Gary_M – Member
I normally run one front light flashing, and one fixed beam. The pedestrians, joggers and dog walkers seem to have to dress like ninjas.
Are you suggesting all these people should be wearing high viz clothing? If you really can’t see people wearing normal clothes with a normal light on you’re a hazard on the road.
bencooper – Member
Just be reasonable. If you bare going to walk on an unlit cyclepath, try to make sure they you do not actively camouflage yourself.
We’re not talking about actively camouflaging yourself, we’re talking about being able to go for a walk in normal clothes without having to wear a dorky reflective belt in case a cyclist can’t look where they’re going.
If you’re riding on a cycle path in the dark, with no other light source other than what’s on the front of the bike, and the light has a reasonably focused beam with enough outer spread to illuminate the edges of the path, centre spot angled to show the path far enough in front to be safe at ten mph, then you may well be able to pick up peds wearing light coloured clothing, but a great many people don’t, and wear matt black with no reflective patches, which makes them very difficult to pick out until you’re almost on top of them, and dogs running around randomly are a real hazard.
I’ve ridden back along a riverside path across a playing field with a carved stone seat set off to one side, with a fairly high-powered light on the front, around 800lmn, with a tight centre-spot. As I came up to the seat, I could hear voices, but not actually see anyone, and suddenly a small terrier shot in front of me, straight under my front wheel! It yelped loudly, I’d hit the brake, but still ran over it, absolutely nothing I could do.
Unlike @bencooper, I’m perfectly capable of not hitting street furniture that’s set off to one side of the path, or a stationary object that’s on the path, but randomly moving objects, dressed in clothing that’s the same colour as the background, and who are actually on the sodding path are a whole other issue.
I do agree that super-bright flashing lights are very distracting in full darkness, I tend to favour a small flashing light for urban riding, with another steady light for unlit lanes or paths, the little TrustFire R6-A3 lights I’ve had for some years, that put out around 230lmn, mounted on Twofish lockblocks are a good compromise between dazzling others and being able to see where the hell you’re going.
