Pedestrian/Cyclist Visibility at Night - is it considered of value ?

Hilly Bill

alaimacerc wrote: »

On the contrary, I want you to smarten it a whole lot up. I think we can "safely" assume we all understand what the word "safely" means. The question is, what's your prior model, as you approach a cyclist with a view to pass them, of what constitutes "safely", and does it pass the "reasonableness" test to an objective observer? As against, people would might define themselves as "always safely passing cyclist" on the basis that "I haven't actually knocked anyone off so far, that wasn't actually their own fault, at least that I've noticed, has been proven in court, and I'm now admitting to".


And you stop to conduct a poll, do you? For all I know, you're an impeccably safe driver, and are just recreationally venting on this topic lest the cyclists get too "uppity" in general. But little you've actually said would be terribly reassuring that you've much idea what cyclists perceive as physically unsafe or intimidating, or indeed whether it's just been a case of "so far, so lucky". And a lot of it, just the reverse, as several people have pointed out, several times, in considerable detail.


It's rarely a matter of not being able to pass safely. Few, if any, cyclists are really going to force traffic to stay behind them for a couple of miles, then cry "foul!" if someone passes within 149cm of them rather than 151. In general, one would rather they were in front, where one keep an eye on 'em, rather than lurking menacingly behind. (Aside from the ones that particularly "need" to overtake then pull in or left-turn so close one is in danger of getting side-swiped or rear-ending them.) To the point of the cyclist slowing down or stopping to pull right over (contrary to another poster's claimed experience, I note) to facilitate this, indeed. Or give signals as to where they think it is (and isn't) safe for them to be passed, for that matter. (In the minority of cases where someone lyrca-clad is "on a time" and doesn't want to do this, and yet the road is so narrow that safe passing is impossible, one would wonder how much faster than them you ought to be going in those conditions, anyway...)

The "close passing" issue seems to much more able motorists that are apparently impatient as to even seconds of delay, or else so full of resentment about cyclists even being on the roads that "moving to the right" seems to them to be letting the ecoterrorists win, or whatever. Or in some ways more worryingly, they don't notice them, or have no realistic idea of the risks and the effects involved.

Correct. Just for you, the next time i pass a cyclist i will stop and ask them a few questions on how their experience was when i passed and i will post the answers on here.


Just to stay on topic i will also ask them about the value of visibility at night.

bambergbike

Hilly Bill wrote: »

the next time i pass a cyclist i will stop and ask them a few questions on how their experience was when i passed and i will post the answers on here.

That's an excellent idea. Don't pick just the one, either - get a representative sample of 100.

Hilly Bill

Ok, will do.