Bike Ninjas!

Beasty

Last night approaching a roundabout a cyclist entered from the right, no front light and very difficult to see against the car lights behind him. He actually had a working rear light which I guess helps protect from behind. Some people perhaps don't appreciate it's not simply a matter of relying on street lighting to see where you are going. It's a case of be seen as well as see

07Lapierre

I passed a cyclist this evening. No lights, dark coloured bike, dark coloured trousers and black backpack.
He did have reflectors on his pedals and an orange (dark) jacket.

No idea if he made it home alive!

RayCun

Plastik wrote: »

I'm always amazed by the number of people that I can't see that I manage to see. 20/20.

If you can only see the ninja when you get within a few metres of them, or when they pass in front of another light source and you see their silhouette. ... well, that's seeing them without safely seeing them

If a car is driving with no lights on, you'll see them eventually, but it might not do you any good. ..

Roadtoad

Met a girl this a.m. near Crumlin who had four back lights on the go. Hadn't the heart to tell her she needed fresh batteries in one of them.

Roadhawk

Im afraid to say that bike Ninjas are rampant. The gards need to clamp down on this before something bad happens.

ted1

Roadhawk wrote: »

Im afraid to say that bike Ninjas are rampant. The gards need to clamp down on this before something bad happens.

There was guards on the n11 bike lane by fosters avenue the other day, couldn't tell if they were doing bus lane patrol or bike lane patrol. Maybe a bit of both, it is crazy how many people are out there without any kind of light / reflective wear.

ThisRegard

magicbastarder wrote: »

i've noticed an increase in the number of cars with one headlight gone. maybe it's just the fact that lighting up time starts so much earlier at the moment.

{puts hand up} First week after the clocks changed and it was dark collecting one of the kids from daycare I spotted that I had one bulb blowing when pulling in front of the glass door. Bought replacements the next day, but took me a week to put them in as I didn't drive in the dawn/dark/dust since I spotted it.

In fairness it was only recently blown because at night when putting something in the bin I press the fob to switch the see-me-home lights on so I can see what I'm doing.

The Noble Nudge

Well there's another thought from my experience last night as I thumped the ground.....

Lights on yourself..
I became detached from the bike last night and the only thing on my mind was to get off the road as soon as possible.
I have 4 LED strips on so was lit up but had i not would the next car have seen me on the deck....

Thanks to the woman who stopped and insisted on bringing me home....05 LS people carrier...
Husband is a cyclist so might be looking on here. I carried on safely.....but thanks again.

neris

whats the opposite of a Ninja? I was driving behind a guy last night between baldoyle and portmarnock and his rear light was so bright it was nearly blinding.

ted1

neris wrote: »

whats the opposite of a Ninja? I was driving behind a guy last night between baldoyle and portmarnock and his rear light was so bright it was nearly blinding.

Christmas trees

neris

ted1 wrote: »

Christmas trees

bit early for that its still November

Roadhawk

neris wrote: »

whats the opposite of a Ninja?

A legally compliant light on front and rear of bike...quite simple.

neris wrote: »

I was driving behind a guy last night between baldoyle and portmarnock and his rear light was so bright it was nearly blinding.

At least you saw them...id rather be blinded and not seeing them.

The other day i saw a cyclists who put their white front light on the rear of the bike. it was noticeably brighter than the usual red rear light. It had a good effect though. I slowed down immediately thinking that the cyclists was coming toward me...neat trick

cython

Roadhawk wrote: »

A legally compliant light on front and rear of bike...quite simple.


At least you saw them...id rather be blinded and not seeing them.

The other day i saw a cyclists who put their white front light on the rear of the bike. it was noticeably brighter than the usual red rear light. It had a good effect though. I slowed down immediately thinking that the cyclists was coming toward me...neat trick

Unfortunately some people who do that also decide (for some bizarre reason) that the red light that likely came in the same set works better on the front of the bike as well, meaning that someone doesn't realise they are approaching them. Darwin award material right there.

tomasrojo

neris wrote: »

whats the opposite of a Ninja?

Photoelectric Phred.

Roadhawk

Saw 3 ninjas yesterday on the way home from work. Have to say, kudos to all the motorists for being so aware.

Macy0161

Worst ninja's ever that they keep getting spotted!

Focus of the RSA continues to be builders vests and helmets for cyclists/ pedestrians, rather than the legal requirement of lights.

Roadhawk

Macy0161 wrote: »

Worst ninja's ever that they keep getting spotted!

Focus of the RSA continues to be builders vests and helmets for cyclists/ pedestrians, rather than the legal requirement of lights.

I find the vests more effective during the day than the night. especially around the city. The RSA have clearly focused on the wrong safety device. Good lights are the most important (and probably only) safety device on a bike.

coolbeans

Roadhawk wrote: »

Saw 3 ninjas yesterday on the way home from work. Have to say, kudos to all the motorists for being so aware.

Just because nothing happened doesn't mean that they were aware. It just means nothing happened.

You're always waiting to have a swipe at cyclists.I find your comments weird especially after going on After Hours saying how you dislike cyclists so much.

tomasrojo

We have a thread for hi-viz, but I assume at this stage the continued emphasis on what are essentially builders' jackets is just because they are so cheap. They're just a simple bit of fluorescent fabric with velcro strips, reflective strips and two holes for your arms. Compare that with the price of a decent light.

The RSA can stock up on these cheap items, dole them out by the armful and then claim they're really doing a lot for pedestrians and cyclists.

Even the very poor lights the RSA very occasionally give away cost more than the fluorescent stuff, I think.

tomasrojo

Roadhawk wrote: »

Good lights are the most important (and probably only) safety device on a bike.

Well, brakes, but pretty much yes.

Plastik

I see bike ninjas

Jawgap

07Lapierre wrote: »

I passed a cyclist this evening. No lights, dark coloured bike, dark coloured trousers and black backpack.
He did have reflectors on his pedals and an orange (dark) jacket.

No idea if he made it home alive!

My own favourite was the guy (I think it was a guy) cycling the wrong way along Parnell Square South, in the accepted ninja cyclist uniform with no lights etc......

.....Bike Ninja Score 9/10 - mark deducted for staring at his phone while cycling as the illuminated screen broke his camouflage!! No bonus for the headphones as they did nothing to decrease his visibility, or for operating in 'Salmon' mode

Wishbone Ash

Several times I've assumed I'm behind a cyclist with no rear light only to discover, at the lights, that they've hidden it under a long coat. Mentioned it to a girl while alongside her at the Black Church one night but she wasn't particularly interested.

Red light fitted to rear stay but then obscured by a pannier is another preferred method of some.

Roadhawk

Im buying another bike just so i can get this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfUsXckGJpQ

So cool!!!

what_traffic

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Several times I've assumed I'm behind a cyclist with no rear light only to discover, at the lights, that they've hidden it under a long coat. Mentioned it to a girl while alongside her at the Black Church one night but she wasn't particularly interested.

Its why on old High Nelly Bikes the lights were pretty much always placed lower down on the right side of the bike. Long coats were more common back then in them old days. (Also the Gardai back them actually enforced implementation of lights on bikes, but thats for another thread)

The best Bike Ninja story I heard is from 40 years back when two old boys crashed into each other, head on collision, when on the bike.
It was a moonless night, pitch black, rural West of Ireland road and when they had figured out what had actually happened the first thing that one of them said to the other.
"At least one of us should get a light for the bike"

tomasrojo

For quite a long time the only requirement at the rear was that part of the mudguard be painted white, and then a reflector requirement was added. You still see roadsters around with the tip of the rear mudguard painted white. Not sure when they finally added the requirement of a tail light.

There was a thread recently about an old road safety public information film, and the emphasis in it is on having a head light and rear reflector, mounted on the mudguard.

tomasrojo

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Several times I've assumed I'm behind a cyclist with no rear light only to discover, at the lights, that they've hidden it under a long coat. Mentioned it to a girl while alongside her at the Black Church one night but she wasn't particularly interested.

Red light fitted to rear stay but then obscured by a pannier is another preferred method of some.

And there are some people on road bikes whose only rear light is on the helmet, and that light disappears behind their back pack when they go for the drops.

irlirishkev

I'm a big wuss so opted for the car yesterday and today (something I regret every time I drive home), but saw a girl cycling last night with her hi-vis, that was at one point clearly draped over her backpack, now dangling down over her rear wheel. I intended to inform her at the lights but she didn't stop at the lights so I couldn't. No lights on her bike either.
I genuinely feared for what could have happened.

railer201

tomasrojo wrote: »

For quite a long time the only requirement at the rear was that part of the mudguard be painted white, and then a reflector requirement was added. You still see roadsters around with the tip of the rear mudguard painted white. Not sure when they finally added the requirement of a tail light.

There was a thread recently about an old road safety public information film, and the emphasis in it is on having a head light and rear reflector, mounted on the mudguard.

Early sixties as I recall, the following link appears to confirm that.

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1963/si/189/made/en/print

Wishbone Ash

railer201 wrote: »

Early sixties as I recall, the following link appears to confirm that.

I think it was in long before that.

The 1933 Road Traffic Act (Section 161):

(2) There shall be carried in the prescribed position and manner on every mechanically propelled bicycle used without any vehicle or attachment in the nature of a vehicle attached to the side thereof, while it is on any road during lighting-up hours, the following lamps duly lit and in efficient condition, that is to say:—

(a) one lamp showing to the front of such bicycle a white light visible from a reasonable distance; and

(b) one other lamp showing to the rear of such bicycle a red light visible from a reasonable distance.

It may have also been a requirement before 1933 but I haven't seen it or have time to check it out.