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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Cyclists at night

95 replies

Santaclarita · 28/10/2018 23:21

I'm not being unreasonable, I'm aware.

But please, for the love of God, if you plan on cycling, at NIGHT, in the dark, WEAR BLOODY HI VIS. It costs about £3 to buy a vest. Dunno how much hats are these days, but is the cost worth your life? Is £3 worth more than your life?

I was driving on an A road tonight, 60mph road easily. And some absolute bloody moron was cycling the other way, wearing black. No lights apart from the reflectors. No hi vis. No helmet. Saw him at the last second. I flashed him with my lights and put hazards on for people coming towards me so they would know there is a problem ahead for them.

If someone hit him, they'll no doubt get the blame. And they have to live with that forever. Just because he won't spend £3 on hi vis or buy lights. It annoys me so much. How lazy and stupid can you be?

Take care on roads incase there are other plonkers out there.

OP posts:
MsAdorabelleDearheartVonLipwig · 29/10/2018 09:49

BlueCurious it’s always stuck with me. Poor girl. Very sorry for the family of the man that died, but also very sorry for her. She was only young.

Hidillyho · 29/10/2018 10:06

ifailed

It’s not really about point scoring or what you’ll do when black cars do something, the point is, you will come out worse if you are hit by a car. All road users need to be aware of each other, but you’ll have a bigger chance of staying alive/not being hit if you are making yourself obvious on the road

pigeondujour · 29/10/2018 10:22

This is actually safer for cyclists. It makes them more visible, prevents car users from overtaking too close and actually makes it easier to overtake in may circumstances as you are overtaking over a shorter stretch of road

In many other circumstances it makes it more difficult to overtake and they're only more visible because they're more in the way. The rules of the road aren't just there to keep cyclists safe, they're designed for safe and considerate behaviour from and to everyone on the road. I don't need cyclists cycling two abreast and making me go at their snails pace to 'prevent me from overtaking too close', I know the rules myself.

53rdWay · 29/10/2018 10:27

Not wearing lights at night is stupid. There are enough drivers who will fail to see you cycling when you’re lit up like a Christmas tree anyway, so why you’d actually make yourself less visible at night beats me.

Sitranced · 29/10/2018 10:27

Cyclists visibility is like two extremes I find. Either they're all in black and can't be seen at all or they have a blinding flashing strobe right at eye level meaning you end up seeing spots when you blink. Car headlights don't flash so why would bikes?

I've stopped riding my bike to work now the clocks have gone back so I'm getting the bus instead. Its just too dangerous.

53rdWay · 29/10/2018 10:28

you might know how much space to give to safely overtake a cyclist pigeondujour but you’d be amazed how many people don’t.

VickieCherry · 29/10/2018 10:31

They are insane.

I really like spoke lights as an added safety feature in the dark - they make you visible side on, when your lights and a high vis flash might not be seen by an oncoming car.

ScabbyHorse · 29/10/2018 12:11

It is perfectly legal for cyclists to ride two abreast in this country, and makes it safer for them.

recklessruby · 29/10/2018 12:24

I know what you mean! All last winter I had to drive down a certain length of dark dual carriageway to pick dd up at 10 pm.
Every night the same cyclist was there in dark clothing with just one little light.
Considering the speed you do on dc it's bloody dangerous when you see them 2 seconds before you pass.
Shook me up the first time but from then on I would drop my speed on that bit and be majorly relieved to pass him.

SpoonBlender · 29/10/2018 12:30

As a lifelong cyclist, these people are absolute fucking idiots.

Went (safely) past a mum cycling and pulling a pair of kids in a trailer last week. After dark. Rain. No lights. No vis. Not even reflective strips on the kid carriage. 40mph single carriageway. The path is marked for shared cycles/pedestrians. Just wtaf was she thinking?

SushiMonster · 29/10/2018 12:33

I hate flashing stobe lights, they are often not angled down and blind other cyclists!

Also human eye finds it hard to track flashing lights so you should really have your main light as a bright steady light so other road users can track your movement and just have a small flashing one (like on helmet) to attract attention.

lampygirl · 29/10/2018 12:34

Given that you more than likely still need to cross the centre white line in the middle of the road whether cyclists are single file or two abreast pigeondujour, you'd still need to go at the cyclists pace until the road was clear coming the other way. If you don't cross the white line in the middle there is next to no way you've allowed enough room on most single carriageway roads. Single file reserved for narrow roads whereby you probably don't get two cars side by side very well either to prevent you getting hit head on.

Cyclists without lights are a death wish though, particularly as they also can't see where they are going. I had to cycle home with just my be seen lights (more than enough to be safely seen by other motorists front and back) but it didn't light the road up nearly enough to miss pot holes confidently at 20mph. Thankfully we have a good network of off road cycle paths so I used those mostly to go at a slower pace than I would on the road. I also have seeing lights which are much brighter and illuminate the road ahead.

DeadBod · 29/10/2018 12:38

I make no apologies for my flashing strobe lights. I have had close shaves 3 times in the last year with cars that can't apparently see my front and rear flashing strobe lights and light reflecting jacket Confused

whatsthecomingoverthehill · 29/10/2018 14:38

Flashing is OK. Strobe (i.e. very fast flashing) isn't. Personally I think the best lights are those that have a steady beam but pulse every second or so.

But yes, lights or not it still seems many car drivers are unable to see cyclists.

tiredgirly · 29/10/2018 14:54

I ride a bike, with lights, at night. I'll start wearing 'hi Viz' clothing when black cars have to.

she was right, dead right as she cycled along ,
but she's just as dead now as if she'd been wrong

FittonTower · 29/10/2018 15:21

I nearly hit a pedestrian yesterday. He was wandering down the road wearing dark clothes and a hat, plenty of pavement to walk on so I'm insure why he was in the road. Luckily its a 20 mph zone so i was going slowly but i still had to slam my breaks a bit. It wasn't even that dark, still dusk really. I'm not sure people realise how hard they are to see once the light starts to go.

ScarletAnemone · 29/10/2018 15:38

@DeadBod That’s really not a great advert for flashing strobe lights.

As a motorist I find it much harder to track where a cyclist is going if they only have flashing lights. Steady lights make tracking so much easier.

I have read some research which said that flashing lights are better for fixed objects, but steady lights for moving objects. That sounds about right to me.

Sirzy · 29/10/2018 15:41

What you wear really does make a difference when it is dark

Cyclists at night
ScarletAnemone · 29/10/2018 15:45

Great visualisation @Sirzy.

Satsumaeater · 29/10/2018 15:45

Dear OP I agree that cyclists should wear hi-vis (or as someone has said, flourescent stripes etc) and have proper lights.

But if you are out walking can you please also wear bright colours. Not grey/black/navy. Drivers need to take care but other road users need to also take some responsibility for their own safety.

And if you are out running, wear hi-vis/flourescent stripes and don't run in the road when there is a perfectly decent pavement next to you.

I run, walk, drive and cycle, so don't have any particular axes to grind.

punicorn · 29/10/2018 15:47

Please please get yourselves seen, both pedestrians and cyclists. You can see my car as it has lights on but if you are dressed in dark clothing and are on the road I CANNOT SEE YOU UNTIL TOO LATE. Just think about it please. We drivers are not the evil road hoggers you might think we are

Itsnotmesothere · 29/10/2018 15:51

I agree about pedestrians too, I need to reconsider my dark clothing. I was driving through town at the speed limit and two men in dark clothes decided to dash across waving at me to say thanks. I saw them at the last minute and had to brake hard to let them past in a well lit street. I wanted to shout I couldn't fucking see you!

BigChocFrenzy · 29/10/2018 15:52

As a cyclist, it is in my interest to be seen
In any collision with a 1+ ton car, I'm always going to come off much worse

So:
I always wear a helmet with a high viz cover even during daylight

If I am likely to be out even at dusk, not just night time, I always wear a high-Viz waistcoat, with high-viz often overtrous too, if it's raining.

I have excellent lights, reflectors and the reflective strip along my tyres, so I am visible from the side.

Most cyclists have a sense of self-preservation, like I do

Yes, I do see a few other cyclists - and rather more pedestrians in the road - in dark clothing who are almost invisible at night until they come within my headlight beam.

ItsJustTheOneSwanActually · 29/10/2018 15:52

When I passed my driving test my instructor said "you're a long time dead. It doesn't matter how 'right' you were if you're in the morgue"

MiniMum97 · 29/10/2018 15:53

Cycling two abreast is legal for cyclists. It improves their visibility on the road.