cycling without rear light
ram038
Posts: 187
Is it illegal. i forgot to put my rear light back on the commute bike this morning. i need to cycle to the station tonight worried that I could be stopped by the police.
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ram038 wrote:Is it illegal. i forgot to put my rear light back on the commute bike this morning. i need to cycle to the station tonight worried that I could be stopped by the police.
Unlikely.- 2023 Vielo V+1
- 2022 Canyon Aeroad CFR
- 2020 Canyon Ultimate CF SLX
- Strava
- On the Strand
- Crown Stables
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I think you need a front and back light in the hours of darkness, and a rear reflector.
Do you feel lucky? Well do ya punk?"Encyclopaedia is a fetish for very small bicycles"0 -
It is illegal, but I doubt you'll get stopped.
Not a good idea to cycle without a rear light though. Can't you borrow something, or pick something up to fill in? Even supermarkets sell bike lights nowadays.Drink poison. Wrestle snakes.0 -
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Totally buy a £4 light from a supermarket, esp one that say clips to a bag or jeans or whatever so you don't need to waste time fitting a bracket.
It's funny though, not once in my riding have I seen a tool riding without lights get ploughed into by a car. Maybe we're more visible than we think?0 -
biondino wrote:Totally buy a £4 light from a supermarket, esp one that say clips to a bag or jeans or whatever so you don't need to waste time fitting a bracket.
This.
TBH, I'm far too cautious when riding at night or in the dark. I currently have 4 of those reflective straps with the leds inside strapped to my back-pack. 2 rear lights on the bike, one on my helmet.0 -
Just use your mobile phone as you ride along- this will guarantee that the plod don't stop you. And don't indicate either.0
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biondino wrote:Totally buy a £4 light from a supermarket, esp one that say clips to a bag or jeans or whatever so you don't need to waste time fitting a bracket.
It's funny though, not once in my riding have I seen a tool riding without lights get ploughed into by a car. Maybe we're more visible than we think?
Not surprisingly, the study strongly recommended the use of front lights on bikes - front and side reflectors are not as effective.
* http://www.sheldonbrown.com/reflectors.html0 -
biondino wrote:
It's funny though, not once in my riding have I seen a tool riding without lights get ploughed into by a car. Maybe we're more visible than we think?
I once got caught out later than intended and had to cycle without lights for about 3 miles on well lit streets knowing that I might be hard to see and rode accordingly (not that I make any excuses or recommendations). There was hardly any traffic about but the driver who was stopped before entering from the first turning off the roundabout at which I was turning right saw me with no bother, to judge by the light flashing etc which continued after he had passed me after we left the roundabout.
Clearly I had been the sole focus of this guy's attention for 20 seconds or more (quite a long time in driving terms) and probably the subject of conversation in the car for longer still. I'm sure that if I had been carrying lights and his wife had asked on arrival at home how many cyclists he had passed I'm sure the answer would have been "I don't think I saw any".0 -
When to look at a job tonight and was surprised to see a few people without any lights at all :shock: :shock:
Its not as if they have to cost a lot.0 -
ram038 wrote:Is it illegal. i forgot to put my rear light back on the commute bike this morning. i need to cycle to the station tonight worried that I could be stopped by the police.
just cycle on the pavement...you are unlikely to get mowed down by a passing pedestrian from behind0 -
I keep a spare back light (£3.30 Tesco) in my desk just in case the other three decide to die or the one that gets left on the bike (it's a pig to remove) gets nicked.
I'm thinking I should also have a "spare" front (anything being better than nothing).There is no secret ingredient...0 -
biondino wrote:Totally buy a £4 light from a supermarket, esp one that say clips to a bag or jeans or whatever so you don't need to waste time fitting a bracket.It's funny though, not once in my riding have I seen a tool riding without lights get ploughed into by a car. Maybe we're more visible than we think?
Remember... cycling isn't dangerous....
It's not a good idea to ride without lights- you're hardly giving drivers a fair chance- but lots of people seem to do it and most of them don't seem to die.
Cheers,
W.0 -
City Police just sent me a flyer saying they are going to be proactively going after anyone without properly functioning lights and planning evening swoops on junctions, the same way they do for red lights...0
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RichK wrote:I keep a spare back light (£3.30 Tesco) in my desk just in case the other three decide to die or the one that gets left on the bike (it's a pig to remove) gets nicked.
I'm thinking I should also have a "spare" front (anything being better than nothing).0 -
I have spares on the bike:
- front and rear "wrap on" tiny LED lights from Tescos. No bracket required, and they work great as emergency lights
- spare rear mounted on mudguard
- LED on front
- Cateye spare headunit on front
This is in addition to the main front and rear lights.
I am the human Christmas tree - and I still seem to get more than my fair share of near misses from numpty drivers who don't see me. And I'm not cycling like a d!ck either.Commute: Langster -Singlecross - Brompton S2-LX
Road: 95 Trek 5500 -Look 695 Aerolight eTap - Boardman TTe eTap
Offroad: Pace RC200 - Dawes Kickback 2 tandem - Tricross - Boardman CXR9.8 - Ridley x-fire0 -
i made it home last night without incident. The journey brought to my attention the number of cyclist who don't have any lights or paltry little ones that don't register and they wear dark clothes. Really can't understand why they take such a risk on the streets in Central London. I at leat was wearing a hiViz jacket, white helmat and reflective strips on my pannier. Still felt vunerable though..0
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Should you really be allowed out on a bike if you have to ask about the legality of riding without a rear light after dark ??0
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cougie wrote:Should you really be allowed out on a bike if you have to ask about the legality of riding without a rear light after dark ??
So many other people do it without any apparent problem that one might reasonably assume that it is allowed under law
I would reject it as a reasonable course of action on safety grounds meself.0 -
I saw a cyclist get pulled by a cop on London Bridge for not having any working lights just yesterday.
Chances of getting pulled are slim, but for safety's sake, a rear light is important at this time of year.
You could get one these types of lights from your LBS: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Catey ... 360009454/ to keep for emergencies. I keep one attached to my helmet.0 -
Even if it WERE legal to have no lights - you'd be a loon to ride like that.
I'm still stunned that an adult asks the question though.0 -
My local sainsburys had rear lights for 99p the other week...0
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pintoo wrote:I saw a cyclist get pulled by a cop on London Bridge for not having any working lights just yesterday.
Chances of getting pulled are slim, but for safety's sake, a rear light is important at this time of year.
You could get one these types of lights from your LBS: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Catey ... 360009454/ to keep for emergencies. I keep one attached to my helmet.
You can get a red and white one of these from Tesco's for half the price
I have the white one on my helmet and two rad ones on my backpack, on the zipps.0