Please don't ride your bike on busy streets after dark

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please don't drive your car on busy , multi-use streets after dark if your vision has declined to where it is difficult to see bicyclists or pedestrians. It is an accident waiting to happen when you cannot see someone legally using a crosswalk at 5:30pm after work, or a bicyclist in the bike lane at 5:30pm after work. This is actually not meant to be snarky- many of us, as we age, suffer from reduced ability to see our surroundings in the dark and if this is you, you need to take some responsibility for yourself and not drive a 2 thousand pound vehicle at 30mph through intersections where you cannot see clearly. Use public transport, or walk.

Wrong thread. This is about pedestrians and cyclists making sure they are visible at night. It’s very simple and has absolutely nothing to do with driver’s eyesight. It is difficult for a person with 20/20 vision to see a dark object against a dark background.

Not the wrong thread at all. If your car has working headlights, shining ahead as you drive, you can 10000% a person or a cyclist without reflective gear in your path. If you cannot- no shade- then you should not be driving at night or you need better glasses. Truly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hey - if you are a cyclist or pedestrian who wants to increase your visibility, I highly recommend these jackets: https://www.bikelaneuprising.com/product-page/reflective-windbreaker

I drive and cycle, and cyclists who bike at night w/o lights are a real hazard to themselves and others. LED lighting is very cheap now. For riding at dusk and beyond, I have a front headlight, a back red flashing light, and a flashing string of LED lights wrapped around my bike frame. The Brightz brand makes all manner of bike lighting.

And that’s awesome that you do that. You’re being responsible. The problem is other riders aren’t.


But there’s no standardized lighting requirement, and no law enforcement to ensure that riders comply. And that’s what needs to change. We need laws, and enforcement to ticket violators. Obviously this doesn’t affect you because you’re already acting in a safe manner. But we need to require all riders to do what you’re already doing.

I really don’t understand the resistance that some cyclists here are putting up against registering/tagging and annual safety inspections of bikes to make sure they have safe lights. I don’t get it. Why oppose this?

We require cars to be registered, tagged and safety inspected every year to make sure their lights work. I cannot fathom why bike riders would be opposed to this. Dumbfounded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reflective gear is super important, but it gets dark at 5 PM now and some of us actually use bikes for transportation. "Stop doing your daily commute/errands" is not a reasonable ask any more than telling you not to drive after dark if you don't feel confident that you can see cyclists. We should wear brighter gear and more lights, and you should drive carefully and expect to share the road.

You can blame other people all you want (and we know cyclists love to blame everyone else for everything). But you'll be the person who's dead if a driver doesn't see you.

Right, but the OP says that cyclists seem to "pop up out of nowhere" which means she has a vision problem and shouldn't be driving at night. The fact that the person would be dead doesn't mean that no cyclists should ever ride at night ever or nobody should ever walk anywhere at night. Removing every other user that you don't want to slow down for from the transportation system is not the answer, even if you could technically kill them and probably get away with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please don't drive your car on busy , multi-use streets after dark if your vision has declined to where it is difficult to see bicyclists or pedestrians. It is an accident waiting to happen when you cannot see someone legally using a crosswalk at 5:30pm after work, or a bicyclist in the bike lane at 5:30pm after work. This is actually not meant to be snarky- many of us, as we age, suffer from reduced ability to see our surroundings in the dark and if this is you, you need to take some responsibility for yourself and not drive a 2 thousand pound vehicle at 30mph through intersections where you cannot see clearly. Use public transport, or walk.

Wrong thread. This is about pedestrians and cyclists making sure they are visible at night. It’s very simple and has absolutely nothing to do with driver’s eyesight. It is difficult for a person with 20/20 vision to see a dark object against a dark background.

Not the wrong thread at all. If your car has working headlights, shining ahead as you drive, you can 10000% a person or a cyclist without reflective gear in your path. If you cannot- no shade- then you should not be driving at night or you need better glasses. Truly.

No, you can’t.

Sometimes the ONLY indicator I see of someone wearing all dark clothing on a bike or in a crosswalk is when their dark silhouette interrupts the headlights of oncoming traffic. Were it not for that momentary flicker of ongoing headlights, you sometimes CANNOT see them until you’re 50-75 feet away.


I can tell you don’t drive much. Because only someone with little or no driving experience would say what you’re saying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please don't drive your car on busy , multi-use streets after dark if your vision has declined to where it is difficult to see bicyclists or pedestrians. It is an accident waiting to happen when you cannot see someone legally using a crosswalk at 5:30pm after work, or a bicyclist in the bike lane at 5:30pm after work. This is actually not meant to be snarky- many of us, as we age, suffer from reduced ability to see our surroundings in the dark and if this is you, you need to take some responsibility for yourself and not drive a 2 thousand pound vehicle at 30mph through intersections where you cannot see clearly. Use public transport, or walk.

This is nonsense. Why is it that massive cars are obligated to use multiple types of lights so that they are visible, but pedestrians have no obligation to do anything to make themselves visible?

Because a pedestrian doesn't weigh two tons or travel at a speed of 75MPH or have the ability to kill someone? You want the power of driving a car, you have the responsibility for not killing people with it. Pedestrians are also going to be IN crosswalks- if you are near a crosswalk slow down to make sure there isn't a pedestrian in or near it. It isn't rocket science to know where a pedestrian might be. If you think a pedestrian who crosses the street "came out of nowhere" then that means you weren't looking for him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please don't drive your car on busy , multi-use streets after dark if your vision has declined to where it is difficult to see bicyclists or pedestrians. It is an accident waiting to happen when you cannot see someone legally using a crosswalk at 5:30pm after work, or a bicyclist in the bike lane at 5:30pm after work. This is actually not meant to be snarky- many of us, as we age, suffer from reduced ability to see our surroundings in the dark and if this is you, you need to take some responsibility for yourself and not drive a 2 thousand pound vehicle at 30mph through intersections where you cannot see clearly. Use public transport, or walk.

Wrong thread. This is about pedestrians and cyclists making sure they are visible at night. It’s very simple and has absolutely nothing to do with driver’s eyesight. It is difficult for a person with 20/20 vision to see a dark object against a dark background.

Not the wrong thread at all. If your car has working headlights, shining ahead as you drive, you can 10000% a person or a cyclist without reflective gear in your path. If you cannot- no shade- then you should not be driving at night or you need better glasses. Truly.

No, you can’t.

Sometimes the ONLY indicator I see of someone wearing all dark clothing on a bike or in a crosswalk is when their dark silhouette interrupts the headlights of oncoming traffic. Were it not for that momentary flicker of ongoing headlights, you sometimes CANNOT see them until you’re 50-75 feet away.


I can tell you don’t drive much. Because only someone with little or no driving experience would say what you’re saying.

If you can't tell if a pedestrian is in the crosswalk then slow down enough so that you can stop right away if you are close enough to the crosswalk to hit a pedestrian. Yes yes I understand that this means you might get to your destination slower but it doesn't mean it is the pedestrian's fault for being in a crosswalk when you are driving unsafely.

[Anonymous]

Somebody set it up thread. Cyclists, you should light yourself up like a Christmas tree. it’s getting dark earlier and it’s safer for you. You want to get home to your families at night and I’m sure your families want to see you too. It’s not about cars versus cycles but about safety.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reflective gear is super important, but it gets dark at 5 PM now and some of us actually use bikes for transportation. "Stop doing your daily commute/errands" is not a reasonable ask any more than telling you not to drive after dark if you don't feel confident that you can see cyclists. We should wear brighter gear and more lights, and you should drive carefully and expect to share the road.

You can blame other people all you want (and we know cyclists love to blame everyone else for everything). But you'll be the person who's dead if a driver doesn't see you.

Right, but the OP says that cyclists seem to "pop up out of nowhere" which means she has a vision problem and shouldn't be driving at night. The fact that the person would be dead doesn't mean that no cyclists should ever ride at night ever or nobody should ever walk anywhere at night. Removing every other user that you don't want to slow down for from the transportation system is not the answer, even if you could technically kill them and probably get away with it.

When I’ve stopped at a stop sign to allow another car to proceed and then pull away from the stop sign and get T-boned by a cyclist who blew through the other stop sign - they ARE indeed popping up out of nowhere.

Because that vey thing happened to me at 37th and Warren st NW.

A cyclist ran into me as I was leaving a stop sign and hit the right front fender of my car. It was at night, they didn’t stop, and she ran into me in the intersection. It caused $3,700 damage to my car, and she had serious injuries and went to the hospital. Then she didn’t even offer to pay my deductible for the damage.


So yes, cyclists DO “come out of nowhere”. All the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please don't drive your car on busy , multi-use streets after dark if your vision has declined to where it is difficult to see bicyclists or pedestrians. It is an accident waiting to happen when you cannot see someone legally using a crosswalk at 5:30pm after work, or a bicyclist in the bike lane at 5:30pm after work. This is actually not meant to be snarky- many of us, as we age, suffer from reduced ability to see our surroundings in the dark and if this is you, you need to take some responsibility for yourself and not drive a 2 thousand pound vehicle at 30mph through intersections where you cannot see clearly. Use public transport, or walk.

Wrong thread. This is about pedestrians and cyclists making sure they are visible at night. It’s very simple and has absolutely nothing to do with driver’s eyesight. It is difficult for a person with 20/20 vision to see a dark object against a dark background.

Not the wrong thread at all. If your car has working headlights, shining ahead as you drive, you can 10000% a person or a cyclist without reflective gear in your path. If you cannot- no shade- then you should not be driving at night or you need better glasses. Truly.

No, you can’t.

Sometimes the ONLY indicator I see of someone wearing all dark clothing on a bike or in a crosswalk is when their dark silhouette interrupts the headlights of oncoming traffic. Were it not for that momentary flicker of ongoing headlights, you sometimes CANNOT see them until you’re 50-75 feet away.


I can tell you don’t drive much. Because only someone with little or no driving experience would say what you’re saying.

If you can't tell if a pedestrian is in the crosswalk then slow down enough so that you can stop right away if you are close enough to the crosswalk to hit a pedestrian. Yes yes I understand that this means you might get to your destination slower but it doesn't mean it is the pedestrian's fault for being in a crosswalk when you are driving unsafely.

Do you not realize I’m aware that I’ll be even later if I have to stick around and fill out a police report because I hit some dumbass wearing dark clothes at night? Yeah - I get that.

Stop putting your life in other people’s hands. Take some personal responsibility for your safety.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please don't drive your car on busy , multi-use streets after dark if your vision has declined to where it is difficult to see bicyclists or pedestrians. It is an accident waiting to happen when you cannot see someone legally using a crosswalk at 5:30pm after work, or a bicyclist in the bike lane at 5:30pm after work. This is actually not meant to be snarky- many of us, as we age, suffer from reduced ability to see our surroundings in the dark and if this is you, you need to take some responsibility for yourself and not drive a 2 thousand pound vehicle at 30mph through intersections where you cannot see clearly. Use public transport, or walk.

This is nonsense. Why is it that massive cars are obligated to use multiple types of lights so that they are visible, but pedestrians have no obligation to do anything to make themselves visible?

Because a pedestrian doesn't weigh two tons or travel at a speed of 75MPH or have the ability to kill someone? You want the power of driving a car, you have the responsibility for not killing people with it. Pedestrians are also going to be IN crosswalks- if you are near a crosswalk slow down to make sure there isn't a pedestrian in or near it. It isn't rocket science to know where a pedestrian might be. If you think a pedestrian who crosses the street "came out of nowhere" then that means you weren't looking for him.

Where are cars (legally) doing 75mph in the DC-area where there are crosswalks?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please don't drive your car on busy , multi-use streets after dark if your vision has declined to where it is difficult to see bicyclists or pedestrians. It is an accident waiting to happen when you cannot see someone legally using a crosswalk at 5:30pm after work, or a bicyclist in the bike lane at 5:30pm after work. This is actually not meant to be snarky- many of us, as we age, suffer from reduced ability to see our surroundings in the dark and if this is you, you need to take some responsibility for yourself and not drive a 2 thousand pound vehicle at 30mph through intersections where you cannot see clearly. Use public transport, or walk.

Wrong thread. This is about pedestrians and cyclists making sure they are visible at night. It’s very simple and has absolutely nothing to do with driver’s eyesight. It is difficult for a person with 20/20 vision to see a dark object against a dark background.

Not the wrong thread at all. If your car has working headlights, shining ahead as you drive, you can 10000% a person or a cyclist without reflective gear in your path. If you cannot- no shade- then you should not be driving at night or you need better glasses. Truly.

This is just silly. Go drive around at 6pm and tell us how easy it is to see people. It can be quite difficult no matter how careful you are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please don't drive your car on busy , multi-use streets after dark if your vision has declined to where it is difficult to see bicyclists or pedestrians. It is an accident waiting to happen when you cannot see someone legally using a crosswalk at 5:30pm after work, or a bicyclist in the bike lane at 5:30pm after work. This is actually not meant to be snarky- many of us, as we age, suffer from reduced ability to see our surroundings in the dark and if this is you, you need to take some responsibility for yourself and not drive a 2 thousand pound vehicle at 30mph through intersections where you cannot see clearly. Use public transport, or walk.

This is nonsense. Why is it that massive cars are obligated to use multiple types of lights so that they are visible, but pedestrians have no obligation to do anything to make themselves visible?

Because a pedestrian doesn't weigh two tons or travel at a speed of 75MPH or have the ability to kill someone? You want the power of driving a car, you have the responsibility for not killing people with it. Pedestrians are also going to be IN crosswalks- if you are near a crosswalk slow down to make sure there isn't a pedestrian in or near it. It isn't rocket science to know where a pedestrian might be. If you think a pedestrian who crosses the street "came out of nowhere" then that means you weren't looking for him.

The bolded should be a sticky in the car and transportation forum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please don't drive your car on busy , multi-use streets after dark if your vision has declined to where it is difficult to see bicyclists or pedestrians. It is an accident waiting to happen when you cannot see someone legally using a crosswalk at 5:30pm after work, or a bicyclist in the bike lane at 5:30pm after work. This is actually not meant to be snarky- many of us, as we age, suffer from reduced ability to see our surroundings in the dark and if this is you, you need to take some responsibility for yourself and not drive a 2 thousand pound vehicle at 30mph through intersections where you cannot see clearly. Use public transport, or walk.

Wrong thread. This is about pedestrians and cyclists making sure they are visible at night. It’s very simple and has absolutely nothing to do with driver’s eyesight. It is difficult for a person with 20/20 vision to see a dark object against a dark background.

Not the wrong thread at all. If your car has working headlights, shining ahead as you drive, you can 10000% a person or a cyclist without reflective gear in your path. If you cannot- no shade- then you should not be driving at night or you need better glasses. Truly.

This is just silly. Go drive around at 6pm and tell us how easy it is to see people. It can be quite difficult no matter how careful you are.

It IS quite difficult which is why you need to slow down, drive a smaller car that can stop more quickly, or preferably both. This isn’t suburbia, you can’t drive your Suburban around at 45 or even 35MPH and expect everyone to wear a beacon for your convenience of tearing through their neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please don't drive your car on busy , multi-use streets after dark if your vision has declined to where it is difficult to see bicyclists or pedestrians. It is an accident waiting to happen when you cannot see someone legally using a crosswalk at 5:30pm after work, or a bicyclist in the bike lane at 5:30pm after work. This is actually not meant to be snarky- many of us, as we age, suffer from reduced ability to see our surroundings in the dark and if this is you, you need to take some responsibility for yourself and not drive a 2 thousand pound vehicle at 30mph through intersections where you cannot see clearly. Use public transport, or walk.

Wrong thread. This is about pedestrians and cyclists making sure they are visible at night. It’s very simple and has absolutely nothing to do with driver’s eyesight. It is difficult for a person with 20/20 vision to see a dark object against a dark background.

Not the wrong thread at all. If your car has working headlights, shining ahead as you drive, you can 10000% a person or a cyclist without reflective gear in your path. If you cannot- no shade- then you should not be driving at night or you need better glasses. Truly.

This is just silly. Go drive around at 6pm and tell us how easy it is to see people. It can be quite difficult no matter how careful you are.

It IS quite difficult which is why you need to slow down, drive a smaller car that can stop more quickly, or preferably both. This isn’t suburbia, you can’t drive your Suburban around at 45 or even 35MPH and expect everyone to wear a beacon for your convenience of tearing through their neighborhood.

This little hissy fit from cyclists is very tiresome. Do more to make yourself visible to drivers -- or don't! It's totally up to you. I'm just telling you that what bicyclists are doing now to make themselves seen in the dark, generally speaking, isn't working. You'll pay the price for that, not me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please don't drive your car on busy , multi-use streets after dark if your vision has declined to where it is difficult to see bicyclists or pedestrians. It is an accident waiting to happen when you cannot see someone legally using a crosswalk at 5:30pm after work, or a bicyclist in the bike lane at 5:30pm after work. This is actually not meant to be snarky- many of us, as we age, suffer from reduced ability to see our surroundings in the dark and if this is you, you need to take some responsibility for yourself and not drive a 2 thousand pound vehicle at 30mph through intersections where you cannot see clearly. Use public transport, or walk.

Wrong thread. This is about pedestrians and cyclists making sure they are visible at night. It’s very simple and has absolutely nothing to do with driver’s eyesight. It is difficult for a person with 20/20 vision to see a dark object against a dark background.

Not the wrong thread at all. If your car has working headlights, shining ahead as you drive, you can 10000% a person or a cyclist without reflective gear in your path. If you cannot- no shade- then you should not be driving at night or you need better glasses. Truly.

No, you can’t.

Sometimes the ONLY indicator I see of someone wearing all dark clothing on a bike or in a crosswalk is when their dark silhouette interrupts the headlights of oncoming traffic. Were it not for that momentary flicker of ongoing headlights, you sometimes CANNOT see them until you’re 50-75 feet away.


I can tell you don’t drive much. Because only someone with little or no driving experience would say what you’re saying.

+1
Of course drivers are trying not to hit anyone. But when bikers are not lighting themselves up well is is VERY hard to see them and it is much more dangerous because they can quickly move in your path without enough time to see them.