Cyclists without lights - something needs to be done
Discussion
I've never seen mamil types cycling unlit, it's always kids or people who dress like Jeremy Corbyn. I did once see one on the A419, unlit 70mph dual carriageway and he was cycling in lane 1 in dark clothes with no lights. Lunatic. I used to refuse to cycle on that stretch of road in the daylight.
Personally, I've had to slam the anchors on to avoid going into the side of a car in winter afternoon daylight while equipped with a 500 lumen flashing front light and while wearing a fluorescent yellow cycling jacket. She looked straight at me and drove out of the junction. So given that some people still won't see you even when you're lit up like a Christmas tree, the idea of cycling in ninja mode doesn't appeal.
Personally, I've had to slam the anchors on to avoid going into the side of a car in winter afternoon daylight while equipped with a 500 lumen flashing front light and while wearing a fluorescent yellow cycling jacket. She looked straight at me and drove out of the junction. So given that some people still won't see you even when you're lit up like a Christmas tree, the idea of cycling in ninja mode doesn't appeal.
otolith said:
I've never seen mamil types cycling unlit, it's always kids or people who dress like Jeremy Corbyn. I did once see one on the A419, unlit 70mph dual carriageway and he was cycling in lane 1 in dark clothes with no lights. Lunatic. I used to refuse to cycle on that stretch of road in the daylight.
Personally, I've had to slam the anchors on to avoid going into the side of a car in winter afternoon daylight while equipped with a 500 lumen flashing front light and while wearing a fluorescent yellow cycling jacket. She looked straight at me and drove out of the junction. So given that some people still won't see you even when you're lit up like a Christmas tree, the idea of cycling in ninja mode doesn't appeal.
Ditto, Audi A3 cab, gave every impression having seen me and pulled out, only the fact I had changed over to my roadified MTB with hydaulic disks meant I didnt hit it, had been on the road bike the day before and it just doesnt stop as well, in the dry, never mind if its damp like it was that day.Personally, I've had to slam the anchors on to avoid going into the side of a car in winter afternoon daylight while equipped with a 500 lumen flashing front light and while wearing a fluorescent yellow cycling jacket. She looked straight at me and drove out of the junction. So given that some people still won't see you even when you're lit up like a Christmas tree, the idea of cycling in ninja mode doesn't appeal.
Rattled me as it was close and I made the wrong call, was 100 percent certain she had clocked me lit up and hi vizzed, but she hadnt.
DoubleD said:
thiscocks said:
Well I got flashed today for daring to have a decent front light on my bike so I can see where I'm going. You can't win. ??
Was it pointed at the drivers eyes?
nickfrog said:
No point engaging with the OP as he is just an attention seeking agent provocateur with a persecution complex and other mental illnesses. Very Trump actually.
I think it's more likely that those who get ridiculously defensive about something they claim not to do might be the ones with the 'issues'!cb1965 said:
It isn't support of my argument though and that's my point. The report I read makes no mention of the cyclists having no lights and frankly with a suspected drunk driver involved would it have made any difference? One is dead and one is injured and I'm not calling it as being anything to do with lights. You know full well what you were trying to do by referencing it!
Lol. I know full well you have double standards. 
cb1965 said:
J4CKO said:
Indeed, that was me, I did say that maybe and I am wrong on that and rightly got called out on it.
No worries, your posts are usually on the level so I've no beef with you as these things happen.cb1965 said:
And the mutual back slapping between the anti-cycling mafia continues!
giantdefy said:
Get caught SPEEDING and the CAR gets confiscated.
No discussion. No debate. No pleading.
The CAR GETS TOWED to be crushed later.
Watch the problem disappear as if by magic.
The plan could be extended to the morons who ignore red traffic lights.
I am all in favour of crushing morons. No discussion. No debate. No pleading.
The CAR GETS TOWED to be crushed later.
Watch the problem disappear as if by magic.
The plan could be extended to the morons who ignore red traffic lights.
matthias73 said:
Nothing needs to be done.
The fewer rules governing the petty aspects of our lives, the better. If someone wants to commit velosicide against a bus, then let him have his Darwin moment.
Rather unfair on the bus driver, or whoever else, isn't it? The fewer rules governing the petty aspects of our lives, the better. If someone wants to commit velosicide against a bus, then let him have his Darwin moment.
I don't think any of us get on the road with the expectation that we will be involved in any form of collision, let alone one which injures another person, or worse, kills them, and none of us go out with the intent to do so. Most of us take reasonable measures to drive to whatever conditions we are (or beleive that we do, maybe a separate conversation)
As much as it can be entirely the fault of the injured/killed person causing the accident, it surely is not a nice experience for the person who they hit/hit them to be in?
Such a train drivers who have to deal with people jumping in front of them, or lorry drivers who have cyclists try and turn inside them and get hit under the rear wheels. Not at fault, but that knowledge must be pretty unpleasant?
However, there are already rules around what cyclists should display at night, and yet some people still choose not to follow it and put themselves, and other road users, at greater risk.
Riding to work this morning I nearly got side swiped by a woman pulling out of a side road. I tapped on her window and asked if she'd seen I was there. She said I needed a brighter light as she'd not seen me. I use a Exposure Strada with an output of 800 lumens! https://www.evanscycles.com/exposure-strada-mk5-fr...
What else can I do?!
What else can I do?!
Nanook said:
Get a brighter one?
I clicked on that link and there are 1200, 1500 & 1750 lumen lamps there.
800 lumen is bloody bright though, if the driver didn't see it she probably has cataracts... or more likely just wasn't looking properly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XL_NvUHGgi8I clicked on that link and there are 1200, 1500 & 1750 lumen lamps there.
cb1965 said:
Look I know the usual mob will roll their eyes, but this has actually come from my partner's 12 year old daughter...some constructive stuff...Thoughts?
Do you know what? That's a good idea. Give them out at schools, at cycling proficiency tests (if these still exist), with new bikes, like Birmingham police did with some education at the roadside. I have no evidence to say that it's not correct but 1 in 3 cyclists riding without lights feels like more than would be expected, although: the people who cycle on the pavement from the station to the town centre where I live, just so that they don't have to go around the one-way system in the town, do not have lights. Their bikes are crap and squeaky. They're not wearing helmets or "cycling gear" They are not cyclists - they're people who need to use a bike to get to work.
You are not going to convince these people to use lights (in my opinion).
S100HP said:
Riding to work this morning I nearly got side swiped by a woman pulling out of a side road. I tapped on her window and asked if she'd seen I was there. She said I needed a brighter light as she'd not seen me. I use a Exposure Strada with an output of 800 lumens! https://www.evanscycles.com/exposure-strada-mk5-fr...
What else can I do?!
Start a thread: blind drivers - something needs to be done.What else can I do?!
Or ask Cbeebies to start one, he's a cyclist.
Nanook said:
Very possibly, but the fact that it's already quite bright, and the driver's vision isn't up to much, isn't going to be much of a consolation when our buddy here is lying in the middle of the road with a broken whatever.
He asked what could be done. Buy a brighter light. Or don't.
no, he asked 'what more can I do?' as an expression of exasperation with the poor skills of most drivers. He asked what could be done. Buy a brighter light. Or don't.
Ares said:
Wasn't your whinge last autumn about cyclists lights being too bright? 
No, it wasn’t! Have never ever said such thing, but of course you know that and you just stick it in a post so one of your other chums can pick up on it later and it becomes yet more ‘anti cyclist folklore’. If I’m so easy to put down why do you all seem to resort to lying. Had a near miss with a cyclist on my commute home tonight. 50 mph unlight road with no cycle lane. Person on the bike had a feeble light on the front but no rear light, reflector or high viz. Fortunately for them I wasn’t speeding and was paying attention so was able to move over a bit in time. If their rear light had failed they should have got onto the verge and walked it at least until they reached a lit area.
cb1965 said:
Ares said:
Wasn't your whinge last autumn about cyclists lights being too bright?
No, it wasn’t! Have never ever said such thing, but of course you know that and you just stick it in a post so one of your other chums can pick up on it later and it becomes yet more ‘anti cyclist folklore’. If I’m so easy to put down why do you all seem to resort to lying. Ironic (groundless) accusation of lying too
Plus nice snipping of the rest of the post though, just to spark an argument. Again.
cb1965 said:
No, it wasn’t! Have never ever said such thing, but of course you know that and you just stick it in a post so one of your other chums can pick up on it later and it becomes yet more ‘anti cyclist folklore’. If I’m so easy to put down why do you all seem to resort to lying.
Pretty ironic that your first 2 posts in this thread start with you misrepresenting people's opinions and motivations..... Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff