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General: night riding visibility in traffic

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  1.  
    • CommentAuthordirtle
    • CommentTimeOct 12th 2009
     
    Just got home rocking through some traffic at night. Two way avenue, two lanes each way, looking back over the shoulder the headlights from the cars behind me in the left lane i can't make out any detail really. My senses are telling me how far back the cars are etc. I usually cut my losses, accept that I don't "know" how much room I have to make the left turn onto my block, and slow down and wait out the traffic, then go.

    This time I went with my instincts and pulled into the left lane, and committed to make the turn. But since I'm not used to it I did it really deliberately, taking a little time and makeing my actions known to the whole avenue, causing the cars behind to slow down and honk. Cake.

    Had I committed completely would have easily made the turn, maybe without any second thoughts from drivers.

    During the daytime this stuff's a lot easier to corroborate my visual cues with my other sensory input. Anyone else make moves like this when its harder to see at night?

    kinda reminded of the 'bike like an asshole' thread from a few months back...
    • CommentAuthorsoulbyte
    • CommentTimeOct 12th 2009
     
    It's harder to see bikers at night, I tend to play it safe and make sure to use plenty of lights.
    • CommentAuthorwes m.
    • CommentTimeOct 12th 2009
     
    Unless I know that I have safe distance I'm not going to pull into traffic. Right of way, principle, and instincts dont mean much if you got run over.

    Its really hard to explain how to know when its safe and when its not. Thats something you develop over the years by using common sense and trial/error (as little error as possible).
    • CommentAuthorLyKqiD
    • CommentTimeOct 13th 2009
     
    People under estimate the worth of hearing when biking. Cars produce a great amount of rotational friction with their wheels, most of which results in a lot of noise. I have rolled blind stop signs (daytime and night) when I give about 3 seconds to concentrate and listen for a car coming.

    Now with the dawn of electric cars, and electric mopeds this may be a things of the past. But listening for cars is the primary reason why I dont ride around with an ipod on.
  5.  
    Yeah, listening is key to riding in traffic. But driving my Prius behind a biker on my .75 x 2 lane street is pretty frustrating. They don't hear shit.
    • CommentAuthorsoulbyte
    • CommentTimeOct 13th 2009
     
    I never listen to music when riding, especially at night. I agree that you must listen to everything and that the Prius barely makes any noise ;)
  8.  
    Listening to music while riding strikes me as dangerously insane.

    I have an annoyingly flashy light on the back and another on the front. I've got retroreflective tape covering the seat stays (same color as the rest of the bike — can't even see it's there in the day!), and little bits of retroreflective stuff on my clothes and shoes.

    The worst is when it's raining. Not only is everything noisy, but everything's reflective, too.
    • CommentAuthorfixedpuch
    • CommentTimeOct 14th 2009
     
    There is this product called the i-Home. It rocks, Its basically a speaker that you put your i-pod in that is shaped like a water bottle. So you just put it in your bottle cage and rock out. There is even a remote control that you put on the handle bar that has a screen of what is playing. Its pretty cool. I wont use headphones though, that shit is sketchy. Its important to hear whats going on with traffic around you.
    • CommentAuthorjockscum
    • CommentTimeOct 14th 2009
     
    The worst is when fellow cyclists (always seems to be on a mountain bike) ride without a front light, with headphones in, and blow stop signs in terribly lit areas while almost smashing into me...
    • CommentAuthorstacks
    • CommentTimeOct 14th 2009
     
    i agree about the headphones..more often than not i can hear cars before i see them. i tried explaining it to my friend, he thought i was crazy. i probably am. :/

    (why would you need headphones anyways? the joy of riding fixed is the peace and quiet)
    • CommentAuthordeermatt
    • CommentTimeOct 15th 2009
     
    I always ride listening to music , but you can do it safely in baltimore . When I ride my bike in new york city , I would never even consider it . I dont have a rear light on my bike, but im ordering one very soon so I dont get hit by a car . Considering ordering a monkeylectric light
  13.  
    See, the thing about external speakers is that then you're making everyone listen to your music when they went out for a quiet bike ride.
    • CommentAuthoreaglerock
    • CommentTimeOct 15th 2009 edited
     
    Posted By: jockscumThe worst is when fellow cyclists (always seems to be on a mountain bike) ride without a front light, with headphones in, and blow stop signs in terribly lit areas while almost smashing into me...

    Maybe where you live. Where I live, those phantom menaces are all on fixed gears, usually salmoning against the traffic, and often yammering on their cellphones. It makes me want to inflict Breaking Away justice on the jerks.

    Posted By: Joshua A.C. NewmanSee, the thing about external speakers is that then you're making everyone listen to your music when they went out for a quiet bike ride.

    Not unlike the rolling boomboxes one finds on city streets, pulling up to stoplights with the subwoofer going so hard that the Toyota Tercel's window glass rattles with the vibrations.

    Dude, I hate you; why would I want to listen to your grotesque music?

    Posted By: deermattI dont have a rear light on my bike, but im ordering one very soon so I dont get hit by a car

    It's not just a good idea; it might be the law. In many states, both front and rear lights are required when it's dark. Here's the California regs for comparison; your own relevant regulations should be available online from the state's DMV, if you search under "bicycle" or "vehicle code".

    Equipment Requirements
    21201.(d) A bicycle operated during darkness upon a highway, a sidewalk where bicycle operation is not prohibited by the local jurisdiction, or a bikeway, as defined in Section 890.4 of the Streets and Highways Code, shall be equipped with all of the following:

    (1) A lamp emitting a white light that, while the bicycle is in motion, illuminates the highway, sidewalk, or bikeway in front of the bicyclist and is visible from a distance of 300 feet in front and from the sides of the bicycle.

    (2) A red reflector on the rear that shall be visible from a distance of 500 feet to the rear when directly in front of lawful upper beams of headlamps on a motor vehicle.

    (3) A white or yellow reflector on each pedal, shoe, or ankle visible from the front and rear of the bicycle from a distance of 200 feet.

    (4) A white or yellow reflector on each side forward of the center of the bicycle, and a white or red reflector on each side to the rear of the center of the bicycle, except that bicycles that are equipped with reflectorized tires on the front and the rear need not be equipped with these side reflectors.

    (e) A lamp or lamp combination, emitting a white light, attached to the operator and visible from a distance of 300 feet in front and from the sides of the bicycle, may be used in lieu of the lamp required by paragraph (1) of subdivision (d).

    http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d11/vc21201.htm

    New York DMV's website is laid out in a more "consumer-friendly" way, with links to particular issues. I haven't been able to find a link that leads to a compendium of the actual regulations.

    I need to get out and ride...
    • CommentAuthorjockscum
    • CommentTimeOct 15th 2009
     
    Posted By: eaglerock
    Posted By: jockscumThe worst is when fellow cyclists (always seems to be on a mountain bike) ride without a front light, with headphones in, and blow stop signs in terribly lit areas while almost smashing into me...

    Maybe where you live. Where I live, those phantom menaces are all on fixed gears, usually salmoning against the traffic, and often yammering on their cellphones. It makes me want to inflictBreaking Away justiceon the jerks.


    Most of the fixed gear riders here aren't too bad. They usually all have lights and rarely are on the phone/listening to music. Once you get into the hipster part of town its mostly idiots that don't know how to ride brakeless and almost smash into me a few times in one night
  16.  
    ....ok, here's what you do......put your left hand on the small of your back and look backwards....or stop. Should clear your problem right up dirtle.
  17.  
    Posted By: eaglerockWhere I live, those phantom menaces are all on fixed gears, usually salmoning against the traffic, and often yammering on their cellphones.

    Friggin' college towns, man. When the kids come back from summer there start to be neon Deep V's riding in the bus lanes and on the sidewalks everywhere I look.
  18.  
    eaglerock sez:Not unlike the rolling boomboxes one finds on city streets, pulling up to stoplights with the subwoofer going so hard that the Toyota Tercel's window glass rattles with the vibrations.

    Dude, I hate you; why would I want to listen to your grotesque music?


    Precisely.
  19.  
    the college towns.... thats me:( only at certain times of the year and only around the college campus, no where else.

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