Waiting at a roundabout last night on my way home from work.
Not in any rush and making sure no cars were coming round the roundabout that were not indicating etc.
Just about to pull away and cyclist appears right in front of me.

Really quite concerned that i didn’t see him at all.

As he went past i noticed he had a bright back light.

I went past him further up the road – he had no front light and no hi vis 😯

I did think of stopping to let him know that he was very hard to see but thought better of it.

I cant believe how close he came to not getting home that night.
I was quite shaken by it.
Now i think the guy was just an idiot.
Why on earth would you ride in rush hour in winter – no front light – no hi vis?

Keep an eye open for idiots like this when driving and please make yourself as visible as possible when cycling. Don’t be an idiot.

Hora to the thread please!

You’d think if he was compromised (no power for front light – or no front light) he’d be riding defensively and not putting himself in risky positions, but then again he obviously wasn’t prepared for that eventuality or chose to ride like that.
Not really much you can do other than being vigilant.

Now i think the guy was just an idiot.
Why on earth would you ride in rush hour in winter – no front light – no hi vis?

Pretty much answered your own question there.
but it really does amaze me how many of them are. one or two, fair enough, there are idiots about, but I’d say it’s about 60/40 here with visible/invisible dress codes and one no lights, no viz and headphones.
Hope he doesn’t manage to breed before it happens.

About this time last year I stepped off the pavement into the path of a cyclist I didn’t see ‘cos he was dessed in dark clothing & had no front light on (was an unlit country lane at about 6:30 in the evening – I had a flourecent jacket on and the dogs had flashing lights on their collars).

When challenged about it his response was “I can see where I’m going so I don’t need a light”

Some people are just born stupid. The sooner they’re removed from the gene pool the better.

No front light at night is idiotic, but hi viz may not have helped very much in that particular scenario.

The nice day glow flouro high viz is only really useful in daylight. The Scotchlite bits are much better at night, but obviously need a light to reflect back which your chap might not have got if he was approaching from your side.

You’re 100% right though – the guy was an idiot. Well done for not killing him.

Think I’d have stopped and told him (unless he looked a bit fighty).

Darwinism innit?

Well done for being so vigilant, could do with a few more of you on the road 🙂

That’s the thing, doesn’t matter whose at fault. If you run someone down, you will feel truly awful about it.
Watch out, and take it easy when driving.

Maybe he was thinking, why is this idiot dithering at a roundabout. 😆

Be seen, or face the died on the moral high ground argument

I nearly hit a motorbike 2 weeks ago. Completely my fault – I was turning right and didn’t see him. My wife shouted and I stopped just in time. On reflection, I was probably slightly under the weather, and was navigating around all the diversions in Bexhill. That combination just dropped my concentration levels enough to miss seeing him.

When I worked at The Bike Chain in Edinburgh we’d carry a spare/NOS set of lights when commuting and offer them to any lightless riders. You’d be surprised at how many turned them down.

Think I’d have stopped and told him (unless he looked a bit fighty).

Ages ago I saw a cyclist on an unlit country road with no rear light, and only a pathetic front light, and dark clothing. I reached my destination about half a mile after passing him, and thought I’d just wait to tell him he had no light (as I’ve had my rear light go out before, unbeknownst to me). His response was to just shout “**** off” and keep going. Whether he thought I was being confrontational, rather than helpful, dunno. He was probably a penis.

If you look you’ll see a cyclist, lights or not. Lights mean you also have a chance of being seen by those not looking. And sometimes even when you’re lit up and wearing orange everything drivers still don’t see you.

I came very close to wiping out a virtually invisible cyclist on a dual carriageway about this time last year.

According to some of STWs finest though this was 100% my fault and if someone wants to ride on an unlit 70 mph road at night dressed like a ninja then thats entirely their right.

Expect the baying mob to turn up shortly to scrutinise your driving ability and observational skills.

I nearly hit a cyclist once, she was coming down the cycle path (aka pavement) as I was edging out of an entrance, and I was clearly looking down the road not the pavement.

My fault – I didn’t know it was a cyclepath (could have done with signs at the entrance tbh) and I didn’t look. However I was edging slowly as always so she could brake.

I also almost hit a car once too. Looked but did not see. It happens to most of us I’d guess, but it’s only a political issue when it’s a cyclist rather than another car.

I also once hit a car when I was on my bike…

When I worked at The Bike Chain in Edinburgh we’d carry a spare/NOS set of lights when commuting and offer them to any lightless riders. You’d be surprised at how many turned them down.

They probably thought you were on the pull Colin.

It is amazing how different the view is from on a bike and inside a car. I use both. When on the bike I can see other road users perfectly clearly and there really is no need of lights in most situations on lit roads. As soon as there is a sheet of glass in the way people that can easily be seen disappear or at least need a good look to be seen. If you only use one form of transport it is easy to see how your opinion forms.

According to some of STWs finest though this was 100% my fault and if someone wants to ride on an unlit 70 mph road at night dressed like a ninja then thats entirely their right.

Pretty much what hora got told when he nearly killed a cyclist to death a million times.

As mentioned, darwinism will catch up with them eventually. I nearly witnessed it myself this morning when a dullard stepped off the pavement, whilst looking to the left straight into the path of an oncoming car coming from his right. There is little hope for such people…

It is scary how hard it can be to spot people wearing dark clothing during the winter commute

I do see a few cyclists with no lights, dark clothing, and one guy every night with the most pathetic back light I’ve ever seen, A candle would be bright in comparison..

If you look you’ll see a cyclist, lights or not.

Quick test (watch full screen to give yourself a chance):

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9axSZD630Eg[/video]

According to some of STWs finest though this was 100% my fault and if someone wants to ride on an unlit 70 mph road at night dressed like a ninja then thats entirely their right.

Except it’s not their right because they are breaking the law (Highway Code Rule 60 – RVLR regs 13, 18 & 24). A law which exists to protect them in exactly that scenario.

Except it’s not their right because they are breaking the law (Highway Code Rule 60 – RVLR regs 13, 18 & 24). A law which exists to protect them in exactly that scenario.

Do we know the cyclist in that case was breaking those rules? mdavids said he had a high viz vest and rear light, just that they weren’t very good in his opinion.

I spotted that cyclist with so little trouble I thought there must have been another one I didn’t see until the answer told me I was right, Graham. Hardly Ninja that one. Urban area, plenty of light, no problem. The more difficult ones are the ones in the country with no streetlights and blinding on-coming traffic.

Since moving down to London I’ve been amazed about how many cyclists down here seem to have no thought for their own safety. I haven’t counted them but I’m sure most of cycle commuters do have working lights and wear high-viz, but it’s the ones that don’t (and there are a lot of them) that stick in the memory.

Also given the amount of press about it I’m amazed at the number of cyclists who think it’s safe to filter at speed up the inside of vehicles (including HGV’s and buses) indicating left at junctions and roundabouts. Ok you’d like to think they will at least check their mirror before they start the turn but given the standard of driving down here is also pretty poor there will be plenty that don’t. It’s also not unusual to have bicycles and motorcycles filtering past on both sides at the same time so there can be a lot for the drivers to keep track off, and not all of them will manage.

There are plenty of ninja cyclists around this time of the year so be careful out there. Some kamikaze type ninja cyclists will cut in front of you from pavement to the road … 😯

I spotted that cyclist with so little trouble I thought there must have been another one

Of course, I expected no less from the STW Driving Gods. 😀
How about this one then?

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6D6nf5aKwkA[/video]

(the preview sort of gives it away a bit!)

Quick test (watch full screen to give yourself a chance):

Hate to say it but to my mind you’ve 100% proved Edukator right. If I hadn’t been looking properly I very much doubt I’d have spotted the cyclist. But I WAS looking properly (cos you told me to) and I too saw him easily.

Just about to pull away and cyclist appears right in front of me.

Not saying the guy wasn’t an idiot for not having lights/hi-vis, but please don’t trot out this classic SMIDSY line. Unless his mate is Scotty on the Starship Enterprise he did not just “appear right in front” of you.

Well done for not flattening him though!

Of course, I expected no less from the STW Driving Gods.

I spotted it, too. IANADG.

You’d easily spot the second ninja if a car had come from behind and silhouetted him.

Not condoning either cyclists’ lack of judgement but as Edukator states, cyclist can be sen if you’re reading the road correctly and paying attention to everything around you – a task made more difficult due to in-car distractions and general carelessness. IMO.

In you second vid, Grahanm, I saw something in the headlights but it could have been anything. In real life it would have been enough to make me aware that there was something to look for.

I’m all for cyclists being well lit and wearing hi-viz (I am/do), but I drive assuming there will be walkers, animals, ninja cylists etc. that won’t be. I hope it’s enough because I’d be very angry with myself and upset if ever I hit one.

You’d easily spot the second ninja if a car had come from behind and silhouetted him.

Or if a helicopter flew over him and lit him up with a searchlight.

Or if he was swarmed by some well-meaning fireflies.

Or…. …if he’d had some lights on like he is legally obliged to.

The cars in the video are overtaking the well-lit camera cyclist. The drivers would have been watching him and the road ahead.
Unfortunately there wasn’t a conveniently-timed approaching car to silloute the ninja so they probably didn’t know he was there until he was right in their headlights, by which time they could have been alongside the first cyclist. His stupid actions put everyone there at risk.

Keep an eye open for idiots like this when driving and please make yourself as visible as possible when cycling. Don’t be an idiot.

I do and I do. Why wouldn’t I ‘keep an eye out’ for people on the road when I’m driving?

Funnily enough I was cycling home a couple of weeks ago and making a right turn, bus sitting at a bus stop in the oncoming lane but no traffic so set off across the junction, only to see a guy on a bike emerge from the glare of the bus headlights with no lights on.

I don’t wear hi-viz btw but I’m pretty visible.

Do we know the cyclist in that case was breaking those rules? mdavids said he had a high viz vest and rear light, just that they weren’t very good in his opinion.

yes but he also needs a front light according to the law.

I`ve still got the front and rear reflectors on my bike to give me that little extra visibility along with lights and reflective stuff. There should be a law that bikes have reflectors 😉

Or if a helicopter flew over him and lit him up with a searchlight.

Or if he was swarmed by some well-meaning fireflies.

Or…. …if he’d had some lights on like he is legally obliged to.

?

I thought we were playing spot the cyclist. You appeared to use it as a comparatively harder test than the first – I pointed out the difference between the two incidents.

I think the contrast/lighting is slightly different between the two vids making true assessment of the visibility of both cyclist almost impossible TBH.

I thought we were playing spot the cyclist. You appeared to use it as a comparatively harder test than the first – I pointed out the difference between the two incidents.

Sorry teasel – you seemed to be defending him saying “You’d easily spot the second ninja if..” so I just offered some more possible “ifs”.

Only one of which was actually in his control.

There should be a law that bikes have reflectors 😉

There is. (I assume the winkie means you know this?)

Unfortunately the law requires amber pedal reflectors – which aren’t terribly practical with clipless pedals.

You are also required to have a red rear reflector which many people don’t seem to bother with either.

I got slightly closer than I would have liked to a ninja cyclist the other day.
Country road, no lights, no road markings, about 1am, and the cyclist was wearing all dark clothing with no lights and only pedal reflectors whilst cycling in the thickest fog.

If I wasn’t such a driving god I may well have gotten too close. Even someone with the exceptional observation skills of Edukator would have almost certainly mowed down the suicyclist.

Sorry teasel – you seemed to be defending him saying “You’d easily spot the second ninja if..” so I just offered some more possible “ifs”.

Don’t apologise. I actually enjoyed the image of some well-meaning fireflies coming to the aid of a ‘hapless’ cyclist.

First vid is fairly easy because it’s streetlit,and fairly brightly.

Okay fair enough, apparently everyone saw the first cyclist, apart from me. 😳

He was more obvious when I watched it again full screen, but I missed him on my first run through because my eyes were on the black void to the left of the central island pinch point and the two unidentified light sources somewhere just beyond it (which ironically turned out to be a shared use sign and a zebra crossing).

i.e. I was looking here:

Chances are I’d have been looking in exactly the same places if I was driving.

Which just goes to show that:
a) People observe different things in different ways. Not everyone is a driving god.
b) it is possible for some people to miss ninjas even when they are looking for them
c) light sources draw the eye