Riding at (or past) the edges of daylight

[DeniseGoldberg]

There have been some recent discussions about which lights to buy for biking after dark, providing a lot of great information and comments on personal experience with taillights. Here's a link to one of those discussions for anyone who is looking for lights: Bright Rear Lights (http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=10849). Rather than skew that discussion of what lights to buy, I thought a separate entry was warranted.

First, let me admit that I only commute to work during the part of the year when I can ride in daylight in both directions, and that my recreational riding is only done during daylight. What prompted me to write are several cyclists I saw on the road this week as I was driving home from work (both at dusk and in full dark conditions). And yes, I am writing this from the point of view of a driver of a motor vehicle.

One cyclist had no lights at all, and no reflective clothing. He absolutely faded into the night. Bad.

The second had a very bright (and blinking) tail light, with no other lights on the bicycle or on the cyclist. This lack of lights was made even worse by the fact that the cyclist was wearing dark clothing. As I drove up behind him, I was very much aware that there was a cyclist on the road ahead of me. At first glance I thought that was fine, but I was wrong. The cyclist pulled to the left into a left turn lane to make a turn. I could see him from behind, but as I passed him (OK, OK, I know it could have been a woman...) I glanced to the left. I couldn't see him at all from the side, and he didn't have a headlight or any blinking lights on him. Yes, oncoming traffic should have picked him up in their headlights, but I could argue that he was still putting himself in a very dangerous situation.

The third cyclist was very visible. There were excellent lights on the bike, both back and front. And the cyclist also had a lights on his helmet and was wearing reflective bands. This individual could be seen from the front and back as well as from the side.

Another thing that I think we should all be aware of is the angle of the light late in the day (and probably early in the day too). Last Saturday I was riding in the afternoon and was out at about 3:30. It was a bright day, and there was still plenty of daylight. But at one point I was riding directly into the sun and had difficulty seeing a runner coming towards me on my side of the road. We were both in the right place - I was riding with traffic, and she was running against traffic. I did see her, but later than I should have (and no, we didn't crash). My difficulty in seeing her means that a driver coming up behind me could also have had trouble seeing me. From that point on I kept an ear tuned to the back so that I could pull off of the road quickly if I heard a car coming up behind me. I think that I may start wearing bright blinking red lights at that time of the day, just in case...

For those of you who are braver than I am and who are riding at night - please make sure that you can be seen from all directions. Safety first...

--- Denise

[Veronica]

Great post Denise!

The only thing I'd add - don't forget those lights if you are riding in the rain or fog.

V.

[alforfun]

Yes yes I agree totally with Denise. There are no street lights here; but there are curving, winding, hilly country roads where people are driving at least 55 mph...and as a cyclist you need all the lights you can get. As a driver, by the time you realize what the heck those blinky lights are...you are ontop of the cyclist, with not much manuevering room. I almost think that dusk is the worst time, as the blinky lights are not as effective as when it is totally dark. This has made me very cautious about riding when the light dims...don't want to be road kill.

[lph]

Thanks Denise! Similar experiences prompted me to add a bit more than the standard lights fore-and-aft: reflective bands on both ankles so I can be seen from the side and one on my left wrist so I can signal a visible left turn.

[Tri Girl]

Great reminder Denise. Thanks!

[Deborajen]

Excellent points - good to bring them up. This time of year is my favorite for riding to work as far as weather, but I get nervous about being visible with the sun being so low and blinding me out. Also good to remember about making yourself visible from all sides - not just so drivers will see you with their headlights. I think a lot of cyclists don't realize just how invisible they are.

Deb

[Bikingmomof3]

Great tips Denise. I run at night and wear a lot of lights, but it sounds like I could use more.

[massbikebabe]

Denise;

GREAT POST!!!! You are, (to quote my children), AWESOME:D :D :D :D
This post makes me realize us NE girls need to get a dinner together again.




karen
who is forwarding this info to college student daughter who is riding the streets of Boston well after dark:eek:

[DeniseGoldberg]

Great tips Denise. I run at night and wear a lot of lights, but it sounds like I could use more.
I walk at night and I also wear a lot of lights. Funny - last night I was walking through the college campus next to my home and two of the college policemen called out to me and asked if cars stopped for me. I guess I was visible!

The lights I like are the Firefly Supernova lights from RoadID (http://www.roadid.com/firefly.asp#supernova). I use 2 blinking red lights facing to the back on a reflective belt (http://www.roadid.com/learnmore_ffb.asp?back=/firefly.asppoundsignbelt), 1 blinking blue light facing forward on the same reflective belt, and 2 blinking blue lights strapped to my right arm facing forward (since I am walking facing traffic). It seems to work - since that's the second time I've been told I looked like a police car.

Denise;
GREAT POST!!!! You are, (to quote my children), AWESOME... This post makes me realize us NE girls need to get a dinner together again.

karen
who is forwarding this info to college student daughter who is riding the streets of Boston well after dark:eek:
Thanks Karen! You're right, we should all get together again...

--- Denise

[Bikingmomof3]

Thanks Denise! I definitely do not have enough lights on.

[SadieKate]

Thanks, Denise. I started riding after dark last year and have really focused a lot of attention on being visible on night. This winter I think I'll be doing more daytime riding in the fog. I've always stayed off the roads because visibility is so poor, but this year I can't if I want to make some goals. Therefore, I've been working on visibility in the fog. Visibility in the dark is almost a piece o' cake in comparison to the fog. Reflective items just don't cut it in the fog so you almost need more lights in some ways.

[emily_in_nc]

Driving home from work this week, like Denise, I encountered a commuting cyclist from behind who had a bright blinking tail light, but no other forms of reflectivity and darkish cycling clothing (tho after a certain level of darkness, even screaming yellow wouldn't have helped much). I immediately thought "Illuminite" -- the fabric that's used in jerseys, vests, jackets, and such, and lights up in car headlights. Does anyone who rides after dark use it? From the photos in catalogs, it looks like it would dramatically increase a rider's visibility to a car with headlights on, but I've never actually seen it in use.

I worry about those bike commuters out there too -- and as a fellow cyclist (tho' I don't ride at night), I certainly feel for them. I think some of them just have no idea that they are not as visible to motorists as they think.

Emily

[SadieKate]

I live in a college town and there seems to be a distinct difference in one's perception of visibility between adults and students. The students will have whatever OEM reflectors came on their claptrap bikes and a very weak head lamp, though most don't even have this. You would think that a few days of the campus police getting a little persnickety would solve this. Earlier this week, 3 of them plowed into each other behind us at a roundy because none of them had lights and could see one another. The adult commuters have lights, reflective wear and aren't wearing headphones or talking on their cellphones. It just seems so easy for a college to do some education about visibility -- and then enforce it on campus.

[makbike]

Sadly, this morning a cyclist in Louisville was killed as he made a right turn off a busy road onto a side street just as a motorist was making a left turn onto the same side street. The accident occurred just before sunrise and according to various news sources in town the cyclist was not wearing any reflective clothing. He had the right of way but the motorist did not see him. Now a family grieves the loss of their loved one and the motorist's life has been changed forever, a sad start to the day for many.

Last night as I was traveling on one of Louisville's busiest roadways I came upon a cyclist who apparently had a deathwish. They had a blinking light on the bike but it was very evident the batteries were worn out for the light was quite dim. The cyclist had on a reflective vest but it too appeared to be tired for it was not bouncing light like it should. Finally, the cyclist was dressed in black making them even harder to see at 8:30 p.m. I'm guessing this person made it home safe and sound but all I can say is they were very fortunate to do so.

Please take Denise's note to heart if you ride before the sun rises or after it sets. We have a responsibility to make ourselves visible so all can see us from the front, from the back and from the side.

[DeniseGoldberg]

...I immediately thought "Illuminite" -- the fabric that's used in jerseys, vests, jackets, and such, and lights up in car headlights. Does anyone who rides after dark use it?
Emily
I have a jacket that has Illuminte in the sleeves and in a band around the bottom of the jacket. I bought it because I liked the jacket (as opposed to for the Illuminite). Illuminite does light up when it's hit by lights - but only with a direct hit straight at the material. So I'd say that it's OK as an extra, but not as a sole lighting source.

I still believe that lighter and brighter colors are better at night - they are more visible when hit by light than dark colors.

But I really believe that if we're going to be out on the road at night - whether it's on our bikes or on foot - that we need some type of active light (as in blinking lights, not just bright colored or reflective fabric).

--- Denise

[Bikingmomof3]

Thank you again Denise for reminding me I am not lit up enough when I run at night. I will be ordering more lights, since I actually prefer running in the evenings.

[SadieKate]

I think lots of lights of lights are important. Sometimes visibility is the hardest in town because of the dazzle of the street lights, car lights, porch lights, store fronts, etc., so even more lights maybe necessary there.

On the blinking lights, I thought that drunks were attracted to blinking lights and that a steady light is better. I know on brevets, a blinkling light means you need assistance. Anyone have links to the studies on blinking lights and safety?

[xeney]

My husband is convinced that the blinking light is more visible, but my Cateye EL300 (http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=101&subcategory=1067&brand=&sku=18850&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=Shop%20by%20Subcat%3A%20Front%20Lights) does not blink, and last week I had a driver roll down his window and thank me for using such a bright light. I do use a smaller blinking Cateye sometimes because this one is so big that I worry about it falling off, though.

Lately I have been doing most of my riding in the dark, and I always use front and rear lights, but I'm going to tack on to Denise's advice and say that lights aren't enough, either; you also need the reflectors and light clothing. When my husband got hit by a car, he had front and rear lights, and the left-turning car was coming from the other direction, and the driver still never saw him and drove right into him. Every jacket my husband owns is black or dark blue, his bike is dark blue, he doesn't wear reflective clothing, and basically he is relying on what amounts to a flashlight to alert drivers to his presence. (I'm pretty sure the guy who hit him was a little drunk, because I think a sober person would have seen the light, but you have to account for drunks and people who are distracted, too.)

The jacket (http://www.backcountry.com/store/MAR0438/Marmot-PreCip-Jacket-Womens.html) I wear most of the winter is a bright yellow, but it has no reflective points. I'm thinking of putting some reflector strips on my helmet and maybe on the rear baskets on my commuter. I've started wearing a red light on my helmet as well as on the back of the bike, but I worry about front illumination, and about cars seeing me from the side. I really like riding at night, and in some ways I feel safer because I can see cars a lot better even if they don't see me, and in my neighborhood it is certainly safer to ride at night than to walk at night, which is my other option. But I have been thinking about the reflector issue a lot.

[SadieKate]

I have a Cateye EL400 (http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=&subcategory=&brand=0307&sku=12203&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=Shop%20by%20Brand:%20Cateye) on my helmet and run a L&M HID on my bars. One of the things I've noticed in town is how often lights mounted low on the bike are invisible. So, I've got a Cateye safety light (http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=47679730&parent_category_rn=4500822&vcat=REI_SSHP_CYCLING_TOC) on the back of my helmet and added reflective strips (http://www.teamestrogen.com/products.asp?pID=4663)for side visibility. This puts a lot of stuff up high and less likely to be blocked. Lights mounted low on a fork or chain stay can be good some of the time but I've seen cyclists become invisible when something else blocked view of those lights.

I also just switched to a Blackburn Mars3 tail light (http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=47944301&parent_category_rn=4500822&vcat=REI_SSHP_CYCLING_TOC)for its side visibility.

Fortunately, I don't commute in the rain and heavy traffic, but if I did I think I would invest in one of the lighted safety vests (http://www.teamestrogen.com/products.asp?pID=17431)

[wannaduacentury]

Great post. I look at it like this, if you have daytime running lights on your car, try to do the same for you and your bike. I'm going to put a blinky on my bike even for daytime on top of my bright clothing etc.

[HipGnosis6]

I'm lucky I have a specialty store near me (Seattle Fabrics) that sells strips of reflective tape, reflectorized grosgrain ribbon, even reflective-coated ripstop nylon. I add this stuff to EVERYTHING. But Denise is right - active lighting is way better than passive systems ilike textiles and reflectors. Reflectors only work at very limited angles, and things like coated fabrics have that same limitation as well as not working when they're wet! Sheldon Brown has some really interesting articles on reflectors:

http://sheldonbrown.com/reflectors.html

[newfsmith]

There are 2 ways to add reflectivity to any jacket. The easiest and most reversable is to top it with a cycling/running vest. However, this route means putting on still another layer of clothes, which is a real drag. I went to a marine (boating supply) store and purchased flexible retroreflective stickers. I put them on the back of my jacket, down the arms & in stripes over my shoulders halfway down the front of the jacket. So far they have stayed on through at least 8 launderings.

[DeniseGoldberg]

Sheldon Brown has some really interesting articles on reflectors:
http://sheldonbrown.com/reflectors.html
Thanks for the link, very interesting!
--- Denise

[maillotpois]

Great post! Yesterday, I had to go pick up DH from his long ride as he had misjudged the time and didn't want to ride without a rear light (which is on his commuter bike, but not the bike he rode yesterday). I was a little grumpy about it because I had to go get him in the middle of cooking dinner, and it seemed plenty light to me when I left the house - but he was right. By the time he would have been home, it would have been too dark to ride. So he did the right thing.

As for blinky lights - RUSA and other rando groups discourage use of blinky tail lights. I do remember hearing something about them being a magnet for drunk drivers as well. I can tell you they are SUPER annoying when you are riding beside or behind someone with a blinky tail light.

[GLC1968]

This is a great post!

My DH and I started commuting this year and we made a point of outfitting our bikes with lights, reflective tape, reflective clothing, etc. Then we each took turns riding around while the other of us was in the car (we went to a non-lit neighborhood) to see how visable we actually were. My tail light was very bright, blinking or not. DH's tail light was less visible when it was a steady light. We both put reflective tape on our bikes and extra reflective sticky things on our helmets after this exercise.

Something else to think about: I choose my clothing based on my riding conditions. My evening commute used to take me through a construction zone while the sun was setting and the leaves were turning. This meant that wearing yellow or orange wasn't going to help my visability. Those days, I wore turquoise or bright blue. Now, it's fully dark in those places (and the trees have lost most of the leaves) so I've gone back to bright yellow.

I also wear an illuminite vest but I have no idea how bright it is as I've never seen it on someone else! (I didn't have it yet when we did our little test mentioned above). I'll have to prop it up infront of my headlights tonight after dark to see how visible it really is....;)

[Geonz]

I've been told that my HOkey Spokes are "da bomb." THey not only are visible from all kinds of angles (but especially from the side), but because they're going 'round and 'round, they also announce that I'm a bicycle. I wish they were a little less eccentric; they sometimes turn themselves on, and sometimes one of 'em doesn't work, and they're expensive.
For the Gazelle, I felt all kinds of inconspicuous (and that's just not good for my closet extroverted psyche!!) even with the generator light and the taillight, so I got me some spoke lights. Maybe I'll start picking up the change in the intersections and saving for more hokeys :) They're not *as* bright as hokeyspokes but much the same effect.
I've also got a hi-viz camelbak - but of course you gotta have some light to reflect from!
I have, even on the bike, had a close encounter or two with people in flogging **black** clothes, no helmet of course, riding in the dark on the street. Ah, to be young and indestructible!! Not!!

[7rider]

Yup...you can never have too much reflectivity on your bod when riding at or around dark. And lights, too.
But one area that I haven't read here that I think worth mentioning as useful:
Reflective sidewall tires.
Both DH and I have them on our flat bar bikes and it's amazing how much light they bounce back.
Here's an example, but they do come in road bike and hybrid sizes:
http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=47985634&parent_category_rn=4500880&vcat=REI_SEARCH
I highly recommend them as your "winter tires."

[light_sabe_r]

Regina. I've got a set of those!!!

The one's I have are MAXISS (hybrid wheels)

whenever light hits it, It BEAMS up reflective. BF reckons he can see me side on from miles away :)

I have a BBB front headlight (BF bought it for me last week) and it ROCKS. It's so bright that not only does it announce I'm coming round a corner, it also allows me to see things on the road such as cane toads and avoid them (although I would be doing the endangered frog population a favour if I ran over them)

It has a RING as well as the front light, so you can see LIGHT from almost any direction

I've got a cateye blinker light on my saddle pack... it's a shame my mudguard keeps switching it on though.

[Trekhawk]

Regina. I've got a set of those!!!

The one's I have are MAXISS (hybrid wheels)

whenever light hits it, It BEAMS up reflective. BF reckons he can see me side on from miles away :)

I have a BBB front headlight (BF bought it for me last week) and it ROCKS. It's so bright that not only does it announce I'm coming round a corner, it also allows me to see things on the road such as cane toads and avoid them (although I would be doing the endangered frog population a favour if I ran over them)

It has a RING as well as the front light, so you can see LIGHT from almost any direction

I've got a cateye blinker light on my saddle pack... it's a shame my mudguard keeps switching it on though.

Hey LS - have you got a link for this headlight?? Im trying to sort through all the options at the moment as my little light just doesnt cut it.:)

[paigette]

Just want to plug Planet Bike's Blinky 3 rear light, I have it on my road bike & at last night's group ride, every one was commenting on how bright it was!

I know I need more side lighting and have been looking into products, but most are available on-line & I kind of want to see the stuff in person (yeah, yeah, immediate gratification & all that) :p

[spokewench]

I agree with all of these great posts that you can't have enough lights at night. We all have to realize though that people in cars do not see you in the daylight because they are not looking for you! You are the odd "girl" out. So, you have to realize that at night YOU ARE INVISIBLE! If there is any doubt in your mind and it means stopping your bike so someone does not pull out in front of you - STOP! When I ride at night I always believe I am invisible and must take care of myself!

This attitude was reinforced and became my night riding attitude years ago when I was riding home from a tennis lesson in Castro Valley coming back to my house in San Leandro. It was dark and I had a very nice night rider front light that I used for riding mountain bikes at night so it was quite bright, I had on a reflective jacket, reflective shoes, and a rear blinking light. I was thinking oh, these people have to be idiots if they don't see me; but really people may see a blinking light or a smaller headlight and they just don't register that someone might be out riding a bike at night. You have to realize these car drivers are usually not bikers and have no idea that someone would ride at night so that don't make the connection between light and a bike coming their way.

I was the only bike/car coming down the road I was on and someone pulled directly out with me pretty much right in front of the driver side hood. My reaction was to jump my bike sideways and as I was doing this the driver must have seen me and slammed on the brakes just missing me by inches! It was a very close call and I know that this person JUST DID NOT SEE ME (or if he did, he never registered that there was actually someone riding their bike at night.

So, my warning is always believe you are invisible at night! It can save your life!

[light_sabe_r]

Hey LS - have you got a link for this headlight?? Im trying to sort through all the options at the moment as my little light just doesnt cut it.:)

http://www.bbbparts.com/

Click LIGHT SETS under ACCESSORIES then click on the NIGHTBEAM (BLS-17)

http://www.cecilwalker.com.au/category68_1.htm
(down bottom of the page)

[Trekhawk]

http://www.bbbparts.com/

Click LIGHT SETS under ACCESSORIES then click on the NIGHTBEAM (BLS-17)

http://www.cecilwalker.com.au/category68_1.htm
(down bottom of the page)

Thanks light.:)