Wimped out on commuting in the dark

[divingbiker]

This afternoon I had to make a decision whether I was going to leave work at 5 pm and ride home in the dark, or change my work schedule so I could leave at 4 and ride home in the daylight. I started thinking about how bad the traffic is on the narrow DC streets I commute on, and how little attention people pay to bikes even when they can see them in the daytime, and Silver's accident, and I got a little freaked out at the prospect of riding in the dark. So I opted for the 4 pm leaving time. (What this means is that I will have to work every day, instead of having every other Friday off. I'll really miss my Fridays off, but I don't do much productive with them in the winter anyway.)

I'm feeling a bit wimpy, but I think it's just too risky to trust DC drivers.

[DebW]

Maybe you're being smart rather than wimpy. I did one dark commute last week and decided it's not my favorite thing. Maybe I'll do 1-2 commutes per week when the weather is too nice to pass up, but I'm just not real excited about dark commutes.

added 10/31/06:

I don't worry too much about being seen. Blinking lights are hard to miss in the dark (the darker the better). I worry more about not seeing the road well enough. It is dark on the roads I ride, and even with a 10 watt headlight and second light, the road is just not that visible. Potholes and tree limbs are often invisible until I'm within 6-10 feet. The other hazard I discovered was unlit trailers. A truck passed me pulling a trailer. I saw the truck fine but just as it passed I glanced left and could barely discern that it was pulling a trailer (the trailer probably had tail lights but nothing visible from the side). If I'd decided to move left to avoid a pothole at that moment and not seen the trailer, it would have been bad. So, maybe it's my eyes or maybe I need a really high powered light mounted on my helmet. But I'm just not that comfortable riding in the dark.

[mscommuter]

I did my first commute home in the dark today (Long Island, NY), having just installed front and rear lights yesterday. I thought it felt kinda cool, but then I also had the general sense that, if anything, I was *more* seen than usual due to the lighting system. Cars seemed to give me a wider berth, but then what's one ride? Time will tell...

And, we're all different, some people don't see as well at night and so on (that goes for the cars as well as us). And, night cycling is indeed considered to be the most dangerous statistically speaking. So, I think that rule #1 is feeling comfortable and relaxed in what works best for you! Anxiety and nerves cause accidents. Just do it when you can! :-)

[7rider]

What is that saying?
"Discretion is the better part of valor."

During a recent dark a.m. commute, I nearly got taken out twice by cars coming out of side streets - within the span of about 1/4 mile. Just today - in twilight, not even dark - a school bus came out in front of my riding partner (I wasn't with him at the time) and forced him to grab a handful of brakes and make a darting swerve into the street from which the bus had just come.

Yeah...don't think of it as wimp. Think of it as smart. If and when you're ready to take it on, the roads will be there waiting for you. In the meantime, flexible schedules work, too. Don't sweat it.

[DebW]

What is that saying?
"Discretion is the better part of valor."

Or

"(S)he who chickens today lives to cluck another day."

[dingster1]

I work the midnight shift. Thankfully I have a short commute. Well lit, low traffic.

[divingbiker]

Actually, I should have said I wimped out on commuting in the dark in the evening, because I enjoyed riding in the morning in the dark (before the time changed). There's much less traffic then, and people aren't as frantic as they are in the evening when they're trying to get home. The good part about leaving early is there's a lot less traffic on the road at 4:30 than there is at 5:30, so not only is it daylight but the congestion is not nearly so bad. Not sure I feel "smart" about choosing to ride in the daylight, but I sure feel safer.

[KnottedYet]

Better to be safe.

My mom can't see in the dark, her eyesight is going. Sometimes she does have to drive in the dark, even though she truly tries to avoid it.

I worry for bicyclists and pedestrians then. (and dogs and bears and deer and cattle and any other critters that might be wandering in the hills near her road)

[susiej]

Or

"(S)he who chickens today lives to cluck another day."

Or

Better safe than sorry.

Didn't they say in driving class (22 years ago ...) that dusk has worse visibility than night? Sense != wimp. No matter what those eXtreME sPorTs people will try to tell you.

[lph]

From now on until March or so I'll be commuting mostly in the dark, though once the snow comes it won't really be that dark.

I don't like reflective vests, and have settled for:

on my bike: blinking white (almost blue - the yellow ones are a lot harder to see) 4 LED light in front, blinking red standard 3 LED in back - both quite broad and fairly visible from the side

on my helmet: a tiny steady-beam 1 LED light in front on my helmet, ditto blinking red on the back of my helmet... back-up in case the one on the bike gets obscured by mud or my jacket

Plus a broad reflective band on each ankle, to be visible from the side in crossings, and one on my left wrist to be extra visible when signalling a left turn.

I feel fairly visible, but I don't have much to see the road with, if the road itself is poorly lit.