As both a new bike commuter and Seattle resident, I was definitely unprepared for the dramatic changes that Daylight Savings Time brings to the evening commute. Riding home last Monday, I was shocked at how the previously safe and comfortable Burke-Gilman Trail transformed into a tunnel fo darkness, leading who knows where! I tried riding on main roads to get better lighting, but then had to navigate car traffic, also a stressful experience that I didn’t enjoy.
Upon further discussion in the Cascade offices, I discovered that this was a common experience and that many fellow commuters felt similarly unsafe riding home in the winter months. Turning out the lights also makes bicycle-pedestrian safety an even larger concern; even if cyclists are well-lit on the trail, the chances of seeing pedestrians not carrying lights or wearing reflective clothing themselves are slim.
The other night a co-worker and I decided to help solve this problem by distributing lights to joggers, walkers, and dogs along the trail as we rode home. This was an incredibly rewarding experience, and all of the pedestrians we spoke with seemed really grateful both to receive a free light and to be acknowledged by bicyclists.
Since it was such a hit, we’ve decided to establish an official Light Giveaway for Pedestrians this upcoming Monday, Nov. 14. A group of Cascade staff will be stationed along the Burke-Gilman Trail (at the intersection with 65th St near Magnuson Park) from 4:30-6 p.m. to hand out free lights and promote bike-pedestrian safety in these darker months. If you run or walk along the trail regularly after dark and don’t have a good light (or know someone who fits that description) please come by and see us!
And for all my cycling cohorts, please remember to use lights yourself, slow down in the darker hours, and keep your eyes out for pedestrians. After all, Seattle’s multi-use trails are designed for exactly what the name implies — all types of users!
Please, all cyclists with those extra bright lights on the Burke, please dim, and disable the flash. Totally unnecessary, rude, and dangerous.
It’s that place between a rock and a hard place sometimes – you get the lights because people complain they can’t see you, then they start complaining that your lights are too bright, even with them on the lowest setting, as is the case of my Seca 400 lights. It’s always nice (but not always possible, especially given how tree roots have torn up the BGT in sections) when oncoming cyclists drop a hand over the light to make it a little easier to see.
But no matter where you go or who you talk to… everybody hates the flashing lights.
Look to Germany, my friends. Over there, blinky lights are not allowed on bicycles and the front lights are both powerful and designed to cast a light only on the ground in front. Look for lights named Schmidt, Busch+Muller, and Inoled that have an elliptical pattern as mandated by German cycling laws. Mountain bike lights (the universally available ones) are designed to shine in a round, scattered pattern that only serve to make oncoming traffic angry and blind them.
It doesn’t take much brain power to aim the lights to only light your path 20 ft or so ahead of you if on a trail or path. I’ll aim it higher when I leave town on the open roads so I don’t hit the wild critters. As for the blinking lights, people are using them wrong. Ideally they should be used at dusk and dawn when the sunlight is tricky.
End of rant.
I second Jarvis. The key is to aim lights downward at the trail, far enough in front of you to see obstacles but not in people’s eyes. Also SLOW DOWN; you wouldn’t out-drive your headlights in a car either.
I lurve my new 350 lumen flashing light. I should have gotten it years ago! It has increased my safety around cars immensely. When previously, I noticed cars rolling through intersections without looking for me, I now see them coming to full stops (not California stops) and waiting for me to move safely past them. Solid lights do not get this response. At all. Even bright ones. They just get lost in the light noise of the street. But a high-vis blinking light stands out and commands attention and respect. That plus a wave when I pass, and my road riding experience is improved.
I try not to use it in flashing mode on the trail. There’s no intent to be rude, but it’s a little difficult to switch modes on the fly.
As for being blinded, what about looking to the side? Isn’t that what we’re taught as drivers? Don’t stare into bright lights?
At any rate, I’d much rather see lots of lights than fewer lights. There are too many bike ninjas (and on the trail, pedestrian ninjas and dog ninjas) out there who probably have no idea just how invisible — and vulnerable — they are.
I second M.J. Kelly. I drive a car, and also ride a bike on the Burke-Gilman for fitness. I have crossed paths with MANY cyclists that had EXTREMELY bright lights, and it wasn’t an issue for me at all. Why? Because I look down and to the right (where the white line would be if the BG were a street), as I do when I’m driving. No issues.
Low-brightness lights on the BG are silly, and dangerous (unless you’re moving slowly). A bright light is visible to cars at intersections before you even get to the intersection, and also allows you to see the many cats that like to hang out by the trail, ready to dart into your path. A bright light also lets people who are moving in the same direction as you notice you sooner. Finally, a bright light is ESSENTIAL when negotiating the piles of wet leaves that cover the trail these days, in the pitch black night, in the rain.
I used to have 400 lumens and it wasn’t enough. Now I have 1800 lumens. I put my light on low (450 lumens) when approaching other cyclists and still get yelled at. The light is pointed properly (towards the ground about 15-20 feet in front of me), and I go out of my way to make sure that I move as far to the right as possible, so they only get the peripheral light and are away from my “spot”. No matter, some people still yell.
Of COURSE lights are bright if you stare into them; don’t!
/ end rant
Finally, if you have a light, I’d rather you turn it on so I can see you. Don’t listen to those who say it’s polite not to use it. I HATE people who ride the BG without lights. It’s not true that they’re not needed. If I’m moving faster than you, or if we’re headed straight for each other, I’d rather know you’re there with plenty of notice. If blinking is all you’ve got, go for it. I don’t mind.
1800 lumens on a bike trail? Are you blind? 150 is plenty for a bike trail.
Don’t kid yourself. If you are forcing people to look away from where they are going, your lights are too bright. Why do cars have low and high beams? Because it’s dangerous to drive around blinding other drivers. If people are yelling at you to turn down your lights, do it. If you can’t see without it, go ride in the street.
Not blind (actually, I wear prescription bike glasses so I know I can see fine), and like I said, I turn it to 450 when approaching other riders.
150 is fine if you’re going slowly in dry conditions, but going fast in wet weather, it’s a whole other ballgame. Cars’ low beams (xenon) are 3,000 lumens EACH.
Finally, I am not forcing people to look away from where they are going. Down and to the right still allows you to see where you are headed. If it works in a car at highway speeds, it should work fine on a bike. And, again, it works fine for me when I come across people with bright lights.
You will know when you pass me as I have my 1000 lumen light politely shielded by my hand. When you fail to dim your light it points directly at you highlighting how obnoxious your light really is on the BG.
Cygolite 300 on the bar and L&M Urban300 on the head, flashing in daylight and dusk conditions, but on steady at night here in the hinterlands of Federal Way. It’s barely enough. I learned early that 200 lumens wasn’t enough to ferret out walkers in their stealth, light-absorbing fleece on the BPA trail. For visibility in traffic, I add an L&M vis180 tail-light on the post and a SuperFlash clone on the back of my helmet – day or night. At night, add a Cateye1100 on steady mode and a PDW Radbot1000 on the rear rack. And winter gets an extra kick – hokey-spokes on the front wheels to help them see me from the side. It’s a belt-and-suspenders-plus-duct-tape approach to bike illumination.
The bar light is aimed down at a reasonable angle. I use the helmet light to make sure drivers on side streets see me, and then I point it away from them. And when I do meet folks on the BPA, I point the helmet light to the side. Next replacement light could be one of the Phillips ‘sealed beam’ style LED’s with a clear vertical cutoff, but the price has to come down a bit.