Lights, reflectors and Highway Code

AllanES
AllanES Posts: 151
edited October 2014 in Road general
I've just been reading about more than 250 cyclists in the space of 3 hrs being fined for riding at night without lights.

The article also quotes the Highway Code.........

"Rule 60 of the Highway Code says:
At night your cycle MUST have white front and red rear lights lit. It MUST also be fitted with a red rear reflector (and amber pedal reflectors, if manufactured after 1/10/85). White front reflectors and spoke reflectors will also help you to be seen. Flashing lights are permitted but it is recommended that cyclists who are riding in areas without street lighting use a steady front lamp."

Who has a red rear reflector as well as a light?
And also, amber pedal reflectors anyone?????
Red Triban 3
Giant Defy 1
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Comments

  • thegreatdivide
    thegreatdivide Posts: 5,807
    You won't get nicked for not having reflectors on your bike and pedals.
  • AllanES
    AllanES Posts: 151
    thegreatdivide wrote:
    You won't get nicked for not having reflectors on your bike and pedals.

    I didn't think so.......and I don't have them.
    Just curious that they should still be a "must" in the HC.
    Red Triban 3
    Giant Defy 1
  • thegreatdivide
    thegreatdivide Posts: 5,807
    You're meant to have a bell on the bars too I think.
  • NeXXus
    NeXXus Posts: 854
    thegreatdivide wrote:
    You're meant to have a bell on the bars too I think.
    Nope. By law bikes have to be sold with one fitted, that's all
    And the people bowed and prayed, to the neon god they made.
  • diy
    diy Posts: 6,473
    they are still a legal requirement.. Its partly why high end bikes are sold without pedals. To be honest it makes sense given that the up and down movement makes it more obviously a cycle. I think most shoes have something along these lines and you can get something much better functionally with high vis.

    There is no requirement for a bell - only to sell a new bike with one.
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  • AllanES
    AllanES Posts: 151
    diy wrote:
    they are still a legal requirement.. Its partly why high end bikes are sold without pedals. To be honest it makes sense given that the up and down movement makes it more obviously a cycle. I think most shoes have something along these lines and you can get something much better functionally with high vis.

    There is no requirement for a bell - only to sell a new bike with one.

    Yes, I'm sure my shoes and clothing have better and more visible "reflectors" than a pedal reflector could offer.
    Red Triban 3
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  • Brakeless
    Brakeless Posts: 865
    I use reflective ankle bands at night. They very visible from all angles in car headlights due to your leg movements, far better than a pedal reflector could ever be.

    http://www.wiggle.co.uk/respro-reflective-ankle-bands/
  • diy
    diy Posts: 6,473
    To be fair there is nothing in the article saying they are enforcing reflectors. Plus the fine gets cancelled if you produce a receipt for lights within 7 days. Very, very lenient IMO. Can't imagine drivers would get let off so easily.

    At the end of the day - you can get legal lights from a £1 shop. No excuses. You can get a 700 Lumen front light for £5.
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  • AllanES
    AllanES Posts: 151
    I agree.
    No excuses for not having legal lights.
    And you're right, they weren't enforcing the reflectors. I was just surprised it was part of the HC as a "must" have.
    Red Triban 3
    Giant Defy 1
  • Brakeless
    Brakeless Posts: 865
    AllanES wrote:
    I agree.
    No excuses for not having legal lights.
    And you're right, they weren't enforcing the reflectors. I was just surprised it was part of the HC as a "must" have.

    Do you have a link to the article please?
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    Quite frankly, if someone is stupid enough to ride their bike on the road in the dark without lights then they're welcome to the fine.
    I do ride without reflectors on the pedal or on the rear of my bike - but I do wear reflective clothing in a suitable colour for the conditions and have at least 2 font and rear lights fitted. I have not been stopped and I wouldn't expect to get stopped (unless both rear lights failed during the ride and I hadn't noticed)
  • AllanES
    AllanES Posts: 151
    Brakeless wrote:
    AllanES wrote:
    I agree.
    No excuses for not having legal lights.
    And you're right, they weren't enforcing the reflectors. I was just surprised it was part of the HC as a "must" have.

    Do you have a link to the article please?

    http://road.cc/content/news/134152-more ... out-lights
    Red Triban 3
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  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    oxoman wrote:
    Pedal reflectors are next to useless as the heels shoes cover them, however a lot of cycle specific shoes have a reflective patch as do overshoes and bib tights etc. Most rear light even if not lit would just about pass as a reflector. Spoke straws are better than wheel mounted reflectors IMO. As to bells only place i have seen them used by adults is in london this week, i find a loud mouth normally works apart from if its a deaf badger when in the countryside or towns. No excuse for no lights or reflective gear though.

    I'd not say that - I remember seeing pedal reflectors 100s of meters away on a pitch black 70mph dual carriageway.
    The nob on the bike had no lights - but thank god he had pedal reflectors and you could see him well off.

    Agree though - you're a fool if you havent lights and reflectives.
  • gozzy
    gozzy Posts: 640
    I use to drive a lot in the evenings and at first I was quite surprised how visible pedal reflectors are, they show up really well. Unfortunately many people ride with awful lights, a vague pin prick of light at the front or a badly angled rear light.
  • bendertherobot
    bendertherobot Posts: 11,684
    You can wear these on your arms or your ankles.

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  • marcusjb
    marcusjb Posts: 2,412
    Gozzy wrote:
    I use to drive a lot in the evenings and at first I was quite surprised how visible pedal reflectors are, they show up really well.

    Totally.

    Pedal reflectors are super visible and make a very distinct pattern that says cyclist ahead.

    Unfortunately, they are not really compatible with clipless etc. - but ankle reflective bands do a very similar job and are a worthwhile thing to wear, more so than a reflective gilet etc. in my opinion.

    I like reflective spoke things too.
    Stuff about riding a bike a long way
  • Ber Nard
    Ber Nard Posts: 827
    Agree totally with how effective pedal reflectors are. I caught up with a ninja cyclist in the winter and the only thing that stood out were his pedal reflectors.

    I commute on my touring bike so I've fitted proper reflectors (B & M) and pedals that have reflectors on them (Shimano Click'R). Partly because of how effective they are but also because if I'm involved in an accident (heaven forbid), I don't want a lack of reflectors to count as contributory negligence. I use dynamo lights so they're on day or night.

    Despite that, I don't and won't fit reflectors to my best bikes.
  • frisbee
    frisbee Posts: 691
    diy wrote:
    To be fair there is nothing in the article saying they are enforcing reflectors. Plus the fine gets cancelled if you produce a receipt for lights within 7 days. Very, very lenient IMO. Can't imagine drivers would get let off so easily.

    At the end of the day - you can get legal lights from a £1 shop. No excuses. You can get a 700 Lumen front light for £5.

    If you get stopped with a light out on your car, you have 7 days to present evidence that it has been fixed and checked by an MOT station.

    So exactly the same for drivers.
  • dodgy
    dodgy Posts: 2,890
    The reflective spoke attachments are brilliant, not the ones you get from the shop fitted to a new bike, but the ones that feel a bit like a firework sparkler that snap fit to your spokes.
  • andrew_s
    andrew_s Posts: 2,511
    diy wrote:
    At the end of the day - you can get legal lights from a £1 shop. No excuses.
    No you can't.
    To be legal, lights have to be marked as meeting BS6102/3 or an equivalent EU standard (which effectively means the German STVZO standard). If you have a legal light, you can use any other light as well.

    The police are only concerned that you have lights - they would never check that the lights are officially legal (not least because police cycle officers commonly don't bother about the legalities themselves).
  • davidof
    davidof Posts: 3,124
    I have a high end MTB, someone pointed out it still had the reflectors on the wheels front and rear. I hadn't really noticed but they don't bother me much and are quite visible if coming at a cycle from the side.
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  • diy
    diy Posts: 6,473
    andrew_s wrote:
    To be legal, lights have to be marked as meeting BS6102/3 or an equivalent EU standard (which effectively means the German STVZO standard). If you have a legal light, you can use any other light as well.

    Flashers don't - as long as all they can do is flash (60-240 times a min) and they produce at least 4 lumen (which is tiny) they don't need to comply with the above.
    http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005 ... tents/made
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  • ben@31
    ben@31 Posts: 2,327
    Is a red rear reflector a legal requirement? Can't remember the last time I saw a bike with one? If amber reflectives on pedals are a legal requirement how do Shimano, Look, Speedplay get away with selling clipless pedals without them, as they don't have a disclaimer saying offroad / track use only.
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  • NeXXus
    NeXXus Posts: 854
    ben@31 wrote:
    Is a red rear reflector a legal requirement? Can't remember the last time I saw a bike with one? If amber reflectives on pedals are a legal requirement how do Shimano, Look, Speedplay get away with selling clipless pedals without them, as they don't have a disclaimer saying offroad / track use only.
    Because the target market is racing,of which very little takes place at night
    And the people bowed and prayed, to the neon god they made.
  • darkhairedlord
    darkhairedlord Posts: 7,180
    Guys, Guys, Guys....
    Its not if plod thinks it's ok to ride without reflectors on your pedals, frankly that's irrelevant and very low on cost impact.
    However, get knocked off by some idiot and hospitalised and their insurance is going to do all it can to avoid paying out...
  • surrey_commuter
    surrey_commuter Posts: 18,867
    dodgy wrote:
    The reflective spoke attachments are brilliant, not the ones you get from the shop fitted to a new bike, but the ones that feel a bit like a firework sparkler that snap fit to your spokes.

    Any brand you would recommend?
  • gozzy
    gozzy Posts: 640
    andrew_s wrote:
    diy wrote:
    At the end of the day - you can get legal lights from a £1 shop. No excuses.
    No you can't.
    To be legal, lights have to be marked as meeting BS6102/3 or an equivalent EU standard (which effectively means the German STVZO standard). If you have a legal light, you can use any other light as well.

    The police are only concerned that you have lights - they would never check that the lights are officially legal (not least because police cycle officers commonly don't bother about the legalities themselves).

    Are you saying you can't buy lights with that standard from pound shops? Are you totally sure? Is there a reason why not? It's quite a confident claim.
  • dodgy
    dodgy Posts: 2,890
    Surrey Commuter wrote:
    dodgy wrote:
    The reflective spoke attachments are brilliant, not the ones you get from the shop fitted to a new bike, but the ones that feel a bit like a firework sparkler that snap fit to your spokes.

    Any brand you would recommend?

    I bought these ones from eBay, 99p including delivery, easily enough to do one bike.
    http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/360774993842
  • diy
    diy Posts: 6,473
    darkhairedlord wrote:
    Guys, Guys, Guys....
    Its not if plod thinks it's ok to ride without reflectors on your pedals, frankly that's irrelevant and very low on cost impact.
    However, get knocked off by some idiot and hospitalised and their insurance is going to do all it can to avoid paying out...

    This is very true, but a little context is needed. Firstly they still need to show that the failure resulted in contributory negligence. i.e. had the bike been showing the correct reflectors the accident could somehow have been avoided or the impact reduced. I doubt that link could be established for a cyclists riding with good lights and high vis. Second we have a fairly mature scale for reductions based on things like failure to wear a seat belt which is also a legal requirement.

    The insurance company would not be able to avoid paying out, they would perhaps be able to get the claim reduced - highly unlikely that they would be able to get anything close to 20% off.
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  • wishitwasallflat
    wishitwasallflat Posts: 2,927
    dodgy wrote:
    Surrey Commuter wrote:
    dodgy wrote:
    The reflective spoke attachments are brilliant, not the ones you get from the shop fitted to a new bike, but the ones that feel a bit like a firework sparkler that snap fit to your spokes.

    Any brand you would recommend?

    I bought these ones from eBay, 99p including delivery, easily enough to do one bike.
    http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/360774993842

    Thanks for the link dodgy do these rattle at all or make any noise when spinning?

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