Cyclists without lights - something needs to be done
Discussion
anonymous said:
[redacted]
^ This. When I work in London I tend to cycle to the station and always have lights on me.Been out for a 54 mile ride this morning in full hi- viz plus lights.
The one I hate is people in black lycra. They may think it looks good, but you're less visable (even on a sunny day) and so more at risk.
Add to the list idiots who don't stop at light.
But drivers who don't put their lights on or use DRLs are equally stupid.
You can't tell some people.
I think it is incredibly selfish of anyone ,whether in a car or on a bike, to not use lights. Cities seem to be the worst locations.
Cyclists, all in black, are almost entirely invisible when viewed against oncoming traffic and they should be fined because if they are hit by a car they stand a greater chance of death and it ends up being the poor driver’s fault.
I had a close call in Cambridge when one of these phantom cyclists almost became a bonnet ornament. He didn’t because I was paying attention and fortunately saw him at the last minute. Of course I got a heap of abuse for my trouble and will, no doubt, end up on some YouTube channel.
Cyclists, all in black, are almost entirely invisible when viewed against oncoming traffic and they should be fined because if they are hit by a car they stand a greater chance of death and it ends up being the poor driver’s fault.
I had a close call in Cambridge when one of these phantom cyclists almost became a bonnet ornament. He didn’t because I was paying attention and fortunately saw him at the last minute. Of course I got a heap of abuse for my trouble and will, no doubt, end up on some YouTube channel.
Time was when police were visible a lot and had the time to simply patrol about looking for law breaches.
Riding without lights would be a definite pull-over and a stern talking to in the first instance.
Now if you see police at all they are busy on a task and haven't got time for random stops like they used to.
The effect of all this was to make you think twice about breaking the law because you remembered the time you got stopped.
Riding without lights would be a definite pull-over and a stern talking to in the first instance.
Now if you see police at all they are busy on a task and haven't got time for random stops like they used to.
The effect of all this was to make you think twice about breaking the law because you remembered the time you got stopped.
swisstoni said:
Time was when police were visible a lot and had the time to simply patrol about looking for law breaches.
Riding without lights would be a definite pull-over and a stern talking to in the first instance.
Now if you see police at all they are busy on a task and haven't got time for random stops like they used to.
The effect of all this was to make you think twice about breaking the law because you remembered the time you got stopped.
Agree that this is possibly part of the problem, but that style of policing will never return so something else needs to happen. It is a ridiculous situation as leaving the law aside I can’t imagine thinking cycling without lights is a good idea any more than driving without them is, not sure where their self preservation gene has gone to be frank! Riding without lights would be a definite pull-over and a stern talking to in the first instance.
Now if you see police at all they are busy on a task and haven't got time for random stops like they used to.
The effect of all this was to make you think twice about breaking the law because you remembered the time you got stopped.
I cycle twice a week to work ...
I've 4 rear lights (all flashing) and 3 on the front. Hi Viz jumper and bag cover.
Cycling 50/50 country lanes and main town centre.
I am without a doubt the most lit person I've seen on the commute, some with 1 hopeless light on the rear and dressed in black.
I would agree fully that crap lights is suicidal, no lights is barbarically stupid!
I'd hope that with all the lights I'd be a bit safer than in the summer, surely can't be missed in the pitch black..
I've 4 rear lights (all flashing) and 3 on the front. Hi Viz jumper and bag cover.
Cycling 50/50 country lanes and main town centre.
I am without a doubt the most lit person I've seen on the commute, some with 1 hopeless light on the rear and dressed in black.
I would agree fully that crap lights is suicidal, no lights is barbarically stupid!
I'd hope that with all the lights I'd be a bit safer than in the summer, surely can't be missed in the pitch black..
cb1965 said:
Don’t worry, yonex, Mave and few others are so caught up in their perception of me they’d argue anything to the contrary of what I say no matter what it is. Ignore them, I am.
Again, you're just making stuff up. Nowhere have I "argued to the contrary of what you say no matter what it is". Only the stuff I disagree with. If you actually read what people write, rather than ignoring them because they disagree with some of what you post, you might actually realise that.cb1965 said:
That is not a 'tiny minority'! It also pretty much backs up what I used to see in London.
It’s a minority. It isn’t a tiny minority. It doesn’t back up what you say, “pretty much” or at all, because you consistently claim all cyclists are completely lawless w
kers. There is, however, zero excuse for not riding with lights. When I’m riding home in the winter I notice every one of these dicks and think they deserve everything they get. Alas, they probably don’t get sufficiently frequent lessons about the dangers of not having lights.
The other group that deserves a kick in the b
ks is pedestrians wearing all black with a hoodie up who step out into the road without looking at night. Equally stupid. Greg66 said:
It’s a minority. It isn’t a tiny minority.
That’s what I said.Greg66 said:
It doesn’t back up what you say, “pretty much” or at all, because you consistently claim all cyclists are completely lawless wkers.
No, I really don’t. You do what so many do on here, read what you want to read and repeat it until it becomes ‘fact’ in your mind. kers. Anyway let’s not derail the thread with pettiness. Agree with your point about pedestrians.
cb1965 said:
Look I know the usual mob will roll their eyes,
To be fair, you are the leader of the mob - well, the other mob, anyway - so I don't know what you've got against mobs. 
My thoughts? I've been driving for 40 years now and I still haven't had a problem seeing cyclists, unlit or otherwise. I'm 60 now and am aware the old eyesight isn't what it was, but I still haven't yet to come even remotely close to having a problem so I'm struggling to accept it's that much of a problem, even if common sense says otherwise.
All of us here are pedestrians at times, including cb and his daughter and his wife and all of the other children and parents at their school and so on. The advice in the HC for pedestrians at night is fairly clear https://www.highwaycodeuk.co.uk/rules-for-pedestri... but we all disregard it.
CB, maybe next time you and your family get out of your car at night, perhaps you'd like to get your daughter to do a survey on how much reflective stuff other pedestrians have, starting perhaps with her own family? And the usual answers of pedestrians not being proper road users, and pavements etc don't explain how so many car/pedestrian collisions take place, with higher fatality rates and numbers than cyclists.
What IS a problem nowadays though, what I think genuinely is quite a considerable problem, one that genuinely dazzles and reduces visibilty, and which may genuinely hamper the ability to see that unlit cyclist or pedestrian, is LED headlights.
Now, if we could get something done about those, then I think that would be genuine enhancement of road safety and genuinely would be likely to save more than one life.
https://www.goodwood.com/grrc/columnists/john-simi...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-43525525 "RAC says new headlights 'blinding drivers' "
"In 2014, investigators reported this as an influence in ten fatal crashes, nearly 70 serious accidents and more than 250 other accidents. Overall, this was an increase of 11 per cent on 2010." https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4464138/W...
https://inews.co.uk/news/campaigners-call-dazzling...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/03/24/driver...
https://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonab...
cb1965 said:
she was with her mum yesterday travelling a journey of about 12 miles at 6:30pm, her mum was driving and she decided to record the number of cyclists without lights while her mum drove. In short she saw 102 cyclists of which she recorded 34 riding without any form of lighting or hi-vis clothing.
Thoughts?
I wouldn't worry they'll learn or die.Thoughts?
My cousin killed one - on her way to work
I hit another who added to his stupidity by running a red light
The one certainly won't do it again, the other probably won't.
Why should anyone care about those, who don't care about themselves
I think they should have compulsory insurance though, it's expensive to repair cars and clean up the mess.
PF62 said:
You would get the MAMILs moaning about the weight and impact on performance and they would simply remove them as they do with the reflectors which are legally required when a bike is sold.
You cannot legislate for stupidity.
show me a shop that sells the bikes legally assembled with pedal reflectors and all as required by law and i'll show you cyclists who remove them ;-)You cannot legislate for stupidity.
heebeegeetee said:
To be fair, you are the leader of the mob - well, the other mob, anyway - so I don't know what you've got against mobs.
My thoughts? I've been driving for 40 years now and I still haven't had a problem seeing cyclists, unlit or otherwise. I'm 60 now and am aware the old eyesight isn't what it was, but I still haven't yet to come even remotely close to having a problem so I'm struggling to accept it's that much of a problem, even if common sense says otherwise.
All of us here are pedestrians at times, including cb and his daughter and his wife and all of the other children and parents at their school and so on. The advice in the HC for pedestrians at night is fairly clear https://www.highwaycodeuk.co.uk/rules-for-pedestri... but we all disregard it.
CB, maybe next time you and your family get out of your car at night, perhaps you'd like to get your daughter to do a survey on how much reflective stuff other pedestrians have, starting perhaps with her own family? And the usual answers of pedestrians not being proper road users, and pavements etc don't explain how so many car/pedestrian collisions take place, with higher fatality rates and numbers than cyclists.
What IS a problem nowadays though, what I think genuinely is quite a considerable problem, one that genuinely dazzles and reduces visibilty, and which may genuinely hamper the ability to see that unlit cyclist or pedestrian, is LED headlights.
Now, if we could get something done about those, then I think that would be genuine enhancement of road safety and genuinely would be likely to save more than one life.
https://www.goodwood.com/grrc/columnists/john-simi...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-43525525 "RAC says new headlights 'blinding drivers' "
"In 2014, investigators reported this as an influence in ten fatal crashes, nearly 70 serious accidents and more than 250 other accidents. Overall, this was an increase of 11 per cent on 2010." https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4464138/W...
https://inews.co.uk/news/campaigners-call-dazzling...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/03/24/driver...
https://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonab...
Yup that's right - it's someone else's fault....cyclists shouldn't have to take responsibility for their own safety......My thoughts? I've been driving for 40 years now and I still haven't had a problem seeing cyclists, unlit or otherwise. I'm 60 now and am aware the old eyesight isn't what it was, but I still haven't yet to come even remotely close to having a problem so I'm struggling to accept it's that much of a problem, even if common sense says otherwise.
All of us here are pedestrians at times, including cb and his daughter and his wife and all of the other children and parents at their school and so on. The advice in the HC for pedestrians at night is fairly clear https://www.highwaycodeuk.co.uk/rules-for-pedestri... but we all disregard it.
CB, maybe next time you and your family get out of your car at night, perhaps you'd like to get your daughter to do a survey on how much reflective stuff other pedestrians have, starting perhaps with her own family? And the usual answers of pedestrians not being proper road users, and pavements etc don't explain how so many car/pedestrian collisions take place, with higher fatality rates and numbers than cyclists.
What IS a problem nowadays though, what I think genuinely is quite a considerable problem, one that genuinely dazzles and reduces visibilty, and which may genuinely hamper the ability to see that unlit cyclist or pedestrian, is LED headlights.
Now, if we could get something done about those, then I think that would be genuine enhancement of road safety and genuinely would be likely to save more than one life.
https://www.goodwood.com/grrc/columnists/john-simi...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-43525525 "RAC says new headlights 'blinding drivers' "
"In 2014, investigators reported this as an influence in ten fatal crashes, nearly 70 serious accidents and more than 250 other accidents. Overall, this was an increase of 11 per cent on 2010." https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4464138/W...
https://inews.co.uk/news/campaigners-call-dazzling...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/03/24/driver...
https://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonab...
There's cycle path along the A13 that I take (around dagenham area) every now and then, i used to commute on it when i had a job near there. There's this idiot that rides on it at night wih no lights, wearing black clothing.. you know what makes it worse? he's riding on it with TWO other kids who are also on bikes and without lights. I nearly went into this idiot last weekend in a poorly lit part of the route.
cb1965 said:
cyclists without lights - something needs to be done
Thoughts?
Maybe you could start yet another thread about cyclists on the UKs most popular car forum which will inevitably descend into 30 pages of bickering between bored middle aged men with literally nothing better to do with their time. Thoughts?
That'll solve it.
mdavids said:
cb1965 said:
cyclists without lights - something needs to be done
Thoughts?
Maybe you could start yet another thread about cyclists on the UKs most popular car forum which will inevitably descend into 30 pages of bickering between bored middle aged men with literally nothing better to do with their time. Thoughts?
That'll solve it.
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