Argh some cyclists

[Landof]

I want to start by saying this is not a bashing thread about cyclists and I am a cyclists myself and sometimes cycle to work but the majority of my cycling is for fun at the weekends etc...

What my annoyance is about is cyclists without lights on and wearing dark clothing. WHY?! please someone tell me if you do this why? And does it annoy anyone else?
It's honestly so hard to see them until much closer. It gets dark early these days so traffic is heavy during dark hours. If I knocked one over, it'd be my fault and I'd have to live with that on my conscious forever.

Please get some lights and reflective clothing.

Do they still do cycling proficiency tests at school?

I agree absolutely that it’s sensible for cyclists to use lights and high vis - and I do. But the weight of responsibility is with drivers

I think the responsibility pendulum swings the other way when a cyclist makes the decision to ride in the dark with no lights, more so if they are also wearing dark clothing.

Generally most accidents involving cyclists are caused by them doing something unsafe

The majority of accidents involving cars and bikes are the car hitting the bike from behind or passing.

@etulosba

Do they still do cycling proficiency tests at school?

Yes, but I don’t imagine every school can set aside the funding and resources.

My DC’s primary does what us now called “bikeability” in the term before they leave. The idea is to encourage them to cycle to secondary school. We live in a very hilly area, with fast roads between the villages. Very few children ride to secondary.

I agree completely. Last week was the closest I’ve ever come to running hitting someone with my car- I had to pull over as I felt quite shook up by it. Guy on a bike all in black and no lights on at 10pm riding down a road that had no streetlights- the road was a 50mph road too. Luckily for some reason I was going 40mph. I did not see him until It was nearly too late.

Re cycle lanes - I'll personally use them when I can, there are some great ones. But there's also some awful ones - either really poorly designed, or not maintained so that they are full of glass (I've no idea who goes around smashing glass in bike lanes but someone does). Shared use ones are good on quiet pathways but incense walkers on busy ones. So then I ride on the road. Having said that, there aren't many near me unfortunately.

"cycling side by side instead of single file" - cyclists are recommended to ride side by side to make it safer for cars to overtake, I thought?

@WhatDidISayAlan

Re cycle lanes - I'll personally use them when I can, there are some great ones. But there's also some awful ones - either really poorly designed, or not maintained so that they are full of glass (I've no idea who goes around smashing glass in bike lanes but someone does). Shared use ones are good on quiet pathways but incense walkers on busy ones. So then I ride on the road. Having said that, there aren't many near me unfortunately.

I agree, some shared ones aren't wide enough for a bike to get past a pedestrian, and the strip of paint on the left of the road ones often get full of debris when there has been heavy rain. The pavement ones are often full of lumps and bumps, keep changing sides of the road, stop and start etc etc

I agree with OP.

I live rurally, v affluent area, lots of cyclistsbon our fast A roads. I have no problem with those who are in high biz, with lights etc. Friends DH was killed on his bike a few years ago and I am uber careful of cyclists.

However about 1 in 10 'proper cyclists' wears black gear. It is impossible to see them against the trees/the durgy grey fields/in the low light on sunny days. Impossible. Drives me mad. I consider stopping to say something.

Best friend is a proper cyclist in a club and says that she can't wear enough high viz to make herself visible!

Also I have noticed those in v dark gear are men.

@FluffyBooBoo

I opened this thread thinking 'oh here we go, another entitled motorist that thinks they own the road'.

But I am 100% with you on this. Where I am, it's usually teenagers. I have to wonder why the parents aren't making sure their bikes have lights.

Thank you for reading the thread properly before jumping to conclusions like @Momicrone who has assumed it is a cyclist bashing thread when I've clearly pointed out it isn't. I AM a cyclist. It is clearly not cyclist bashing but being annoyed about the people who ride a bike without lights. Goodness me.

Thanks to those of you who understand. I hate that people say 'you shouldn't be driving if you can't see them'
I never said I couldn't see them, otherwise I wouldn't be making this thread. I'm drinking in 20/30 miles per hour zones and see them as they are really close. Imagine driving 50 in a country lane (which would be legal if that is the speed limit) and then hitting a cyclist. How is that the drivers fault? Ridiculous victim blaming I think.

Landof, of course its a cyclist bashing thread, don't you think cyclists have enough going against them already? of course cyclists should be well lit at night, most are - incidentally the last cyclist bashing thread was because their lights were too bright. Cars cause so many more problems on this planet than a few badly dressed or over lit cyclists

Road users are obliged to be mindful of other road users for their own safety as much as others'.

But just as cars are responsible for having lights (I actually think cars should not be black or grey for same reason as cyclists should wear brighter colours) so they are visible to other road users, so cyclists should have lights/wear bright/lighter colours, and use signals etc.

There are some road users who seem to think that because one is on a bike/pedestrian/a car there is no requirement to signal/be mindful of other road users.

We're all bloody human, whether we're on a bike or walking or driving. We're all obliged to do our best to make the roads safe and be aware we share them with all the other users.

incidentally the last cyclist bashing thread was because their lights were too bright.

Truth

Unlike boris and parties, i recognise a cyclist bashing thread when I see one

Given how keen some drivers are to hit cyclists, I sometimes think it's better if they go around ninja style to ensure that motorists can't see them.

YABU, enough with the cyclist bashing which this clearly is.

I AM a cyclist.

Is the cycling discussion equiv of "some of my best friends are..."

bike manufacturers could be forced to install built-in front and rear lights that are powered/charged by the rotation of the wheels. It could be a criminal offence to disable the lights or ride with them not working.

Dynamos take a surprising amount of energy off the wheels, they quite slow riders down. How would this set up work for people who want to use commuting time to train for their time trials or road racing? Assuming those things were somehow still allowed to happen, using bikes without dynamos.

Every autumn I see lots of cars with wonky &/or missing head/tail lights. I don't think I've started a thread about it.

How very MNer sexist to declare that only men are those wearing too much black.

I got my first proper road bike around 4 years ago and have been amazed at the lack of hi vis worn by other cyclists. I know from my many years riding horses that even on bright sunny days, its far too easy to merge into the surrounding hedges if you're in black or dark coloured clothing. It should be law that anyone cycling or riding or walking on the road wears at least one item of hi vis whether its making all cycling or riding helmets and shoes fluorescent, or jackets/tops designated for these purposes having fluorescent strips in them surely there must be a simple way of making road users easier to see? Its not going to prevent all accidents but should surely minimise them?

I always go by the mantra "If I make myself as visible as possible it removes any excuse a motorist has for not seeing me" with the amount of yellow I wear when cycling

Agreed!

My husband cycles, and wears more lights than Blackpool illuminations.

@etulosba

Do they still do cycling proficiency tests at school?

Bikeability - yes they do. And they do cover this sort of thing, Sadly there is no walkability to tell pedestrians to do the same!

Drivers are at fault because they’ve chosen to be in charge of a machine that can easily (and frequently does) kill people. It’s vanishingly rare for someone to be seriously injured by a cyclist

Absolutely right. However, as a cyclist or pedestrian, I'd like to be able to see other cyclists and pedestrians too.

Driver and cyclist here. I think you’re blowing this out of proportion imo. I see very few cyclists like this, way less than 1 in 10 I’d say.

I see plenty of drivers with defective headlights/brake lights. I see plenty of drivers driving like chumps. And I see more than a few exceeding 90+ on the motorway driving like complete bell ends.

So although the problem exists I think yabu.

@OneTimeThrowAway

incidentally the last cyclist bashing thread was because their lights were too bright.

Truth

Seconded - it was indeed

@Momicrone

Unlike boris and parties, i recognise a cyclist bashing thread when I see one

Deliveroo/UberEats/other food delivery services are available do this all the bloody time round here. As well as the youths in black with no lights, and the people on e-scooters.

I'm a cyclist too. I have lights in my bag whenever I go out, just in case.