Bicycle Lights on Walking Sticks

[cooper_coleraine]

When conditions are too icy for me to take my early morning cycle ride, I go for a 5 mile walk. I have just fitted rear cycle lights to my walking poles. This allows me to alert walkers and cyclists on cycle ways. It serves the same purpose when I cross roads, I turn the pole in my hand towards waiting traffic at crossings. I also turn the pole to alert people approaching me. In the back facing mode the light catches my overtrousers' reflective strips.
I commend this safety measure to you.
Any rear light with a rubber wrap around strap works.

[pwa]

Good idea.

[reohn2]

Good idea.

Seconded!

[Mick F]

We just take a torch each.
Hear traffic, hear people etc, switch on the torches.

[Jdsk]

I use a head torch, steady when I want to see, flashing when I want to be seen.

Jonathan

[mjr]

I prefer a lantern when walking for all round illumination. I hang it from my stick sometimes. I am not a car and feel no need to imitate one.

[pwa]

I prefer a lantern when walking for all round illumination. I hang it from my stick sometimes. I am not a car and feel no need to imitate one.

There may be a gap in the market for an illuminated walking stick. Or perhaps there is one out there already.

[pwa]

We just take a torch each.
Hear traffic, hear people etc, switch on the torches.

That's what we do on dark lanes. Handy if your dog answers a call of nature too.

[Mick F]

We just take a torch each.
Hear traffic, hear people etc, switch on the torches.

That's what we do on dark lanes. Handy if your dog answers a call of nature too.

Yep.

Also, when walking and hearing a car, we shine the torches downwards to illuminate that we're walkers, and not aiming the torches at the driver .................... though I have done that a couple of times over the years when they are obviously driving too fast.
Clues: roar of tyres and roar of engine.

The lanes round here are narrow and full of high banks and tight curves, and many are used as "rat runs".

[kwackers]

There's been a steady rise in the number of 'motorists' on the local social media groups complaining about walkers dressed in dark clothes (bear in mind the area is fairly well lit by streetlights).

It's fairly rare now to see dogs without lights and growing numbers of walkers have lights - in fact there's one lady I pass in a morning who's out walking and has front and back bicycle lights attached to her waistband!

Whilst I appreciate lights increase your personal safety I find it sad that they're required because car drivers can't drive to the conditions and then have the cheek to complain that they're expected to actually look.

[thirdcrank]

For anybody who wants to be conspicuous on the road, then I'd recommend a hi-viz mesh waistcoat of H&S type. As good as anything for being seen, nothing to go wrong, no batteries needed and no room for credible SMIDSY or claims of confusion. ie If things do go wrong, the other party's representatives have one fewer bargaining chip.

As kwackers says, it's a said state we have reached. (If your worried about oilseed rape, get an orange or pink one.)

[paddler]

For anybody who wants to be conspicuous on the road, then I'd recommend a hi-viz mesh waistcoat of H&S type. As good as anything for being seen, nothing to go wrong, no batteries needed and no room for credible SMIDSY or claims of confusion. ie If things do go wrong, the other party's representatives have one fewer bargaining chip.

As kwackers says, it's a said state we have reached. (If your worried about oilseed rape, get an orange or pink one.)

Nice anticipation.

[squeaker]

Time for the Perfect Pedestrian (again)

[mjr]

For anybody who wants to be conspicuous on the road, then I'd recommend a hi-viz mesh waistcoat of H&S type. As good as anything for being seen, nothing to go wrong, no batteries needed and no room for credible SMIDSY or claims of confusion. ie If things do go wrong, the other party's representatives have one fewer bargaining chip.

Not really: if you were wearing what's often called "urban camo", they will just claim they thought you were a static roadworker (especially if you have the H&S standard shoulder bars and waist hoops pattern) or road sign. I would not like to bet against a jury of mostly-motorists regarding that as a credible excuse.

Also, they're synthetic fabric and only last a few washes, each of which will dump microfibres into the water system. It's yet another item of unsustainable clothing that the motoring lobby (motocracy!) is trying to push greener travellers into adopting, using "safety" as a Trojan horse and way to distract people from the real solution: make drivers responsible for their actions.

Lights (whether torch or lantern or whatever) are better because at least they help you see where you'r going.

[thirdcrank]

Re sustainability, anyone deciding to go for lights should opt for some sort of dynamo eg one of those jobbies you repeatedly squeeze but be aware, IME they don't last long. Also, it takes a very strong light not to be drowned out by powerful modern headlamps. Indeed, the beauty of decent reflective tape is that the stronger the headlight, the stronger the reflection.

I find it impossible to believe that anybody could credibly advance any sort of SMIDSY if they hit a pedestrian wearing H&S hi-viz.

I agree torches of all sorts of types are great for seeing where you are going / what you are doing. Modern torches really are brilliant compared with what used to be available when I regularly used one. I could imagine that a decent one waved about in the face of traffic might genuinely risk dazzling a driver.