Some of the things you're experiencing are why roads can be safer than paths

When I don't actually have a Christmas Tree on my bike, I still like to be lit up like one. When I went back to "regular" lights after last Christmas, I noticed a tangible - not huge, but tangible - difference in when the folks I share the byways with reacted to my presence, and how much space they gave to me. Now that we're going into Dark Seasons, I have to figure out the fancy stuff. I'll be going online to see if, somewhere, there are those strings of battery powered lights on sale outside of the "holiday" season...