A Cycling & bikes forum. CycleBanter.com

Go Back   Home » CycleBanter.com forum » rec.bicycles » General
Site Map Home Register Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

Close call



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old September 9th 09, 04:59 PM posted to rec.bicycles.misc
catzz66[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 110
Default Close call

If I were not a cyclist myself, I would have probably collided with a
guy one night earlier in the week. I was turning onto a busy
residential street. It is pretty dark with lots of overhanging trees to
minimize the benefit of what street lights there are. It was about 1
hour past sunset, so it was quite dark outside.

Cyclist was wearing dark clothing and had no headlight on his bike. If
I had not seen the movement out of the corner of my eye, I would have
pulled out right in front of him. Luckily for him I was able to stop.
The idiot would have had no way to avoid my car.

I ride at night in this neighborhood myself. It is almost perfectly
square and well laid out, so it is easy to take a street that is one
street off the main drag rather than go down the main two lane street.
I also use headlight and taillight usually on blinky mode and wear a
light colored shirt or top, at least.
Ads
  #2  
Old September 9th 09, 05:49 PM posted to rec.bicycles.misc
notme
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 58
Default Close call

On Wed, 9 Sep 2009 08:59:34 -0700, catzz66 wrote
(in article ):

If I were not a cyclist myself, I would have probably collided with a
guy one night earlier in the week. I was turning onto a busy
residential street. It is pretty dark with lots of overhanging trees to
minimize the benefit of what street lights there are. It was about 1
hour past sunset, so it was quite dark outside.

Cyclist was wearing dark clothing and had no headlight on his bike. If
I had not seen the movement out of the corner of my eye, I would have
pulled out right in front of him. Luckily for him I was able to stop.
The idiot would have had no way to avoid my car.

I ride at night in this neighborhood myself. It is almost perfectly
square and well laid out, so it is easy to take a street that is one
street off the main drag rather than go down the main two lane street.
I also use headlight and taillight usually on blinky mode and wear a
light colored shirt or top, at least.


The recent (decade?) preference for black in all attire doesn't help. This
goes for pedestrians, too. Driving at night it's difficult to make out
someone from the rear with a "hoodie" up, hands in pockets, dressed in black
tip to toe.

  #3  
Old September 9th 09, 05:53 PM posted to rec.bicycles.misc
Just zis Guy, you know?[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 4,166
Default Close call

On Wed, 9 Sep 2009 09:49:33 -0700, notme wrote:

The recent (decade?) preference for black in all attire doesn't help. This
goes for pedestrians, too. Driving at night it's difficult to make out
someone from the rear with a "hoodie" up, hands in pockets, dressed in black
tip to toe.


Remember the 60s? Neon-bright colours but all the road gangs and rail
workers wore donkey jackets. Funny old world.

Most of the problem driving round town at night seems to me to be
caused by dazzle from oncoming cars. When there are no oncoming
bright blue headlights I find it quite easy to see pedestrians
whatever they are wearing.

Guy
--
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk/urc | http://www.nohelmetlaw.org.uk/
"Nullius in Verba" - take no man's word for it.
- attr. Horace, chosen by John Evelyn for the Royal Society
  #4  
Old September 9th 09, 06:07 PM posted to rec.bicycles.misc
Mark T.B. Carroll[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2
Default Close call

"Just zis Guy, you know?" writes:

Most of the problem driving round town at night seems to me to be
caused by dazzle from oncoming cars. When there are no oncoming
bright blue headlights I find it quite easy to see pedestrians
whatever they are wearing.


A problem I had as a car driver with modern fancy headlamps is that the
region illuminated is so sharply defined that, coming down a hill, I'd
get no illumination whatsoever of bicyclists up the other side of the
dip. Twilight was especially awkward for that - I'd really have to slow
down just in case. So, for suitable values of "bright blue headlights",
they're a problem from both sides.

(Lovely to see a thread that isn't widely cross-posted!)

Mark
  #5  
Old September 9th 09, 09:08 PM posted to rec.bicycles.misc
Andrew Price
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 828
Default Close call

On Wed, 9 Sep 2009 09:49:33 -0700, notme wrote:

I ride at night in this neighborhood myself. It is almost perfectly
square and well laid out, so it is easy to take a street that is one
street off the main drag rather than go down the main two lane street.
I also use headlight and taillight usually on blinky mode and wear a
light colored shirt or top, at least.


The recent (decade?) preference for black in all attire doesn't help.


Neither does the fact that the cyclist mentioned by the OP had no
lights. I assume that most, if not all of the posters to this thread
live in the U.S. - is there no requirement in your legislation for
cyclists to carry lights after dark?
  #6  
Old September 9th 09, 10:41 PM posted to rec.bicycles.misc
Kristian M Zoerhoff
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 472
Default Close call

On 2009-09-09, Andrew Price wrote:
On Wed, 9 Sep 2009 09:49:33 -0700, notme wrote:

I ride at night in this neighborhood myself. It is almost perfectly
square and well laid out, so it is easy to take a street that is one
street off the main drag rather than go down the main two lane street.
I also use headlight and taillight usually on blinky mode and wear a
light colored shirt or top, at least.


The recent (decade?) preference for black in all attire doesn't help.


Neither does the fact that the cyclist mentioned by the OP had no
lights. I assume that most, if not all of the posters to this thread
live in the U.S. - is there no requirement in your legislation for
cyclists to carry lights after dark?


AFAIK, headlights are required in all 50 states when *operating* a
bicycle at night, but are not required as equipment on a *new* bicycle, so
virtually no bikes come with them. Since bicyclists are often invisble to
local law enforcement(literally as well as figuratively), no one really forces
them to get lights.

--

Kristian Zoerhoff

  #7  
Old September 10th 09, 12:27 AM posted to rec.bicycles.misc
Ben Pfaff
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 176
Default Close call

Kristian M Zoerhoff writes:

AFAIK, headlights are required in all 50 states when
*operating* a bicycle at night, but are not required as
equipment on a *new* bicycle, so virtually no bikes come with
them. Since bicyclists are often invisble to local law
enforcement(literally as well as figuratively), no one really
forces them to get lights.


I'm not sure that it would help to require them on new bicycles:
in California, all new bicycles are required to come equipped
with reflectors on both wheels and on the pedals, yet many new
bicycles are sold without them.
--
Ben Pfaff
http://benpfaff.org
  #8  
Old September 10th 09, 07:32 AM posted to rec.bicycles.misc
Just zis Guy, you know?[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 4,166
Default Close call

On Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:27:04 -0700, Ben Pfaff
wrote:

AFAIK, headlights are required in all 50 states when
*operating* a bicycle at night, but are not required as
equipment on a *new* bicycle, so virtually no bikes come with
them. Since bicyclists are often invisble to local law
enforcement(literally as well as figuratively), no one really
forces them to get lights.


I'm not sure that it would help to require them on new bicycles


Indeed. Most are not ridden at night, and adding cost would further
deter people from buying (and hence riding) bikes.

Guy
--
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk/urc | http://www.nohelmetlaw.org.uk/
"Nullius in Verba" - take no man's word for it.
- attr. Horace, chosen by John Evelyn for the Royal Society
  #9  
Old September 10th 09, 03:31 PM posted to rec.bicycles.misc
catzz66[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 110
Default Close call

Ben Pfaff wrote:
Kristian M Zoerhoff writes:

AFAIK, headlights are required in all 50 states when
*operating* a bicycle at night, but are not required as
equipment on a *new* bicycle, so virtually no bikes come with
them. Since bicyclists are often invisble to local law
enforcement(literally as well as figuratively), no one really
forces them to get lights.


I'm not sure that it would help to require them on new bicycles:
in California, all new bicycles are required to come equipped
with reflectors on both wheels and on the pedals, yet many new
bicycles are sold without them.


They do show up well a lot of the time. It would not have helped much
in this case, since he was coming towards me at a 90 degree angle and no
lights were shining on his pedals.
  #10  
Old September 11th 09, 12:55 AM posted to rec.bicycles.misc
Bill Baka
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,083
Default Close call

Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:
On Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:27:04 -0700, Ben Pfaff
wrote:

AFAIK, headlights are required in all 50 states when
*operating* a bicycle at night, but are not required as
equipment on a *new* bicycle, so virtually no bikes come with
them. Since bicyclists are often invisble to local law
enforcement(literally as well as figuratively), no one really
forces them to get lights.

I'm not sure that it would help to require them on new bicycles


Indeed. Most are not ridden at night, and adding cost would further
deter people from buying (and hence riding) bikes.

Guy


I personally enjoy riding at night by the starlight but that is me and
it is way out in the country. I can hear a car from 2 miles (it is that
quiet and isolated.). The light allows me to make about 12 to 14 MPH
which is all I want anyway. The moon/stars let me go about 8 to 10 MPH
but I sometimes get hit by a big pothole and crash. At 8 MPH in the
weeds it is a laughing event, not a tragedy. In town I will leave the
light on most of the time but there are some stretches where it is again
not needed. I like batteries fresh for when I need them, hence I carry
two AA cells for the camera and 4 for the head lamp, mostly to warn
other drivers that there is someone ahead of them.

Bill Baka
 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Close Call Goats_On_Unicycles Unicycling 46 December 31st 08 02:22 AM
A close call nget Recumbent Biking 6 November 20th 06 07:46 PM
Close call? Neil Brooks General 11 October 3rd 05 07:32 PM
close call! Mark Heiple General 24 September 21st 05 08:08 AM
Close Call... Dana Recumbent Biking 6 August 18th 05 05:44 AM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 08:48 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 CycleBanter.com.
The comments are property of their posters.