lighting requirements around the world

bob prohaska wrote:
Sepp Ruf wrote:

Different ones, but converging toward ISO. America last, probably.


https://www.techstreet.com/standards/bs-iso-6742-2-2015-a1-2018?product_id=2015307
Sample showing ISO rear lamp photometry (seems identical to Stvzo/TA):
https://www.sis.se/api/document/preview/918906/


Are there plain English versions of either? The first is pricey, the
second impenetrable 8-).

I'm sorry, the second one was the wrong link.
https://www.sis.se/api/document/preview/918905/

I'm just looking for the spirit, not the letter...

Never look for spirits in law and government offices!
(They might have some hand sanitizer, though.)

And yes, don't complain too loudly about a primitive vehicle code, or you
might end up with a mix of several international and foreign national
standards to consult, p.2 of this Dutch paper looks really awful:

http://www.keurmerkfietsverlichting.nl/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/RKF-technische-eisen-standard-def-V2017-10-17.pdf

On 9/3/2020 12:31 PM, Tanguy Ortolo wrote:
Stephen Bauman, 2020-09-03 14:33+0200:

There's also a requirement for the cyclist to wear a reflective safety vest:

Indeed, I forgot that too. Safety vest is mandatory during the night
outside of cities.

I'm curious whether that vest requirement is actually enforced very
much. Does anyone here have any experience?


--
- Frank Krygowski

Frank Krygowski, 2020-09-03 18:55+0200:
I'm curious whether that vest requirement is actually enforced very
much. Does anyone here have any experience?

I do not, but then I seldom do out-of-town, nightly cycling…

--
Tanguy

On Thursday, September 3, 2020 at 12:31:54 PM UTC-4, Tanguy Ortolo wrote:

What is PBP?

--
Tanguy

Paris-Brest-Paris

On Thursday, September 3, 2020 at 7:33:19 AM UTC-5, wrote:
On Thursday, September 3, 2020 at 3:43:10 AM UTC-4, Tanguy Ortolo wrote:
bob prohaska, 2020-09-01 01:27+0200:
What sort of requirements apply to bicycle lighting around the world?

In France:
* a white reflector and a solid while light on the front, with a
minimum electric power;
* a red reflector and a solid or flashing red light on the rear, again
with a minimum electric power;
* two orange reflectors on the sides;
* it is illegal to sell a bike without that equipment (for professional
sellers at least, not sure for individuals selling used bikes).

A couples of notes he
* requiring a minimal electric power is absurd, especially now that we
have LED lights, but nobody cares anyway: in practice, it is
sufficient to have a bright enough light, and policemen will never
check the electric power of your light;
* flashing red lights have only been allowed for a couple of years, as
part of a European harmonization;
* side reflectors are not required to be on the wheels, although they
always are, but they are required to be orange: many bike shop sell
bikes without these reflectors, and believe that reflecting white
stripes on the tyres are sufficient, but they are not (and they only
work when the tyre is kept clean).

--
Tanguy
The web page from France's Interior Ministry contradicts these lighting requirements.

https://www.securite-routiere.gouv.f...igatoires-velo

Les éclairages obligatoires
Des catadioptres (dispositifs rétro-réfléchissants) : de couleur rouge Ã* l’arrière, de couleur blanche ou jaune Ã* l’avant, de couleur orange sur les côtés et sur les pédales doivent être présentes sur le vélo et en bon état de marche.
Des feux de position : l’un émettant une lumière jaune ou blanche Ã* l’avant et une lumière rouge Ã* l’arrière.
NB : Si un vélo transporte une remorque dont la largeur dépasse 1,30 mètre, les dispositifs d’éclairage doivent être ajoutés Ã* cette dernière (catadioptres, feux de position).

There's also a requirement for the cyclist to wear a reflective safety vest:

Le gilet rétro-réfléchissant
Le port d’un gilet rétro-réfléchissant certifié est obligatoire pour tout cycliste, et son éventuel passager, circulant hors agglomération, la nuit, ou lorsque la visibilité est insuffisante.

If anyone is considering doing PBP, flashing lights are not permitted.

True. No flashing lights officially permitted on Paris Brest Paris. And officially approved reflective vests are required when riding at night. However, in 2007 when I was riding back from Brest in the middle of the night, in the pouring rain, I had my blinkies blinking. Some of them anyway. Some were still solid. I was alone on the road in the pouring rain and cold at 3 AM. I figured the blinking lights made me a bit more visible, so the heck with the rules. The blinking lights not permitted makes perfect sense on PBP. With 5000 riders on the road, that much blinking would cause lots of people to go blind and ride into the ditch or crash into one another. So outlawing the blinkies on PBP is fine. I'm not sure what the official rules are for regular riding bicycles at night in France and the rest of Europe. Are blinky and/or solid red lights allowed? Or is it solid only, no blinky?

On Thursday, September 3, 2020 at 11:31:54 AM UTC-5, Tanguy Ortolo wrote:

If anyone is considering doing PBP, flashing lights are not permitted.
What is PBP?
"Paris-Brest-Paris" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris%...%E2%80%93Paris)

On 9/3/2020 11:31 AM, Tanguy Ortolo wrote:
Stephen Bauman, 2020-09-03 14:33+0200:
The web page from France's Interior Ministry contradicts these lighting requirements.

https://www.securite-routiere.gouv.f...igatoires-velo

Les éclairages obligatoires
Des catadioptres (dispositifs rétro-réfléchissants) : de couleur rouge à l’arrière, de couleur blanche ou jaune à l’avant, de couleur orange sur les côtés et sur les pédales doivent être présentes sur le vélo et en bon état de marche.
Des feux de position : l’un émettant une lumière jaune ou blanche à l’avant et une lumière rouge à l’arrière.

Right, I forgot the pedal reflectors. And the fact that front light and
reflector can be yellow rather than white.

There's also a requirement for the cyclist to wear a reflective safety vest:

Indeed, I forgot that too. Safety vest is mandatory during the night
outside of cities.

If anyone is considering doing PBP, flashing lights are not permitted.

What is PBP?

https://www.cyclinguk.org/cycle-maga...so-far-so-good

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

Sepp Ruf wrote:
https://www.sis.se/api/document/preview/918905/

The document is surprisingly fragmentary, what is the intended
audience?


Never look for spirits in law and government offices!
(They might have some hand sanitizer, though.)

Not asking that much, just a plain language description in English 8-)
Your point is well taken, nonetheless.




And yes, don't complain too loudly about a primitive vehicle code, or you
might end up with a mix of several international and foreign national
standards to consult, p.2 of this Dutch paper looks really awful:

http://www.keurmerkfietsverlichting.nl/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/RKF-technische-eisen-standard-def-V2017-10-17.pdf

That seems to be a reference for manufacturers. And what is RAI or RKF?
Seemingly not the local traffic cops.....

Thanks for writing,

bob prohaska

, 2020-09-03 20:27+0200:
True. No flashing lights officially permitted on Paris Brest Paris.
And officially approved reflective vests are required when riding at
night. However, in 2007 when I was riding back from Brest in the
middle of the night, in the pouring rain, I had my blinkies blinking.
Some of them anyway. Some were still solid.

As I understand the law, you had to have a solid red light on the rear.
There is nothing against having additional blinking lights as far as I
know.

Now, this is from the law, not from the PBP rules, which may add
additional constraints.

I was alone on the road in the pouring rain and cold at 3 AM. I
figured the blinking lights made me a bit more visible, so the heck
with the rules. The blinking lights not permitted makes perfect sense
on PBP. With 5000 riders on the road, that much blinking would cause
lots of people to go blind and ride into the ditch or crash into one
another. So outlawing the blinkies on PBP is fine. I'm not sure what
the official rules are for regular riding bicycles at night in France
and the rest of Europe. Are blinky and/or solid red lights allowed?
Or is it solid only, no blinky?

In France, you had to have a solid red light on the rear. That changed a
couple of years ago, and now you have to have a solid or blinking red
light on the rear.

--
Tanguy

On 9/3/2020 5:26 PM, bob prohaska wrote:
Sepp Ruf wrote:
https://www.sis.se/api/document/preview/918905/

The document is surprisingly fragmentary, what is the intended
audience?


Never look for spirits in law and government offices!
(They might have some hand sanitizer, though.)

Not asking that much, just a plain language description in English 8-)
Your point is well taken, nonetheless.

These laws are written by attorneys. Plain language, in any language, is
unlikely.

I asked our City Attorney for a simple clarification on a City
Ordinance. It took many days to get an answer, and probably cost us many
thousands of dollars in legal expenses. All because a resident thought
it would be clever to make a petty complaint about an ordinance not
being strictly enforced against someone they didn't like.