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Invisible Cyclists in Solstice Dark
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 |
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Invisible Cyclists in Solstice Dark
Elisa Francesca Roselli wrote: 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. With the "great aurioles of light," Elisa makes a point that the youngsters in the crowd may not be aware of. About 15 years ago, I visited a museum devoted to medical matters. They had a display illustrating the effects of aging. Part of that showed how aged eyes become cloudy. Supposedly, protein changes in the lens put a cloudy halo around every bright light. I recall thinking "Hmm. That doesn't happen with me." And it didn't - back then. But the effect is beginning to be noticeable now, 15 years later. Young people don't normally have this problem, and they may make the mistake of assuming that, since _they_ can see unlit cyclists and peds at night, everyone else can. Not so! So you cool young dudes and dudettes - put lights on your bike, and carry a tiny LED light when you walk (if you ever do actually walk). Use reflective stuff, too. It doesn't take much, but it takes _something_ bright to be seen. Remember, we old fogies are not only unfashionable and confused, we're half blind! - Frank Krygowski |
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Invisible Cyclists in Solstice Dark
wrote: (clip) Remember, we old fogies are not only unfashionable and confused, we're half blind! ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I'll be 88 in a couple of weeks, so I guess I have the right to say this. Older people take longer to form a meaningful picture from what enters their senses, and longer to react. We try to compensate for these losses, but many of us don't realize, or hate to admit they occur. The changes are so gradual we're not always aware of them. BTW, Elisa, your writing is delightful: "The windscreen empties like a movie screen with the projector turned off." |
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Invisible Cyclists in Solstice Dark
"Leo Lichtman" wrote in message ... wrote: (clip) Remember, we old fogies are not only unfashionable and confused, we're half blind! ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I'll be 88 in a couple of weeks, (clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I guess age has also affected my ability to add, or remember. ake that, "I'll be 78 in a couple of weeks..." |
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Invisible Cyclists in Solstice Dark
Leo Lichtman wrote: "Leo Lichtman" wrote in message ... wrote: (clip) Remember, we old fogies are not only unfashionable and confused, we're half blind! ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I'll be 88 in a couple of weeks, (clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I guess age has also affected my ability to add, or remember. ake that, "I'll be 78 in a couple of weeks..." Time does speed up as we age. I know I made it from 50 to 60 a lot faster than I did 10 to 20 ;-) |
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Invisible Cyclists in Solstice Dark
Leo Lichtman wrote:
"Leo Lichtman" wrote in message ... wrote: (clip) Remember, we old fogies are not only unfashionable and confused, we're half blind! ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I'll be 88 in a couple of weeks, (clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I guess age has also affected my ability to add, or remember. ake that, "I'll be 78 in a couple of weeks..." I was gonna say, Leo... 88?!? 78 is impressive enough! |
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Invisible Cyclists in Solstice Dark
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Invisible Cyclists in Solstice Dark
Zoot Katz wrote:
I causally, at 2am, stopped a couple of perforated and studded punks on the street and asked them if they thought my belt was cool. He liked the belt. She liked the buckle. Then they looked closer at six of the others I had and realised they were recycled bicycle parts. That got them both excited and I respectfully listened to what they had to say. (hmmm) They're not so blind they can't spot kool zut when they see it. Somewhere, on some alt.punk newsgroup, s/he's posting about this strange old biker coot who, roaming the alleys at 2 AM, made them look at his "belt" (hoping it's not a euphemism). Weirdo! eg |
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Invisible Cyclists in Solstice Dark
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#10
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Invisible Cyclists in Solstice Dark
In uk.rec.cycling Stephen Harding wrote:
On 23 Dec 2005 08:02:24 -0800, wrote: So you cool young dudes and dudettes - put lights on your bike, and carry a tiny LED light when you walk (if you ever do actually walk). Use reflective stuff, too. It doesn't take much, but it takes _something_ bright to be seen. Besides my normal bike commute, I also walk my turbo-supercharged Irish Setter in the morning before I pedal off to work, and in the evening after my return from work. Perhaps 3-5 miles per day (and maybe a 15 miler via MTB on a weekend!). During the evening walk, I carry a small LED light and am constantly surprised at how, even with a fairly bright light, I am apparently not seen until the last minute as I and dog are preparing to dive off the side of the road (a very dark, curvy road along the local river course). I once came across a horrible multiple car accident on the A1 at night. The wreckage could only safely be negotiated slowly and carefully. Since lots of folk were already helpiung the injured and trying to clear the road, I legged off to mount advance warning by waving a torch at oncoming drivers. After being forced to dive into the hedgerow several times I concluded that it couldn't possibly be that, wearing bright reflective gear, standing in the middle of the road, and waving a powerful torch, I wasn't been seen. I concluded that I was being seen, and being identified as an annoying impediment to fast motorised progress who needed to be taught a lesson about who the road belonged to. -- Chris Malcolm +44 (0)131 651 3445 DoD #205 IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK [http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/] |
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