cyclists without lights

clarkey cat

I rode my Vespa home last night and went down the Nine Elms route.

I was staggered by how many cyclists don't use lights.

Gold star to all the be-dazzling squares on Embankment but your south-of-the-river cousins are much dimmer.

gosport_commuter

It is amazing how many don't use lights, and it is the number 1 complaint I hear from drivers at this time of year, understandably too! Just paints us as lawbreakers and liabilities!

KonaMike

I came close to hitting a guy on a roundabout the night before last ,no lights,all in black and on a black bike !!

Must have a death wish !!!

Mr Plum

There's pretty much no excuse given that pound land sell bike lights, and they're not terrible.

gosport_commuter

Mr Plum wrote:

There's pretty much no excuse given that pound land sell bike lights, and they're not terrible.

Really?

Me and the missus were discussing this this morning, she works for a company that dishes out cycle training for schools as an instructor, and was commenting on how on a day like today, they should have lights but almost certainly wont even own a set.
Always see kids on the roads without lights, which I find disgusting! and 99% of the time it is 'cos the lay a bout parents haven't been bothered or "cant afford" to get some.

I mentioned the fact that shops like the range will do a you a front and rear LED light set for circa 4/5 quid (not the best, but good enough to be seen by and as long as you take precautions with the brackets they should last)

But maybe I ought to tell her to point the parents towards Poundland? presumably they are a pound each?

rolf_f

Even the ones that do have lights often go for stealth lights.

I upgraded last night - didn't seem to be much point in carrying a spare rear in my backpack so I put it on the bike. And another. I now have two 200 lumen front lights and on the back today I had 2 Smart 1 Watts, 1 Smart 1/2 Watt and a flashing lights on my Hump. I think that should do it!

Oh, and I bunged some spoke reflectors on the front wheel. Might put some more on tonight!

Mr Plum

gosport_commuter wrote:

Mr Plum wrote:

There's pretty much no excuse given that pound land sell bike lights, and they're not terrible.

Really?

The one in Portsmouth city centre did last weekend. Got a pair just out of interest really - the front is actually quite bright!

Same as these -

Rear: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-5-LED-Bik ... 27bd017ee8

Front: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5-LED-Bike-He ... 2245wt_973

Even through ebay you can get a set of light 'that will do' for under £2.50!

Kieran_Burns

Those spoke reflectors are flipping great - can't recommend them enough...

I'm even thinking of getting a small led light and strapping it to the outside fork to shine onto the reflectors.

I don't need one for the back - the District 3 lights up EVERYTHING. I look like a flaming mobile knocking shop.

Oh - and as for unlit cyclists - I have to cycle / drive past a Notts Uni campus and the number of bloody students cycling down completely unlit country lanes with no lights, and NOTHING to highlight them is terrifying.

I'm thinking I should write to the Campus authorities and let them know, but I'm not sure what they can even do.

gosport_commuter

Mr Plum wrote:

Same as these -

Even through ebay you can get a set of light 'that will do' for under £2.50!

Excellent work! they look very similar to the set I bought my son from Asda for circa £7.

There really is no excuse!

Gallywomack

I don't think I've seen many commuters without lights - the usual culprits I see are either teenagers or 'geezers' tooling around their local area on MTBs (usually full sus, natch). TBH I hardly see the latter two groups as proper cyclists, and I can't imagine many non-cyclists do either, so I'm not sure they're really giving the rest of us a bad name.

sketchley

Local Poundland (Worcester park) 5 led front and rear lights for £1 each.
I don't think they come with batteries but guess what you can get them for in the same place?
And you only need a screwdriver to fit them, guess how much you can on of those for too?

Really is no excuse.

veronese68

Nearly collected an unlit cyclist riding through Bushy Park the other evening. He was lurking behind another bike that had a light on. So even with my fairly bright light I couldn't see him due to the glare of the light in front of him. It would have been fine if they were line astern, but the twunt was right out in the middle of the path. Fortunately I was well over to the left so managed to avoid the ninja.

clarkey cat

and 99% of the time it is 'cos the lay a bout parents haven't been bothered or "cant afford" to get some.

Hi there - do you have any evidence to back this up?

The Rookie

Out with the MTBing group the other night (so about 20 of us, most with 900Lumen 'magicshine' front lights) when we passed 2 older guys on decent road style tourers with not one light between them....

Simon

BigJimmyB

Apols for the long tale, but on topic and quite unbelievable:

A few years ago I nearly hit a guy on a BSO. He was in dark clothes on a dark 'bike', with a dark carrier bag on each grip.

I just saw him in tim to move around as he went (wobbled) around a parked car.

I slowed down to tell him about lights and got a few choice words in reply. So then I stop and get out of the car to explain that I very nearly wiped him out and that it was against the law/highway code/common sense to go unlit. He argued it wasn't, then showed me a warrant card.

I thought he was bogus - he was shabbily dressed and given his attitude to road safety, I decided to contact the local police.

On another night I saw him again and followed him home. I then gave this info the the police.

They then found him and got in touch. Then then contacted me to inform mw that he was indeed a genuine BTP Constable.

I asked them about the no lights/bags on bars thing and they said "Oh we didn't say/do anything"

End of matter.

Needless to say same bloke continued to ride without lights (I saw him on numerous occasions).

Mr Plum

I've posted this before but it still makes me laugh - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LYRzlU9Qr8

gosport_commuter

clarkey cat wrote:

and 99% of the time it is 'cos the lay a bout parents haven't been bothered or "cant afford" to get some.

Hi there - do you have any evidence to back this up?

Only Anecdotal evidence I'm afraid. In that I have bought lights for my whole family, and they are a required item before leaving the house on a dreary day, or if there is any chance of a night-time ride. As they should be.

I frequently see young children riding unlit, even some (estranged) family members have done it. Having 2 children in primary school and riding them in by bike on a weeklyish basis, I see countless bikes in the stands with no sign of even a bracket for fixing lights on. On the rare occasion I get to talk to people without lights (or my missus asks her students) the cost of bike lights is often the first excuse - presumably people head to Halfords and get put off.

If it is not in fact the cast, I can only presume that the particular parent has no respect for law, or even the safety of their own children.

This is not to say that I don't see families riding properly lit and equipped, because I do, but of course its the bad eggs that tend to stand out amongst the crowd.

And anything that can encourage young riders out onto the roads in a safe and controlled manner is important and something I believe we should all strive for. So after this thread I will recommend to my wife the information about poundland and their bargain lights, and if that information gets even one more child lit and on the road, then I will consider that a win.

veronese68

I have 2 children and they are not allowed out on their bikes without lights if there is the remotest chance of it getting dark. My daughter is 9 and won't go out without me anyway. My son is 13 and rides to scouts and his youth club and has 2 lights front and back.
Regarding BigJimmyB and his unlit policeman I'm a very bad man and would be sorely tempted to scare the bejeesus out of him as if I hadn't seen him. I wouldn't actually do it, tempted though.

mudcow007

what about people who actually have lights but with about as much powers as the backlit on a 1980's casio watch

or who fit the light on the a seatpost then fix a mudguard in front of the light rendering the light useless

veronese68

I prefer the light on the handlebar with a basket in front and a large handbag dumped in it. The light then gives the cyclist a really good view of their bag. But doesn't help anyone else see them.

t4tomo

passed a chap last night with hi vis vest but no lights. So obviously appreciates the need to be seen, but still doesn't by lights?

To be fair it was in town and his hi vis was pretty visible

cougie

I remember seeing some drunk on his bike - no lights, dark clothes. It was gone midnight on a Friday and it looked like he was on the way home from the pub. He wobbled out of a side street, onto the main road and collided with a dark van that was queuing at the lights. At this point the Van put on its blue flashing lights......

wyadvd

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Those spoke reflectors are flipping great - can't recommend them enough...

I'm even thinking of getting a small led light and strapping it to the outside fork to shine onto the reflectors.

I don't need one for the back - the District 3 lights up EVERYTHING. I look like a flaming mobile knocking shop.

just wanted to say, that district 3 looks great! I use the dinotte 300r which is similar!

also a small technical point. shooting your own lights at retroreflectives on your bike will not make them more visible to other vehicles. retroreflectives by definition send light back from whence it came (ie towards a car shining its lights at you. unless the car happens to be behind your light source, it wont get any reflected light that way!
retroreflectives actually have a very narrow angle through which they reflect, so they are only visible to the vehicle that is shining lights on you, and then only from a certain distance away (not too close as there is a difference in angle between the driver's eyes and their lights!)

wyadvd

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retroreflector

Mr Plum

wyadvd wrote:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retroreflector

'Observation' and 'Entrance angle' are an interesting choice of words to describe a diagram highlighting the cyclist's arse... :P

Kieran_Burns

wyadvd wrote:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retroreflector

Which is all fine, but the bloody Distict 3 is reflecting light off everything within a 100' radius, so every goddamn thing on the bike lights up

Jay dubbleU

Its that time of the year again - bloke in my office followed me in his car a couple of nights ago - 'You're rear light's a bit bright isn't it' was his comment

wyadvd

I love it! LOL

I tip my 300r down one ro two degrees, and I feel the pool of light on the road that follows you round freaks motorists out without blinding them. they stop and assess, rather than plough on, which is what you want them to do. see this youtube vid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9OED8P9ybE

I shouted "you havent got any lights on you idiot" to the last one Saw. he literally just shrugged and shouted back "So?" theres no helping some people.

jds_1981

wyadvd wrote:

I shouted "you havent got any lights on you idiot" to the last one Saw. he literally just shrugged and shouted back "So?" theres no helping some people.

Easier to just say that their rear light isn't working. Confuses them for a while & then gets the same point across.

Agent57

Kieran_Burns wrote:

Those spoke reflectors are flipping great - can't recommend them enough...

Me too. http://twitpic.com/75azn2 \o/

Applespider

Nike are selling a women's running jacket at the moment which is entirely made of retroreflective material. From a distance, it just looks silver but when any light hits it, yikes, it's bright. I'd almost question whether it might cause an accident since it's so blindingly visible! It's also £200 so decided not to put it to the test.