CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure

Light wars 2018

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  1. davidsonsdave
    Member

    Adorning yourself with loads of lights makes 0 difference to how noticeable you are in the majority of situations where people think it makes the most difference.

    You can spend a lot of time to make yourself as visible as it is possible to be with multiple lights, helmet lights, hi-vis, reflective jacket, pedal and spoke reflectors, tyres with reflective side walls, reflective tape on your bike frame.

    Recent stats suggest that "driver failed to look properly" is a contributory factor in something like 1/3 of road accidents in Scotland so ride like everyone is out to kill you is sensible advice.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  2. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    @ARobComp is correct, as sometimes.

    The main point of lights in town is for the ensuing court cases and insurance claims. Ditto magic hats and hi-vis. 500 lumens your honour etc.

    Off road or in the dark different story.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  3. gembo
    Member

    Those proviz jackets are blinding when I shine my light on them

    Posted 6 years ago #

  4. minus six
    Member

    @wingpig cheers for the bracket tip, nice one

    Posted 6 years ago #

  5. miak
    Member

    Having touted a 1600 lumen front light, hi viz nightvision jacket a body worn flashing Lezyne and still been hit by a driver who got off by claiming she didn't see me ...(accepted by the JP) suffered fractured ribs a written of bike and permanently knackered finger ..... I know it may be controversial but Im quite happy to blind as many drivers as i can with flashing bright full beam lights...

    Posted 6 years ago #

  6. minus six
    Member

    @Ragingbike

    not forgotten by me, that's for sure

    edinburgh justice rotten to the core

    Posted 6 years ago #

  7. piosad
    Member

    Today's less than pleasant light experience was on the towpath. I overtook a cyclist with a very bright front light after the Yeaman Place bridge going west. It was not just very bright but also leaking far enough upwards that I was casting a full, quite distinct shadow on the wall and then the bushes by Harrison Park. So not only was it (I'm guessing) far too bright for oncoming oncoming, it actually made it necessary for me to keep guessing if the silhouette to the front and right of me was an unlit pedestrian or my own shadow.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  8. gembo
    Member

    I have returned to the roads to escape these blinding lights

    Posted 6 years ago #

  9. Rosie
    Member

    On the lights front, I used to find the cat's eyes on the canal rather blinding - they outlined the path but didn't light the way. There are similar looking lights on the path by the Water of Leith from Roseburn Park to the tunnel that takes you to Westfield, but these give much better visibility.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  10. Rosie
    Member

    Oh and on the flashing lights thing, epileptics can find them very upsetting, like strobe lighting. I imagine migraine sufferers would find them painful as well.

    I go steady, at a lower beam, front light pushed down and pointed to the left.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  11. paulmilne
    Member

    I hadn't thought of the epileptic thing. I'll keep my flasher off unless I'm on road and then pointed down from now on. it's that funny time of year when it's hard to judge when you need a light on or off.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  12. ARobComp
    Member

    I was overtaking a pedestrian by the wall leading up to harrison park when a runner in all black loomed out of the darkness on my side of the path. I braked in shock (completely unable to see him) and my back wheel skidded.
    "OH FOR F**** SAKE" he shouted,

    ARob - "Sorry Dude you're invisible, you've no reflectives or light"

    Jogger - "<inaudible> C***!!!!"

    I was using an aimed downwards light which doesn't blind but clearly doesn't light up far enough ahead. Equally the runner was clearly in denial that he was invisible.

    He was angry enough that I think this must have been happening to him all along the path.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  13. jdanielp
    Member

    Not too bad last night, but on Monday night there were a couple of binders, a few in between and a flasher. Worst of all, however, was the sheer number of ninjas. Three bikes and well into double figures of pedestrians/joggers.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  14. gembo
    Member

    I am surprised given all the flashers, blinders, ninjas, rowers, rowing coaches on bikes, dog walkers, p;usher-inners etc there is not more swearing.

    At least the Pokémon Go craze appears to have died down

    Posted 6 years ago #

  15. chrisfl
    Member

    I usually give the canal a miss between when clocks change and it gets properly cold, after which all the flashers/blinders either have given up or improved there setup.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  16. piosad
    Member

    I only refrained from swearing because I had both children in tow today, when on our way to football training we met a ninja cyclist (bad enough) zooming ahead at a pace I would consider unwise on the towpath even in broad daylight.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  17. Klaxon
    Member

    Going by these reports I don’t think I’d enjoy the towpath any more

    I was taken for many a relaxing walk there as a kid and it’s where I learned to leisurely cycle and get some freedom as a teen but modern descriptions here make it sound like trying to take a stroll down the middle of a busy country road with no pavements

    Stressful and relatively unsafe for everyone

    Posted 6 years ago #

  18. gembo
    Member

    @klaxon, still fairly relaxed outside commuting times

    Posted 6 years ago #

  19. wingpig
    Member

    I went out to Hermistron Gait yesterday lunchtime along the canal and it was fine, though probably quieter due to the wind and drizzle. I only went that way as it was into to the wind, returning via the trampath.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  20. ARobComp
    Member

    Must admit that I've had almost 0 agro on the towpath up until the clocks changed and then only at peak post work times. Most of the time it's fairly relaxing and calm. Off to give it a go (but I'll take the roads home this evening)

    Posted 6 years ago #

  21. fimm
    Member

    I had an interesting conversation with a cyclist a few weeks ago. I was running on the towpath wearing a white jacket. It was sort of half-light - I could see where I was going but all the cyclists had light. I asked a cyclist as he overtook "Am I visible enough?"
    "Not really," was the reply, "You are about as visible as those pedestrians there." They were visible, clearly, but just dark shapes.

    There have been occasions where I've been able to see where I am going but have turned my headtorch on in order to let others see that I am there. I also have an armband with a blue flashing light which is useful for running on the towpath.

    In the dark I run one steady and one flashing light, front and rear. I don't think many people are going to stop, get off their bike and alter their rear light for an off-road section of a mostly on-road ride. Front lights are different, of course. I switch the flasher to continuous on the odd occasion I use the NEPN or the towpath in the dark.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  22. wingpig
    Member

    On the section of WoL path between the Warriston junction and Great Junction Street recently there've been a few people a day wandering along with a small torch or their phone held in their offside hand. Does anyone do that on the canal?

    Posted 6 years ago #

  23. steveo
    Member

    I got a pretty cool* light from Decathlon for running its got a magnet bouncing around some coils attached to a couple of red led's I wear it on my offside arm, its enough to grab attention (I think) and on a light path it really shouldn't be necessary.

    *I mostly bought it because its cool tech.

    Posted 6 years ago #

  24. piosad
    Member

    @wingpig, yes, quite a few. A good number of flashing armbands and similar, too. Most people make an effort, it's the ones that don't that we complain about!

    Posted 6 years ago #

  25. ARobComp
    Member

    @wingpig yeah quite a few people with torches or lights held in their hands. TBH just a tiny bit of reflective tape is enough!

    Posted 6 years ago #

  26. gembo
    Member

    Aldi lights go on sale next Sunday. Usual range of stuff. New this year the Aldi version of he LUMOS Helmet, the Aldi version of the Tacx Trainer (both items £70 and a floor ceiling pole for to hang two bikes from £35

    I am just after lights so will resist all others except maybe waterproof socks - I have two pairs of these already plus my sealskinz ones so probably not. They are good, as are their merino base layers.

    Posted 5 years ago #

  27. chdot
    Admin

    “

    Safety Warning
    Lights are to be used in conjunction with lights complying with the Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations.

    “

    ??

    Posted 5 years ago #

  28. Greenroofer
    Member

    @chdot - so presumably capable of a steady light, but not marked with a stamp showing that they comply with BS61023 (or 'the corresponding standard of another EC country') so not legal as a primary light source.

    Weirdly the really small blinky lights Aldi also sell don't have this caveat, despite having a steady mode and therefore requiring a standard mark. Maybe they have one...

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pedal-cycles-lighting/pedal-cycles-lighting

    Posted 5 years ago #

  29. LaidBack
    Member

    This evening I cycled back via NMW.
    Dazzled by at least three groups of Meadows runners.
    One runner in each group was wearing a head torch which alternated between lighting the path and making fellow runners alongside invisible.
    Anyone else noticed this? Equivalent of bike lights favoured by some that shine into oncoming drivers / cyclists eyes. Think lights were on along path but hard to know as distracted.

    Posted 2 years ago #

  30. fimm
    Member

    Oh <mild infringement of Rule 2>.
    Runners with head torches / hi vis on pavements or in parks really annoy me. It is a back to "make yourself visible so drivers don't kill you". While running in places where people are not driving.

    Of course I use a headtorch when I actually need it to see where I am going. But I turn it off when I don't need it. (And the canal is a bit of a special case (let's not go there).)

    Posted 2 years ago #

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