on the way home from work, it was dark and wet, coming out of a junction to turn right. Car coming from my left but plenty of time to pull out so i did, and as i come across the road out of the corner of my eye i see a cyclist. Just managed to stop and in time to stop taking him out. I have a give cyclists space sticker on the back window, just to make me feel even worse.
Did i mention the ****head had no front lights.
Why would you ride in those conditions without some serious lights?

There are plenty of idiots out there sadly.

i nearly got taken out by some old dear that pulled out on me at a roundabout, it was midday, sun shining and i had a bright yellow hiviz jacket on, she still didnt see me. this is why i wear a helmet.

Got some stuff through from CTC about all of this. First up though, if you’re riding at night without lights you’re a prat. That said many people assume the rear light is the most important. I’d beg to differ, it’s the guy pulling out/turning across you who’s most likely to do you. Anyway, apparently by law you have to have reflectors on your pedals (let alone lights). Without these little babies, you could find an enterprising lawyer getting you done even if you’re lit up like an Xmas tree. Food for thought…

Most ‘cyclists’ fail to realise how invisible they are to other road users. However, you need to be prepared for it!

Bloke pulled out in front of me tonight. I had hi viz, white helmet, very bright offraod capable light in blink mode. It was twilight, but he would have had had a clear view of me. He saw me at the last moment and brakes to stop in my path. He actually would have just made it if he had kept going. I skidded to a halt inches from his bumper. He was apologetic, but I wasn’t for just accepting it. I said “how more lit up can I be, I nearly went over your bonnet.” He said “alright, these things happen, I didn’t see you” and drove off.

I had one the other day, terrible rain, pulling out of a junction to turn right and as I pull forward (there was a car in front of me and I was clear to pull out) a cyclist* comes hurtling from my left, ON THE PAVEMENT, with no lights.
It could have been quite nasty had I not been going slow!

* I use the term Cyclist in the loosest sense as I don’t consider these people as cyclists.

approaching a roundabout on the bike a week ago, ayup on bars and head, car pulled straight out in front of me? even though the head light was actually lighting up the inside of the car?

the head light was actually lighting up the inside of the car

Yeah, this guy today had his hand up to shield his eyes from my light when I went to his window to talk to him 🙄

the couple of weeks after the clocks change and it starts to get dark at 4/5pm are chronically bad for both cyclists not having found their lights yet and riding without them, being unaware that their invisible, and other road users not being observant and vigilant.
I’m always more nervous at this time of year than in the depths of winter.

Lets face it the old I didn’t see you really means I thought I could get out quicker/ didn’t want to get caught behind you.

as an aside, last week is the one week i will not ride to work, the driving is appalling, it gets dark and drivers forget everything.

NExt week normal service and i will be riding again.

Anyway, apparently by law you have to have reflectors on your pedals (let alone lights). Without these little babies, you could find an enterprising lawyer getting you done

Sez who? Legal requirement that the bike is sold with them – that’s all.

Sez who? Legal requirement that the bike is sold with them – that’s all.

ctc guide to the law

no, that’s bells. Lighting regs require that your bike have front and rear reflectors (white and red respectively) and orange reflectors on pedals

edit

At night your cycle MUST have white front and red rear lights lit. It MUST also be fitted with a red rear reflector (and amber pedal reflectors, if manufactured after 1/10/85).

Rule 60, here: https://www.gov.uk/rules-for-cyclists-59-to-82/overview-59-to-71

Oh dear, my v8s didn’t come with reflectors….heavens, what shall i do?

It’s combination of the clocks going back and the forthcoming arrival of Christmas means most people behind the wheel aren’t actually paying any attention to driving.
It’s only downhill from here on…….

Quite an interesting article on the “Sorry, I didn’t see you” excuse, here: http://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/raf-pilot-teach-cyclists/

I just avoided a woman cyclist this evening. Driving PeTerborough on a well lit road, turning right at the roundabout I’m approaching.
Nothing to my right, so safe to proceed, I’m indicating but there are two cyclists approaching the roundabout from straight ahead who don’t seem to be slowing, even though I’m well into the manoeuvre. The two cyclists are split by perhaps 20m.
By this point I am braking hard as there’s no way the first cyclist on her sit up & beg is going to stop in time. At the last moment she hesitates, tries to stop (by which point I have stopped on the roundabout short of her trajectory) and she waves an apology & carries on. Amazingly the bloke behind who hasn’t reached the roundabout quite, then decides he’s gonna make the most of it & just cycles out too.

Neither had lights & both got a long toot of horn. They were lucky I’d anticipated their cretinous cycling.

very bright offraod capable light in blink mode

[quote]even though the head light was actually lighting up the inside of the car[/quote]FFS, you’re your own worst enemies. How can they work out where you are if they can’t look in your direction without being blinded ?

Hardly worthy of a FFS. If I’m unsure of where something is the last thing I’d do would be to pull out.
Don’t get me wrong I try not to dazzle drivers when I ride but I’d rather too much light than someone in ninja mode.

R.e. the pedal reflectors, how come bikes are never sold with pedals? Isn’t that why they’re always sold with bells, because it’s law? I can’t think of many sets of pedals I’ve had that come with reflectors

never sold with pedals ?

you mean bikes designed for competition use are not sold with pedals 😉

back road from my house is tree lined no streetlights and single carrage way
Very dark and raining the other day so going very slow and suddenly neatly had a Ninja jogger on the bonnet
Dressed in all black

I’ve nearly taken out a cyclist under similar circumstances before, but they has lights. The problem was that the car behind had those stupid Xenon lights that are just so stupidly bright the completely drowned out the cyclists lights. I’m surprised those Xenon lights are legal. It’s not the brightness, it is the type of light, it just seems to dazzle you, especially when it’s raining or drizzling.

I nearly took out a cyclist tonight

What stopped you? Restaurant prices?
🙂

Basically expect every driver potentially to kill you, and expect every cyclist to appear out of nowhere when driving. I personally think making everyone look out for brightly lit road users is sometimes the problem as clearly sometimes they are not. Better that everyone expects people to be hard to see and actually looks for them.

I use the term Cyclist in the loosest sense as I don’t consider these people as cyclists.

agree, just because someone is ‘riding’ a bike, does not mean they have any road sense/craft– same as drivers of motor vehicles– the difference is one will only harm themselves, the other is liable to hurt others.

I use the term Cyclist in the loosest sense as I don’t consider these people as cyclists.

Unfortunately, everyone else does consider them cyclists hence they give us all a bad reputation.

Trout – you nearly hit a ninja jogger – I do hope you did a bit of a selling job here! 4000 lumens for night time jogging?

On another note, those with overbright lights or bright lights on blink mode or helmet only mounted lights – you can be your own worse enemy as drivers can struggle to get a fix on where you are. They can see you, but it can be an effort to get a fix on distance. This is why I think 2 lights are better than 1 – it helps people to get a distance fix. Remember that peoples night vision can be different, and not everyone eats carrots!

Had a similar experience on a dark back road recently too, didnt see the cyclist till the last minute due to his lights being shit. Could hardly see them till i was within a car, length…..crazy!

what annoys me is people who think that because they are on a cycle path they do not need lights.

Lost count of the number of times people have just appeared out the shadows infront of me.

not fun.

I personally think making everyone look out for brightly lit road users is sometimes the problem as clearly sometimes they are not. Better that everyone expects people to be hard to see and actually looks for them.

In an ideal world i would agree, but as some of my commute is on National Speed Limit trunk roads i go with the christmas tree approach and BRIGHT lights, and careful use of head light, ie angle it down to see where going but use it to see what drivers are doing if needed. re the response to my earlier comment, i only lit the car up because they were pulling out already to make the point that i was there, they were to my left as i was going round the roundabout they should have seen me on the roundabout signalling etc, but weren’t paying attention.

I very kindly pointed out to a young chap that he should get some lights the other night, the response I got wasn’t quite as polite. Good job I didn’t point out that he was riding on the wrong side of the road with no helmet and a guitar strapped to his back.

On another note I hit a cyclist a few years back, turning right another motorist flashed me through, she (the cyclist) was filtering down the left hand side and hit the side of my car. And yes she was fit.

re the response to my earlier comment, i only lit the car up because they were pulling out already to make the point that i was there, they were to my left as i was going round the roundabout they should have seen me on the roundabout signalling etc, but weren’t paying attention.

[quote]careful use of head light, ie angle it down to see where going[/quote]so whilst going round the roundabout and potentially into a crash, you tilted your head right up so you couldn’t properly look at the road ? … or did you reach up to adjust the anle of the light at that point ?

Superbright lights with unlensed conical beams are a nightmare for other road users

Noticed yesterday on commute home
a) plenty with no front lights (as mentioned no one can see you coming)
b) about 5 with an LED rear light AND a clip on rear mudguard pointed up at a jaunty angle so you can’t actually see the light
c) Nice bright rear light. Unfortunately the guy was wearing a long goth type jacket which nicely covered it up 🙄
d) a good few who probably left the battery in from last year so was probably kicking out about 0.001 volts to power their light

Sometimes we’re our own worst enemies on stuff like this.