Silly Americans

[Tim Hall]

In for a penny, in for a pound ...

OK, I'm entirely prepared to be wrong on this, but ... (and I'm bolstering my half-remembered definitions by reference to Wikipedia, which is not always wise)

Flourescence: Absorbtion at one wavelength and re-emission at a (potentially different) wavelength.
Reflection: Reflects at the same wavelength as the incident light, and at the same time, and potentially filters a specific colour. retro-reflection reflects light straight back to its source without (much) scattering.
Phosphorescence: Like fluorescence, but there may be a time gap between the absorbtion and re-emission
Luminescence: A blanket term for various kinds of non-heat related light emission. Flourescence is a kind of photoluminescence. As is Phosphorescence.

A high vis jacket works by (retro)reflection
The luminous dots on watch hands are phosphorescent
Things that glow under black light rely on fluorescence (where the incident UV light is invisible, but the re-emitted light is visible).

For the flag to be fluorescent it would need to be coated with a fluorescent chemical that absorbs and re-emits energy, unlike high vis, which relies on simple reflection.

But I'm entirely happy to be wrong about the above. I'm not claiming to be an expert.

Also, the word "fluorescent" in common usage also can be taken to simply mean brightly coloured, but accepting common usage takes all the fun out of pedantry.

PPE for construction sites etc includes what are commonly called Hi Viz jackets (and trousers). These have both fluorescent and reflective bits. The yellow (or orange if it's a railway site) bits are fluorescent, so need UV light from the sun while the reflective bits are the bands, which show up when headlights, for example, shine on them.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Oh I do hope this becomes law in the UK. I have lots of orange sail cloth under my bench that will make great bike flags and I can supply the sticks for the flags. Are you sure 15 ft is enough?

I've been thinking about the practicalities of attaching a 15 foot (4.5 metre) pole to a bike. That pole is going to be quite heavy and unwieldy, and will have a hell of a lot of leverage. The seat tube would seem to be the firmest attachment point, but the rider would get in the way. I can see two alternatives. Have the end of the pole terminate with a fork, which attaches at the wheel nuts or QR of the rear wheel, and is also braced to the seat tube or seat post. Alternatively brace the pole to the down tube and the seat tube and have it run at an angle behind the rider. As the legislation stipulates 15 feet above the roadway, this pole would have to be considerably longer than 15 feet (depending on the angle).

I suspect that the length of the pole would mean that a light breeze on the flag would be enough to completely destabilise a bike. But that's a physics project for another day.

In other news @Tim Hall confirms that my pedantry about the word "fluorescent" was indeed misplaced. I offer my heartfelt apologies to Representative Houghton, and fully and unreservedly withdraw my criticism of his use of language.

 

[jonny jeez]

I love how this thread has evolved from Loony to something far more constructive

 

[jefmcg]

what the heck did he hit?

There was a discussion about it a year ago https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/havent-seen-this-before-crash.171844/#post-3455578

But this video should answer your question.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV9_i9MEnMg

 

[jefmcg]

Of course, it's not a real bill. This is the full text of the bill

"This bill requires every bicycle operating on a lettered county road to be equipped with a fluorescent orange flag visible from the rear and suspended at least 15 feet above the roadway."

Here's a real US law (Obama Care)

 

[Gravity Aided]

"This bill requires every bicycle operating on a lettered county road to be equipped with a fluorescent orange flag visible from the rear and suspended at least 15 feet above the roadway."

So, how about if we just take an orange flag, and hang it off the overpass? (Some people do ride with a 6-foot flag on a fiberglass rod, but a 15 foot flag is designed to keep bicycles from using the roads their taxes pay for, so all the cyclists can be forced to play golf, or be fined for not doing so.)
Missouri has a very nice bike trail, the KATY Trail(named for the Missouri, Kansas, and Texas Railway, also called the Katy, ) which is quite extensive, and follows the old railway line for quite a ways.

 

[Gravity Aided]

That tie really works with that shade of spray-tan, I might add.

 

[Black Sheep]

I can't decide if using a stiff pole and breaking every streetlight and traffic light possible is the way to go here,

Or using a really flexible pole so it whips back and forth across the road preventing anyone passing…

either way, makes a mockery of the whole point.

 

[Profpointy]

there are plenty of equally silly ideas pushed in the UK - compulsory insurance, compulsory licencing etc - sometimes supported by a minority on here.
The aim of such ideas is not to address the harm done by cyclists but simply to get cyclists off the road.
These are much more plausible threats than a 15 foot flag which is obviously a publicity stunt hence less invidious than (say) a 5' flag.

 

[Drago]

The haters are missing the obvious. It doesn't matter what they do cos when the oil runs out well be the only ones left on the road.

 

[Gravity Aided]

 

[winjim]

The haters are missing the obvious. It doesn't matter what they do cos when the oil runs out well be the only ones left on the road.

Better start stockpiling chain lube. About a litre should do it.

 

[threefingerjoe]

How would you like to LIVE in that crazy state? (Missouri). And I can't believe that photo is of a MISSOURI road! Looks brand new. Can't POSSIBLY be Missouri! We're competing with Mississippi to have the worst of everything!

 

[Gravity Aided]

You have the Ozarks, and the Breaks. That is some spectacular scenery.And 2 great baseball teams. And a big Ole Arch. It seems you come right out of the gate with more than Mississippi.

 

[jefmcg]

Oh, also Masters and Johnson!