France and HI-VIZ

[Domestique]

We are heading through France en route for ypers next month for a few days stay before returning.
What is the situation in France regarding hi-viz clothing and poor light conditions for cyclists?
Thanks in advance.

[anniesboy]

I'm fairly sure ,though cant remember where on CTC site I saw it.
That hi-viz /reflective top is required when riding at night,may also apply to poor visibility.

[thirdcrank]

We had another thread on this a while ago. If you are cycling in France, I'm pretty sure the regulation is that you have to wear a hi-vi top (complying with the relevant CE standard which is the same as a navvy's waistcoat) at night in built up areas and all the time out in the sticks. Drivers have to carry one in the car for breakdowns. Somebody may rememeber the thread.

========================================
Found it

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=20905&p=170465&hilit=passager#p170465

And it's not all the time in the sticks, just night time and bad visibilty

[vernon]

I've just got back from France and I was surprised at the number of cyclists wearing Hi Viz during the day in urban and rural settings. Perhaps its an indication of the fuzziness of the interpretation of the law.

[thirdcrank]

Vernon

While I was musing on fuzziness by the fuzz, I wondered if there was any truth in the rumour about 'convoi exceptionel' signs for cyclists above certain dimensions. In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed your holiday. You've not missed much excitement in Leeds.

[vernon]

Vernon

While I was musing on fuzziness by the fuzz, I wondered if there was any truth in the rumour about 'convoi exceptionel' signs for cyclists above certain dimensions. In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed your holiday. You've not missed much excitement in Leeds.

Well I was given a wide berth by the majority of wagons and cars

It was a great holiday and I finished it on a different bike to the one I started the ride on. The rear drop out fractured on my Dawes Galaxy and having weighed up the total cost of ownership over the next few years came to the conclusion that a brand new Decathlon B'Twin tourer represented better value for money and that it's purchase was a lot less hassle than sorting out an effective repair. It also gave me a good excuse to have a day off and 'do' Orleans. My holiday route was a ride from St Malo to Nantes and then eastwards along the Loire Valley until swinging northwards to rendezvous with the European Bike Express at Beaune. 900km done at a relatively leisurely pace.

I have not really been arounf for a month as I jetted off to Turkey for a fortnight the day after school broke up. I was back for a day whereupon I promptly left Leeds to visit friends in Pocklington and Darlington returning on the evening to complete mounting my prepacked panniers and tent on the bike ready for departure for Portsmouth the next morning. Apart from 15 minutes of warm drizzle spread over two days in France, I have not seen any rain since mid July.

[tatanab]

I've just got back from France and I was surprised at the number of cyclists wearing Hi Viz during the day in urban and rural settings. Perhaps its an indication of the fuzziness of the interpretation of the law.

Perhaps it is a regional thing, or just "tourists" misunderstanding, your route along the Loire would have been popular with tourists. I rode 800 miles in France in June and saw nobody at all using Hi-Viz. I did not ride after dark (10:30pm) so no surprise there, but had a wet/misty day in the mountains and again saw no Hi-Viz. Obviously I had an appropriate slip on if the circumstances had demanded it and recommend that visitors do the same.

[Cyclefrance]

A slightly spurious connection, but whenever I see something about Hi-vis, I immediately have to point anyone concerned in the direction of my son's Hi-vis Trilogy, as performed by him during a marathon 18 hours he spent participating in an entertainment competition last year on BBC3.

http://www.chriscohenmusic.com/media/the_hi_vis_trilogy

As I am a fairly regular contributor of disputable value on this site, I hope the mediators here will suffer my self-indulgence by allowing the link to be enjoyed (or not). Just remember, he was in a glass box for 3 x 6 hour sessions and managed to keep his audience entertained by creating no less than 175 spontaneously composed original songs over the time he survived.

HI VIS JACKETS WILL NEVER SEEM THE SAME AGAIN!

[frank9755]

It is only after dark or in poor visibility and (ie not 'or') outside urban areas!

[vernon]

I've just got back from France and I was surprised at the number of cyclists wearing Hi Viz during the day in urban and rural settings. Perhaps its an indication of the fuzziness of the interpretation of the law.

Perhaps it is a regional thing, or just "tourists" misunderstanding, your route along the Loire would have been popular with tourists. I rode 800 miles in France in June and saw nobody at all using Hi-Viz. I did not ride after dark (10:30pm) so no surprise there, but had a wet/misty day in the mountains and again saw no Hi-Viz. Obviously I had an appropriate slip on if the circumstances had demanded it and recommend that visitors do the same.

The his vis wearers that I saw were mostly locals. Even the roadies were sporting the Hi Viz gilets. It surprised me as I thought that they were not compulsory day wear. I only wore mine once and that was at night in Beaune on my way to the European Bike Express pick up point.

[Mattie]

I attached the High Viz vest to the luggage and it stayed on the whole tour. It also helps you to be seen in bright sun/patchy shade conditions when drivers will probably be wearing sunglasses and will not see you very well as they enter deep shade from bright sun.

[Herb]

I am shortly to go on a short tour of Northern France and have been looking at the cost of purchasing a high viz gillet .

I have noticed that I can go to a work wear web site and buy a high viz gillet typically worn by a roadside or railway worker for £2 ! These are light weight and designed to be worn over other clothing and appear to be eminently suitable for cycling.
They also meet the relevant safety standards. However the cycle websites will charge up to £29! The latter appear to be in two tone yellow/orange to make sure you cannot be mistaken for a navvy ! I am definitely buying the cheaper article. While I acknowledge the article designed for cyclists may have the odd pocket added to the design, the suspicion is that the cycling public are being fleeced in terms of cost and the main driver here in the decision making process is snobbishness. Am I right ? I would be interested in other people's views.

[rbrian]

I bought a hi-vis jacket, not a vest, it has sleeves, although it's still the very thin stuff designed to go over clothing. I bought it from JJB Sports for the princely sum of... £1.49!

[thirdcrank]

Herb

Right or wrong, if you get navvies' togs, they will be labelled with the correct CE standard which specialist cycling togs may well not be, and won't be unless they look like navvies' togs - especially the broad reflective bands.

[robbierunciman]

I am just back from France, noticed lots of people wearing them: I also saw a magazine giving away a free Hi Viz vest in a supermarket. It said something about complying with EU regulations. I guess the workwear solution is best, I use a top designed for joggers that I bought for £5 in a bargain bucket.