|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#31
|
|||
|
|||
Invisible Cyclists in Solstice Dark
Rod King wrote:
Elisa Have you considered that if your colleague is driving so fast that they cannot pick out a cyclist then the appropriate action may be to slow down rather than moan about them wearing dark clothing. When motorists say that a cyclist was invisible or they just didn't see them it is usually because they aren't looking. What you are really complaining about was that there was little time to take avoiding action when seeing a cyclist. That is a car speed issue rather than a cyslist visiblity issue. Cyclists in flourescent jackets enable drivers to go faster. Hence when they do hit a cyclists theor pedestrian they are more likely to kill them. I believe that the responsibility is squarely with the motorist to conduct their driving so that they can avoid any obstacles that are within their vision. That means GO SLOWER. Merry Christmas Rod King Hey Rod. While there is some truth to your viewpoint, it is not entirely correct. Many cyclists ride without lights or reflectors while wearing dark clothes. Typically, cyclist ride at the side of the road rather than in the middle of the lane. All of this makes seeing a cyclist difficult at night. On the other hand, drivers have no trouble seeing other motor vehicles as they have lights and, to an extent, reflectors. No driver should drive at a speed such that he cannot stop within seeing distance. Similarly, every cyclist (or pedestrian or driver) should take reasonable steps to be visible. No driver is willingly going to drive at, say, 10KMH on the off-chance that there might be a stealth cyclist up ahead when, without a stealth cyclist, 35KMH is a reasonable speed. To expect the driver to do so is unreasonable. As a driver, I do not control other users of the road. I am responsible for, and in control of, my own actions. I drive at speeds such that my braking distance is within my seeing distance. Be mindful that at night, if the only things illuminating a cyclist are my car's headlights, a cyclist may not look like a cyclist (at least not when the cyclist is first in range). Under atypical illumination, ordinary things may be misidentified. By the time I recognise a cyclist as a cyclist, I may well be short on stopping distance. As a cyclists, we do not control other users of the road. We are responsible for, and in control of, our own actions. We first must put ourselves in the right and then educate others. If we do those two things, I am convinced our casualty rates will plummet. Merry Christmas and a Safe New Year Jeff |
Ads |
#32
|
|||
|
|||
Invisible Cyclists in Solstice Dark
Cross posting is a total pain. Bah Humbug to you cross posters on both sides
of the pond! -- Trevor A Panther In South Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom. Remove PSANTISPAM to reply "Elisa Francesca Roselli" wrote in message ... In these dark winter months, I am car-pooling with a colleague to get to work. Although I am impervious to cold, I am not happy about cycling because of the poor visibility. My road to work is poorly lit, my eyesight is bad, my balance perturbed by the dancing beam of my front light and my glasses fog up every time I stop. In the car, I really do get to notice what can and cannot be seen from a motorist's point of view. And I am appalled to discover just how hard it can be to see cyclists and pedestrians, and how few of them seem to be aware of this. Much winter clothing is dark or black to begin with. Then many ride entirely without lights, or just a little reflector. Great aurioles of light surround the street lights and the headlights of the oncoming cars, casting everything else around them into a pitch black shadow from the glare. A few days ago, I was standing on a pavement waiting for a bus, looking directly into the traffic. Two cyclists swooped right in front of me - they were less than 30 feet from me before I even noticed them. On mornings and even in the broad daylight of the lunch hour, there is frequently a freezing smog that not only soups up the air but makes the ground slippery. This smog can come on quite suddenly - all is clear, then the car descends into a barely perceptible valley and the windscreen empties like a movie screen with the projector turned off. For night riding it has been my personal practise to wear a reflector vest and blinkie lights on armbands. I have a LED headlight and a small red backlight. But my lesson from this is that perhaps even I need to up the ante. I shall get myself a yellow reflector parka from Glow Dog, and wear that even as a pedestrian. And I need more blinkies, especially in the back. I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but for those of you who do cycle in the dark, please make sure you are as visible as you can make yourselves. Perhaps do a visibility test with your gear - ask family or a neighbor for feedback on whether you can be seen and at what distance, especially if you are sharing the road with cars and headlights. Safe riding to all, EFR Ile de France |
#33
|
|||
|
|||
Invisible Cyclists in Solstice Dark
Pinky wrote:
Cross posting is a total pain. Bah Humbug to you cross posters on both sides of the pond! Ah. Troll. Good one. |
#34
|
|||
|
|||
Invisible Cyclists in Solstice Dark or "Is black white?"
|
#35
|
|||
|
|||
Invisible Cyclists in Solstice Dark
Jeff Williams wrote: I drive at speeds such that my braking distance is within my seeing distance. Be mindful that at night, if the only things illuminating a cyclist are my car's headlights, a cyclist may not look like a cyclist (at least not when the cyclist is first in range). Under atypical illumination, ordinary things may be misidentified. By the time I recognise a cyclist as a cyclist, I may well be short on stopping distance. You don't need to be able to identify a cyclist. You need to be able to identify a road. If you can see the road then it is clear to proceed, If you can see soemthing that is not road then it isn't. (Gross simplification but otherwise true.) ...d |
#36
|
|||
|
|||
Invisible Cyclists in Solstice Dark or "Is black white?"
On Sat, 24 Dec 2005 14:25:31 -0500, The Wogster
wrote: The whole situation is kinda dumb, but it really comes down to clothing design, why is it that winter coats are dark colours, when much of the time, it's dark out. I work for a courier company, and the courier jackets make use of reflective stripes of material, driving into a dark parking area, you can see two stripes one about 1.2m and 1.7m off the ground, it's easy to deduct that it's a person walking, especially since the stripes are moving. Really all jackets and coats should require it, hmmm, there is something to mention to clothing designers..... Isn't it wierd that most cycling jackets can be found in yellow or similar color, but hardly any long-sleeve jerseys are bright? Gray, dark red, blue, or black are pretty much invisible at dusk or night, but those are the colors you see available for most jerseys when scanning the catalogs and web sites. Pat Email address works as is. |
#37
|
|||
|
|||
Invisible Cyclists in Solstice Dark
My wife was travelling in a friends car in March 2005, quite close to
our home. The car almost hit a group of kids cycling. Her friend was temporarily blinded by some very bright house security lights. The cyclists, all around the age of 14, had no lights and no reflective gear. One of the cyclists was our son! As a result of this shocking incident I started an online source of cycle safety info - we also sell cycle conspicuity gear & other cycle safety gadgets. www.BeSeenOnABike.com was born! Chris Street (Happy Xmas Day) |
#38
|
|||
|
|||
Invisible Cyclists in Solstice Dark
David Martin wrote:
Jeff Williams wrote: I drive at speeds such that my braking distance is within my seeing distance. Be mindful that at night, if the only things illuminating a cyclist are my car's headlights, a cyclist may not look like a cyclist (at least not when the cyclist is first in range). Under atypical illumination, ordinary things may be misidentified. By the time I recognise a cyclist as a cyclist, I may well be short on stopping distance. You don't need to be able to identify a cyclist. You need to be able to identify a road. If you can see the road then it is clear to proceed, If you can see soemthing that is not road then it isn't. (Gross simplification but otherwise true.) ..d True enough. However: At a distance of 100m, a cyclist seen from behind occupies less than 1 degree of my field of view. Relative to a dark background, most cyclists do not demonstrate significant movement in a very short period of time. Given the profile of a cyclist seen from behind at a distance of 100m or so, in the dark a cyclist can easily be mistaken for an inanimate object. As I noted in my prior post, cyclists tend to ride at the side of the road, not in the middle of the lane. That doesn't mean a cyclist might not swerve towards the middle of the lane to avoid a pothole, etc. And don't forget that cyclists can be riding on crossroads. A cyclist may not be on my road until shortly before I close in on the intersection. If you'd rather not be seen, that's y'all's business. Personally, I'd rather give the four-wheelers an opportunity to see me and, hopefully, avoid me. Jeff |
#39
|
|||
|
|||
Invisible Cyclists in Solstice Dark
"Bill Sornson" wrote in message ... Pinky wrote: Cross posting is a total pain. Bah Humbug to you cross posters on both sides of the pond! Ah. Troll. Good one. But as you see, I am not a w*nker like you -- Trevor A Panther In South Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom. Remove PSANTISPAM to reply |
#40
|
|||
|
|||
Invisible Cyclists in Solstice Dark
"Pinky" wrote in message .uk... But as you see, I am not a w*nker like you Who ARE you a ****** like, then? |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Gobsmacked | wafflycat | UK | 63 | January 4th 06 06:50 PM |
water bottles,helmets | Mark | General | 191 | July 17th 05 04:05 PM |
Rec.Bicycles Frequently Asked Questions Posting Part 1/5 | Mike Iglesias | General | 4 | October 29th 04 07:11 AM |
Five cyclists cleared | Marty Wallace | Australia | 2 | July 3rd 04 11:15 PM |
MP wants cyclists banned-Morn. Pen. | rickster | Australia | 10 | June 1st 04 01:22 AM |