I think I have had it with night time riding.

[mick160]

Finally found some motivation to get the bike out tonight, been about 10 days since my last ride.

Enjoyed it apart from two drivers not looking and pulling out on me. First one on a roundabout actually clipped my back end though it was pretty much walking pace as I realised he hadn't seen me and was swerving away from him, he saw me at the last minute and slammed the brakes on. I managed to stay upright. He was very apologetic saying he just hadn't seen me, offered to drive me home and pay for any damage to the bike. Bike looked ok, chain had come off but got that on ok. I wanted to continue on my ride so I got his reg number and he gave me his business card.

Second time, 10 minutes later, on a wide junction the driver just didn't look, pulled out at a fair speed and I had to swerve into the road to avoid him.

So once on one ride could be seen as unlucky, but twice?

I stick to lit roads at night, my bike is white and has a permanent light on the front and a multi led multi flashing light on the back and I am wearing an Altura night vision jersey in luminous yellow with reflective strips. Am I doing something wrong? I am seriously wondering whether it's worth going out at night now, trouble is it's often the only chance I get. :-(

 

[Eribiste]

I've had a fair amount of time out on the road in the gloom over the past couple of years with no trouble, but this week, two close passes on the way into work! One from an Aston's bus yesterday with no good reason and one from a murderous pensioner in a Volvo 850 this morning in Worcester.

Not going to let it get to me though, but I'll stay visible and keep on the lookout!

 

[BrynCP]

I had my first night rides this week since the nights started closing in. My first of the three, a 16 miler, was the worst:

• After just 5 minutes, on a brightly lit road near a supermarket, a small van almost pulled out on me, he just managed to stop in time. I sensed this was going to happen and had started to break heavily but we would have collided had he not stopped. I just got over it.
• About half an hour later, a car at a lit roundabout did the same thing, he actually crossed the line but then stopped.
• Then on the next lit roundabout, a car had hung back, so had clearly seen me, but then when it got a bit wider drove beside me, when it came to the narrow exit, he must have clearly forgot about me and almost drove into me, I had to slow down and hang back.
• Then on an unlit road, a cat was just sat there in the middle of the road! I had seen it, it had seen me, but then it decided to run out in front of me as I got near it, luckily it ran back to the side of the road, but it was close!

Sounds bad? However, the other two were fine, no problems whatsoever, and all of these things have happened in the light as well as dark. And the freedom of riding down some of these unlit roads, with no light pollution at all, no traffic, and incredibly quiet, is a nice, if not eerie, experience!

 

[Big_Dave]

Unfortunately close shaves seam to be part and parcel of cycling, It may have been said many times before If drivers were made to ride cycles/motorcycles, then they would have more respect for us instead of seeing us a hindrance with the excuse sorry mate didn't see you.

 

[moo]

What's your road positioning like? Sitting in the gutter encourages motorists to ignore you, no matter how visible you are. I get less pull outs now I've adopted an aggressive primary. Took a while to build the confidence to ride in that position tho.

 

[MoNkEyMaNbAnAnAeAtEr]

Cats. Yes a cat nearly had me off yesterday in the dark.

 

[mick160]

What's your road positioning like? Sitting in the gutter encourages motorists to ignore you, no matter how visible you are. I get less pull outs now I've adopted an aggressive primary. Took a while to build the confidence to ride in that position tho.

Well, the first time I was pretty much slap bang in the middle of the roundabout, if I'd been at the outside edge I reckon it would have been much worse!

Second incident, probably about 1 to 1.5 metres from the curb/lines.

Is a flashing front light more effective than a solid front?

I use this; http://www.evanscycles.com/products...currency=GBP&gclid=CJi3woTUtMECFcKWtAodbDUAbA on the rear

And this; http://www.wiggle.co.uk/cateye-hl-el530-led-front-light/ but the 500 not 530 on the front.

 

[Captain Scarlet]

I think you've just been unlucky. I've had a few occasions when cars have been approaching at 30 mph and once a small van driver only just saw me at the last min, I'd already seen him so was prepared to take evasive action if needed.

I'm like yourself have an Altura night vision jacket, bright lights and don't ride in the gutter. Doesn't seem to happen as often, but I spend lots of time looking around me to try and spot things before they happen.

I'm of the opinion that a lot of these events happen sometimes because drivers misjudge the speed of cyclists as ability differs so much. (Car generally all go the same speed). Many are simply them looking but not seeing.

It has also occurred to me that drivers now approach roundabout especially with the thought I'm not going to have to stop, rather than slowing to stop but being prepared to continue if clear.

 

[confusedcyclist]

Is a flashing front light more effective than a solid front?

No, won't make a blind bit of difference, the issue is the drivers are not paying attention, their heads are in cloud coo-coo-land.

Had a similar problem yesterday, two drivers pulling into the cycle lane to get past right turning traffic, despite me being level with them at the time. Both occasions narrowly avoided striking the kurb and hitting the deck.

Edit, I have read suggestions of head mounted lights to catch attention of other drivers, by eyeballing them you are making your presence more easily recognised with a light up there!

 

[mick160]

Eyeballing is the key but pretty much impossible at night.

I always try to look a driver in the eye to make sure they have seen me, it's something I have carried over from my bygone motorcycling days.

 

[BrynCP]

Is a flashing front light more effective than a solid front?

I've always had a solid front light; I take the view that if a driver is doing a very quick scan of the road before making their decision, they are more likely to see a light that is there, than one that is flashing? These days I am even leaving my rear light on solid but I used to change it to flashing.

 

[confusedcyclist]

Didn't mention it before, but I also presume that every driver is about to pull out on me so approach any junctions with an escape route in mind, where the isn't one practice extreme caution and slow the hell down, on a round about this obviously alot trickier, so your position is even more important than at regular junctions.

 

[confusedcyclist]

I've always had a solid front light; I take the view that if a driver is doing a very quick scan of the road before making their decision, they are more likely to see a light that is there, than one that is flashing? These days I am even leaving my rear light on solid but I used to change it to flashing.

You can get very bright lights that have a pulse flash, so always on, but with a sudden bright flash. See the Cateye Volt 300, grabs attention well. Not had anyone pull out on me since getting it 2 months ago, but I might have been lucky...

 

[BrynCP]

You can get very bright lights that have a pulse flash, so always on, but with a sudden bright flash. See the Cateye Volt 300, grabs attention well. Not had anyone pull out on me since getting it 2 months ago, but I might have been lucky...

Ahh, that makes sense.

I have a Moon Meteor 210 which does a flash, but it's not on between flashes. Amazing how even at 210 lumens or less it lights up a pitch black dark line very well though.

 

[simon.r]

I find I get less near misses at night than in daylight.

But I am lit up like the proverbial Christmas tree. I use one steady and one flashing front light, 2 flashing rears, spoke reflectors, mudguards with a reflective strip down each side, various reflective stickers on the bike and a top with reflective strips.