To hate with a raging passion those flashing cycle lights

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Why in anyone's God's name are those things allowed. They are so bright and distracting that if some one walked out in front of my car I wouldn't see them due to being blinded by an oncoming cyclist with their flashing strobes of death.

Keen cyclist here. The challenge I think is that cycle lights have improved immensely in quality over the last 10 years. Some are indeed now super bright. This by itself is not a problem provided the light is not set so that it shines directly into the eyes of oncoming traffic. However, some are, and it can be quite a problem if you are driving. Some further guidance might be useful. This being said, I have had cars take me out twice in 20 years of cycling. Immediately after impact the first thing the driver said was "sorry I did not see you". This is really common. So we cyclists will use reflectives and flashing lights to make sure this cannot happen.

I'm perplexed why there is so much anti-cyclist vitriol on Mumsnet

It's just a reflection of the UK I think. The UK is a very cyclist-unfriendly country by European standards, in infrastructure but also in general attitudes. My own mother is always muttering darkly about bloody cyclists despite the fact that two of those bloody cyclists are her own children.

@alloalloallo

Of course there is the risk to eg epileptics who are just going about their business not driving but still don’t want to have a fit brought on. (Although I appreciate the thread was originally about the effect of the lights on drivers).

Yes. This!

Passengers in cars, buses, pedestrians walking by

My DD has absence seizures and has huge issues with strobe lights like these. As posted earlier, we were in slow traffic and followed by a bike with a very, very bright, strobe-like front light. She had several seizures before I could pull over and let the bike pass.

The seizures are absence seizures so not particularly dangerous at the time, but when she has several she ends up with her muscles spasming and her hands lock into fists, her wrists lock, sometimes her knees or feet. Both hands locked after the above incident (3 weeks ago). One had unlocked after a couple of days, the other is still locked. It’s very painful, pretty disabling and causes lots of ongoing damage to tendons, etc.

Well there we are. Can everyone who says these strobing lights are fine please read allo’s post?

It’s amazing how saying you spent rest of day with blinding headache and vomiting after few seconds of these lights in your face … yet bad you you being all mean to cyclists!! We managed without strobes before seriously don’t know how they are allowed.

ChazsBrilliantAttitude

I'm perplexed why there is so much anti-cyclist vitriol on Mumsnet

How is it anti-cyclist vitriol to state that strobing lights are more problematic than solid ones?

read the words - rage and hate, time and time again these words are used on mn in threads about cyclists

To hate with a raging passion those flashing cycle lights (155 Posts)

As an epileptic driver I hate them. I hate them.

Also hate those massive electronic billboards that are brighter than the sun. I know you want to sell me something but I can't buy it when I'm dead because I crashed into a tree.

@ivykaty44

ChazsBrilliantAttitude

I'm perplexed why there is so much anti-cyclist vitriol on Mumsnet

How is it anti-cyclist vitriol to state that strobing lights are more problematic than solid ones?

read the words - rage and hate, time and time again these words are used on mn in threads about cyclists

To hate with a raging passion those flashing cycle lights (155 Posts)

Hating with a raging passion things that literally make you ill (as they do me, dunno how ‘tiny’ these numbers really are) isn’t the same as hating cyclists. I personally have nothing against cyclists, I am one on occasion. But given films have to have strobe warnings I find it very weird that people are allowed to ride along inflicting their strobes on everyone.

@Brainwave89

Keen cyclist here. The challenge I think is that cycle lights have improved immensely in quality over the last 10 years. Some are indeed now super bright. This by itself is not a problem provided the light is not set so that it shines directly into the eyes of oncoming traffic. However, some are, and it can be quite a problem if you are driving. Some further guidance might be useful. This being said, I have had cars take me out twice in 20 years of cycling. Immediately after impact the first thing the driver said was "sorry I did not see you". This is really common. So we cyclists will use reflectives and flashing lights to make sure this cannot happen.

Exactly Brainwave. I understand the motivation of people who use them but there needs to be some limit to take both sets of people into account.

There are limits regarding flashing bike lights, legally they cannot flash faster than 4Hz which is not fast enough to trigger problems in the vast, vast majority. Yes for a very small number of people rates of less than 4hz can cause problems but this has to be balanced against the fact that flashing lights have been shown to make cyclists more visible.

There are also laws regarding positioning of lights and if a cyclist has lights that are aligned so that they dazzle or cause undue discomfort they are breaking the law just like drivers are with poorly aligned lights.

I find it very weird that people are allowed to ride along inflicting their strobes on everyone.

because they want to be seen, as the article pp put up states that a flashing light can be seen three times the distance - this makes drivers aware there is a cyclist approaching, it stops cyclists getting killed, 140 died last year and unfortunately, more were maimed and injured by drivers who often say those imotal words - sorry mate I didn't see you...which actually translates in many cases - they didn't look properly

Hating with a raging passion things that literally make you ill (as they do me, dunno how ‘tiny’ these numbers really are) isn’t the same as hating cyclists

not in all threads concerning cyclists, does hating or raging refer to something making them unwell/sick

read the words - rage and hate, time and time again these words are used on mn in threads about cyclists

I'm perplexed why there is so much anti-cyclist vitriol on Mumsnet

To be fair, this thread hasn't got personal or descended into arguments about long-since abolished taxes or red lights. It's doing pretty well.

If we could harness all that anticycling rage and hate energy we could power the country

Cycle along a busy A road and my very bright front light is pointed down and not flashing. There is a guy cycles the other way and his very bright flashing light is blinding and stops me seeing the traffic.
I have two rear lights. They both flash red. I'm considering another. If I have to look like a demented Christmas tree to stay safe then so be it.

@WindyState

There are limits regarding flashing bike lights, legally they cannot flash faster than 4Hz which is not fast enough to trigger problems in the vast, vast majority. Yes for a very small number of people rates of less than 4hz can cause problems but this has to be balanced against the fact that flashing lights have been shown to make cyclists more visible.

There are also laws regarding positioning of lights and if a cyclist has lights that are aligned so that they dazzle or cause undue discomfort they are breaking the law just like drivers are with poorly aligned lights.

Are those laws actually enforced, though? Seriously?

I mean, we also have laws about selling electrical appliances with approved plugs, but I have bought items in the past that came with plugs that aren't compliant with the standards. In one case, it wasn't even the right bloody shape.

The police pulled me over and had a word when I hadn’t tilted my bright light down enough - don’t have a problem with that.

But then you see a tweet that Derbyshire constabulary put out recently about how a driver crashed into a traffic management system and you realise that it sometimes doesn’t matter what you wear or what your lights are like, if they aren’t looking properly they aren’t going to see you. I’ve only ever had one “off” - I was riding down a straight 40mph road in the daytime, and a car pulled out of a junction in front of me - I went straight over the bonnet. Her excuse was that she hadn’t seen me - she was looking at the BMW travelling behind me. It was like she just looked right through me.

@JojobaFromOctober I think you are right about the anti-cycling hatred. I think it's coupled with the belief that the car driver is almost always right.

Don't blame cyclists for wanting brighter lights one bit.

My complaint is that some lights are too bright, add flashing and it causes a migraine.
Bright lights on cars are dazzling too.
Think it’s a fault of the newer LEDs. There should be a limit. There was a thread about car lights recently.

"Are those laws actually enforced, though? Seriously?"

Sometimes, I'm sure. That's besides the point however. The fact is that there are rules around cycle lights in terms of how bright they are, how quickly they can flash and how to position them etc in order to prevent issues like the OP is whining about.

The fact is, flashing lights are legal and are spotted more easily in a sea of car headlights, streetlights etc and if people find them "annoying" then tough, frankly.

@Rummikub

My complaint is that some lights are too bright, add flashing and it causes a migraine. Bright lights on cars are dazzling too. Think it’s a fault of the newer LEDs. There should be a limit. There was a thread about car lights recently.

I agree, it's a general problem with lights on all vehicles - cars, bikes and scooters are obvious examples but I've also seen pedestrians with those super bright lights. They are too much unless they are angled right down.

But it's also not surprising that vulnerable road users favour these dazzling lights with the amount of victim blaming there is around road traffic accidents. It's up to motorists to drive with caution and be properly observant rather than blaming other people for the fact they didn't notice them, but the discourse is often along the lines that if you step out of your house without head to toe high viz and lit up like a Christmas tree you deserve to be run over.

The ones that are more powerful than those anti collision lights on an Aeroplane are ridiculous and dangerous - especially if the cyclist is right next to you coming towards you due to the cycle path (or riding on the pavement). 90% are fine though.

I agree a little. the lights can be dipped so that they don't blind other road users.

however flashing lights are a lot easier to see in especially in unlit areas.

I saw a cyclist the other day and he had a high vis jacket on (rarity for cyclists) and it was so much better for visibility than those flashing lights which i find hard to.judge the distance and distracting

They were never legal to be on flashing mode on the road use