Author Topic: Steady lights on on calendar events - resolution for AUK AGM  (Read 2415 times)

Re: Steady lights on on calendar events - resolution for AUK AGM
« Reply #25 on: 22 March, 2024, 12:37:38 pm »
There are plenty of audaxing shits that won't stop using flashing light in groups unless there is a rule against it. Tutting at them just strengthens their resolve. At PBP, I had to audibly record somebody's number to get them to stop their taillight flashing, despite PBP's rule. These idiots think that their perception of 'safety' overrides everything.

There appears to be a contradiction in there

FifeingEejit

  • Not Small
Re: Steady lights on on calendar events - resolution for AUK AGM
« Reply #26 on: 22 March, 2024, 12:55:15 pm »
On flashing lights in general, I'd say this. If they are distracting then good. It is their purpose to distract drivers away from what else is distracting them and focus them on me.

If a light is dazzling or distracting it's a road traffic and construction and use offence.

With astigmatism in both eyes and glare sensitivity due to extra bits it's actually painful and blinding.

I'm of the view that flashing lights shouldn't have been allowed in C&U during the hours of darkness, but they are so...

The answer is of course to sprint to the front of the group and then slow down so that the people who are wanting to ride with you hang around and the ones you aren't fuck off.

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: Steady lights on on calendar events - resolution for AUK AGM
« Reply #27 on: 22 March, 2024, 01:14:58 pm »
There are plenty of audaxing shits that won't stop using flashing light in groups unless there is a rule against it. Tutting at them just strengthens their resolve. At PBP, I had to audibly record somebody's number to get them to stop their taillight flashing, despite PBP's rule. These idiots think that their perception of 'safety' overrides everything.

There appears to be a contradiction in there

Only if you read 'plenty' as meaning 'all'. There are plenty of folk who will grumble but will still follow a rule against their preferences (I wore a helmet at the recent PBP, unlike previous editions). There will always be an antisocial minority who ignore even explicit rules (polite disapproval is meaningless to them), hence the number of unlicensed and uninsured drivers on the roads.
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Steady lights on on calendar events - resolution for AUK AGM
« Reply #28 on: 22 March, 2024, 02:20:08 pm »
They should all be using dynamos, the lazy sods  ;D
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Regulator

  • That's Councillor Regulator to you...
Re: Steady lights on on calendar events - resolution for AUK AGM
« Reply #29 on: 22 March, 2024, 02:28:04 pm »
I don't think anyone's mentioned the other and possibly major reason why people might use flashing modes on lamps:  run time.

A flashing mode will last hours, sometimes days longer than a steady beam.  I bet this is a huge factor.

That doesn't mean I approve and I don't flash myself.  Certainly not since that zip malfunction ...


Did the judge accept the 'malfunction' defence?
Quote from: clarion
I completely agree with Reg.

Green Party Councillor

Re: Steady lights on on calendar events - resolution for AUK AGM
« Reply #30 on: 22 March, 2024, 02:34:54 pm »
I don't think anyone's mentioned the other and possibly major reason why people might use flashing modes on lamps:  run time.

A flashing mode will last hours, sometimes days longer than a steady beam.  I bet this is a huge factor.

That doesn't mean I approve and I don't flash myself.  Certainly not since that zip malfunction ...


Did the judge accept the 'malfunction' defence?

I don’t think Peter’s defence stood up in court.

Re: Steady lights on on calendar events - resolution for AUK AGM
« Reply #31 on: 22 March, 2024, 02:36:35 pm »
 ;D

Depends whether he got lucky with the choice of judge


T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Steady lights on on calendar events - resolution for AUK AGM
« Reply #32 on: 22 March, 2024, 03:26:02 pm »
German traffic regs say no blinkers, French regs say you can have one but you have to have a steady one as well.  UAF regs say no.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

Re: Steady lights on on calendar events - resolution for AUK AGM
« Reply #33 on: 22 March, 2024, 04:25:30 pm »
I don't think anyone's mentioned the other and possibly major reason why people might use flashing modes on lamps:  run time.

A flashing mode will last hours, sometimes days longer than a steady beam.  I bet this is a huge factor.

That doesn't mean I approve and I don't flash myself.  Certainly not since that zip malfunction ...

Chaps, it never got to court: attending policeman took a quick look and said, "nothing to see here, move on everybody".  Humiliating!  (This story may not actually exist, not even as a flash on the pan.)


Did the judge accept the 'malfunction' defence?

I don’t think Peter’s defence stood up in court.

Re: Steady lights on on calendar events - resolution for AUK AGM
« Reply #34 on: 22 March, 2024, 04:40:19 pm »
Time for everyone to revert to the MK1 group light


citoyen

  • Occasionally rides a bike
Re: Steady lights on on calendar events - resolution for AUK AGM
« Reply #35 on: 22 March, 2024, 05:25:31 pm »
Other circumstances are less clear cut, for example if riding alone another rider catches up with me and finds my flashing light annoying I'd expect them to continue past me. They cannot expect me to change what I am doing just because they want to wheelsuck. How would they even be sure I am on the same event?

You don't have to be wheelsucking for another rider's flashing light to be a nuisance. They could be some distance up the road and still be annoying, especially if it's a very bright light. And if the speed difference between you isn't enough to close/grow the gap quickly, you could end up stuck with it for a while.

I used to use a flashing rear light, for safety, but the more I read about it, the less convinced I am of the supposed safety argument - it seems to be based on very flimsy evidence. I think there might be more of a case for flashing lights in an urban environment where you have lots of competing light sources, but no case at all on an unlit country road (in fact, flashing lights could be less safe in that situation because it makes it harder for car drivers to judge the distance between you and them).

Anyway, I no longer use flashing lights.
"The future's all yours, you lousy bicycles."

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Steady lights on on calendar events - resolution for AUK AGM
« Reply #36 on: 22 March, 2024, 05:33:01 pm »
Time for everyone to revert to the MK1 group light


I have a far older Exide "torpedo" rear light that is quite unreasonably bright when fitted with a Reflectalite red LED.  We're talking DiNotte levels of offensiveness.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Wycombewheeler

  • PBP-2019 LEL-2022
Re: Steady lights on on calendar events - resolution for AUK AGM
« Reply #37 on: Today at 02:58:13 pm »

That was the point of the resolution - ECE and DIY were excluded.  Group == calendar event.  Admittedly well strung out in some cases but also yo-yoing.


depends on the size of the field, I have ridden more than a few calendar events where I haven't seen another rider for several hours. When riding in a group I would always set to steady, but flash mode doubles the burn time of the light meaning it's much less likely to run out on me during the event. It's also more obvious to drivers who will be approaching at speed and not expecting to see a cyclist on the road at 1am.

(riding all night is mainly a problem for 400s, on 200s, 300s I would expect not much night time riding, and on 600s I would normally stop 2-3 hours after sunset and typically start again at dawn.)

If the event starts in the dark I would go with steady light, but after 250km the field is likely so strung out I would only expect to see other riders at controls, in which case maximum visibility trumps extremely unlikely discomfort to someone who probably won't be approaching from behind on another bike.

Eddington  127miles, 170km

Wycombewheeler

  • PBP-2019 LEL-2022
Re: Steady lights on on calendar events - resolution for AUK AGM
« Reply #38 on: Today at 03:04:04 pm »
Have you tried being polite?

I've never had a rider refuse to change a light from flashing to static.
My cycling club pushed back against my suggestion that solid lights were sufficient on group rides, club guidance is actually to use flashing lights :facepalm: FFS riding in the daytime in red jerseys is more than sufficient to be seen. But no, now we have blinking lights.

Eddington  127miles, 170km