ones but wear slap wraps round my ankles at night. My shoes also have reflective strips all round. As MGBLemonrider has pointed out the DfT have in effect, through their guidance, made this an alternative. If there's an accident and the issue comes up I'm sure any half decent barrister will use that guidance in court to demonstrate the equivalence.
It's because the vast majority of drivers try to avoid hitting other road users, including cyclists. That's why they dislike RLJers, both on bikes and motorised. The same applies to people who go round without lights. Motor vehicle drivers also get agitated with pedestrians who do stupid things
RLJers put themselves in harms way. If they get abuse as a result they've earned it, even though if that abuse turns offensive that's not justified.
Curious. When some suggest Home Office guidance makes riding carefully and considerately on the pavement acceptable, people dismiss it. Yet when it comes to riding without pedal reflectors they embrace DfT guidance as making it acceptable
Headgardener
Armchair Cyclist
I voted yes I do it all the time as my SPD pedals came with a reflector block which turned them into flats on one side. I took this block off inorder to use the SPD on both sides and there is a series of dots on back of my shoes which serve the same pupose. So no I am happy to break the law at night because there are other lights and reflectors on the bike.
Do they hate pedestrians equally then? Only they RLJ legally at junctions whenever they think the road is clear - a bit like cyclists really - and there are far more of them hit - over a thousand a year at traffic light junctions in London and another 2,300 at other junctions with about 70 deaths resulting. Compare that with half a cyclist death per year and it seems its pedestrians they should be getting angry with, not cyclists, if you are right.
Besides I think most of the motorists who actually get angry are sat in the queue at the red light so don't have a hope in hell of hitting the cyclist they are getting worked up about.
And if they dislike hitting them so much why do they kill so many by red light jumping themselves? In London RLJing cars killed 3 cyclists, 7 pedestrians and 7 vehicle occupants over 5 years which is a lot more than the two cyclists who were killed RLJing.
growingvegetables
Guru
- Location
- Leeds
Basic question - what is this thread about? Pedal reflectors?
Nope. You think cyclists RLJing is OK, and you've set up a straw argument about reflectors, which doesn't work .... sorry, but it just doesn't.
You are right to pick up motor vehicle drivers RLJing - t'aint just cyclists RLJing.
" A poll of 3,000 motorists by Thrifty Car & Van Rental reveals a staggering eight out of ten (85%) drivers admit to gambling amber lights in an attempt to race through the traffic.
Meanwhile, nearly four out of ten (38%) say they rarely stop if the lights are on amber. Sixteen per cent (16%) even confessed that amber is like a green light to them.
Worryingly more than one in ten (13%) motorists has had an accident or near miss as a result of belting through an amber signal. Half (50%) have been shouted at by their passenger and more than a quarter (26%) have been sworn or beeped at by other drivers. "
And there's any number of similar polls. But ...... since when did motorists being ignorant, dangerous dingbats give me (or you) as a cyclist the right to be a similarly ignorant, dangerous dingbat?
Nope. You think cyclists RLJing is OK, and you've set up a straw argument about reflectors, which doesn't work .... sorry, but it just doesn't.
You are right to pick up motor vehicle drivers RLJing - t'aint just cyclists RLJing.
" A poll of 3,000 motorists by Thrifty Car & Van Rental reveals a staggering eight out of ten (85%) drivers admit to gambling amber lights in an attempt to race through the traffic.
Meanwhile, nearly four out of ten (38%) say they rarely stop if the lights are on amber. Sixteen per cent (16%) even confessed that amber is like a green light to them.
Worryingly more than one in ten (13%) motorists has had an accident or near miss as a result of belting through an amber signal. Half (50%) have been shouted at by their passenger and more than a quarter (26%) have been sworn or beeped at by other drivers. "
And there's any number of similar polls. But ...... since when did motorists being ignorant, dangerous dingbats give me (or you) as a cyclist the right to be a similarly ignorant, dangerous dingbat?