October 21, 20223 yr Author That makes no sense at all. If a bike has a rear light thats bright, the 'Police are bound to object' but the same brightness on the rear of vehicle is OK ? Are rear vehicle lights really that bright? If so, I might indeed proceed with my original plan to replace the pallet plank section my ebike battery is presently resting upon (always intended as temporary), on the rear rack, with a slightly longer aluminium sheet which I already have got for that purpose - slightly longer so I can bolt and solder on a freaking monstrously bright and and horrifying red flashing light to the end. I suppose if I'm stopped by the rozzers and not fined, I could agree to only use the lesser of it's three modes ie dimmer but not flashing - it has bright constant, bright flashing and nauseating, somewhat dimmer and constant. I measured it all up about an hour ago... If I'm still taken with the idea next week, I'll just do it. Edited October 21, 20223 yr by guerney
October 22, 20223 yr Author That makes no sense at all. If a bike has a rear light thats bright, the 'Police are bound to object' but the same brightness on the rear of vehicle is OK ? Thus far I have been unable to find the brightness of vehicle LED rear lights in lumens, but these incandescents are 460 lm, which is about half the brightness of my headlamp on it's lowest setting (half of 1800lm). https://www.svetila.com/en/car-bulbs-12v/494-p21w-12v-21w-7506-ba15s-original-line.html A mere 460lm isn't going to do the job, and neither is twice that. Cyclists have a much higher risk of injury or death in a collision, we should be allowed to use extremely bright rear lights. Edited October 22, 20223 yr by guerney
October 22, 20223 yr Thus far I have been unable to find the brightness of vehicle LED rear lights in lumens, but these incandescents are 460 lm, which is about half the brightness of my headlamp on it's lowest setting (half of 1800lm). https://www.svetila.com/en/car-bulbs-12v/494-p21w-12v-21w-7506-ba15s-original-line.html A mere 460lm isn't going to do the job, and neither is twice that. Cyclists have a much higher risk of injury or death in a collision, we should be allowed to use extremely bright rear lights. As a "slow moving vehicle" the use of a flashing orange beacon could be justified. Be interesting to see a test case on that.
October 22, 20223 yr Author As a "slow moving vehicle" the use of a flashing orange beacon could be justified. Be interesting to see a test case on that. Would the orange colour cause problems? What would Police objection be based on? I'm now considering whether to disguise the bright 1800lm headlight which I intend to use as a rear lamp, by pop riveting the assemby and lens from a Vespa rear light to the back of my bike rack, then mount and shine the headlight through it. I'd have to cut a circle out of the back of this unit. I'd get a bit of side light function too, the lens would disperse the beam and be less dazzling, but it'd still look freociously bright on it's scary flashing mode It might even get driver's eyes off their phones and back onto the road. https://www.amazon.co.uk/quality-light-retro-design-chrome/dp/B00LEQI3QM/ref= Trouble is, I don't want my rear rack getting too long, because that would increase the size of my bike when folded. Edited October 22, 20223 yr by guerney
October 22, 20223 yr It might even get driver's eyes off their phones and back onto the road. You want a powerful laser that 'alerts' the drivers eyeballs that maybe they should not be looking at the phone. Unfortunatly, I suspect the only real way of dealing with and reducing the number of drivers who stare at and use their phones illegally when driving is to very significantly increase the penalties, a mandatory 2 year ban, very large fine, and a jail sententance maybe. At the moment the attitude does seem to be that its an OK thing to do if nothing happens when you do it, which it wont, most of the time, until you kill a cyclist. And of course the whole metholodgy of evil applications on mobile phones is to keep you glued to the screen in order to increase revenues.
October 22, 20223 yr Author And of course the whole metholodgy of evil applications on mobile phones is to keep you glued to the screen in order to increase revenues. They're exploiting all our cognitive biases they can to make that happen. Cyclists don't stand a chance. Unfortunatly, I suspect the only real way of dealing with and reducing the number of drivers who stare at and use their phones illegally when driving is to very significantly increase the penalties, a mandatory 2 year ban, very large fine, and a jail sententance maybe. Increasing sentencing will work if they're actually caught and prosecuted, which quite plainly isn't happening.
October 22, 20223 yr They're exploiting all our cognitive biases they can to make that happen. No, not all, as in not mine.
October 22, 20223 yr The 21W incandescents are the brake light, not the rear light, which is only 5W, so about 100 lumens per side...
October 22, 20223 yr Increasing sentencing will work if they're actually caught and prosecuted, which quite plainly isn't happening. They are being caught, many thousands of them. But its treated as a minor offence, if your viewing stuff online, in slow moveing traffic, or waiting for the lights, then its perceived as 'minor'. Of course the complete nutheads who do these 'minor' offences are fairly likley to be also using thier phones in moving traffic, and some of them will kill people. So hit the offenders where it hurts, they are offenders after all.
October 22, 20223 yr Author The 21W incandescents are the brake light, not the rear light, which is only 5W, so about 100 lumens per side... This brake light is 5W, maybe they get a choice? https://www.amazon.co.uk/halogen-signal-7528ULT-02B-passenger-blister/dp/B003A66VHM A red 1800lm(ish) beam shining through their windscreens, should wrench drivers from their phone dreams at 100m.
October 22, 20223 yr This brake light is 5W, maybe they get a choice? https://www.amazon.co.uk/halogen-signal-7528ULT-02B-passenger-blister/dp/B003A66VHM A red 1800lm(ish) beam shining through their windscreens, should wrench drivers from their phone dreams at 100m. That's a 21/5W, twin filament stop/tail bulb. 21 for stop, 5 for tail. 1800lm will be seriously noticeable! I wonder if it is as attention grabbing as flashing reds in addition to normal brightness steady ones?
October 22, 20223 yr Author 1800lm will be seriously noticeable! I wonder if it is as attention grabbing as flashing reds in addition to normal brightness steady ones? I've got two flashers and a steady at the back, and even now there are still some very worrying passes which are so close, they make me wonder if those drivers are blind to the road for whatever reason. Given that I can't bear to look at the road ahead when it's flashing at 1800LM, I expect it could cause accidents flashing red behind me, which gives me pause and for now stays my Ebay "Buy Now" clicking finger again... because I would be tempted to use it all the time, knowing it made me pretty much impossible to not notice. That and being booked by five oh... I suppose I could keep it at half 1800LM steady brightness, which defeats the objective.
October 22, 20223 yr Author They are being caught, many thousands of them. But its treated as a minor offence, if your viewing stuff online, in slow moveing traffic, or waiting for the lights, then its perceived as 'minor'. Of course the complete nutheads who do these 'minor' offences are fairly likley to be also using thier phones in moving traffic, and some of them will kill people. So hit the offenders where it hurts, they are offenders after all. We're one of the most video surveilled countries in the world - why the hell can't these arseholes be automatically recognised, fined and/or imprisoned? Phone app design will only become more effective at ensnaring and retaining user attention. They're trialling noise detecting cameras. As a cyclist, I don't mind noisy vehicles... at least you can hear them. I'd much rather see AI assisted auto fining for driving phone users, backed up with license hobbling and imprisonment! https://www.gov.uk/government/news/noise-camera-trials-to-detect-rowdy-drivers-coming-to-bradford-bristol-great-yarmouth-and-birmingham Edited October 22, 20223 yr by guerney
October 22, 20223 yr There are some drivers who are 'hard to reach'. There is nothing you can do light wise to keep them further away. Same with daytime drivers on A roads. Some just don't understand, even when the car in front and behind them are showing them how to do it! Cameras and report the worst offenders is my strategy. Plus some dramatic arm waving in their rear view mirrors and a GoPro soundtrack not always for the fainthearted!
October 22, 20223 yr If one puts a rear light with a LED it should be red LED as a white LED will show pink through the red lens . Don’t give plod a reason to stop you . Myself Ride with dynamo lights on 24/7 as well as flashing LED’.s goodluck with your project .
October 22, 20223 yr Author I think there's a strong safety and social case for the mandatory installation of cellphone jamming materials in all new vehicles. Make drivers get out to use phones! Maybe cyclists should carry cellphone jammers? Are there any cheapos on AliExpress?
October 22, 20223 yr Author Cameras and report the worst offenders is my strategy. Plus some dramatic arm waving in their rear view mirrors and a GoPro soundtrack not always for the fainthearted! You can't report them if you've been squashed! Prevention is better, if it can be done.
October 22, 20223 yr Guerney them noise camera’s sound cool , as I drive a 1957 Villiers powered Bond and it it not the quietest
October 22, 20223 yr Author There are some drivers who are 'hard to reach'. There is nothing you can do light wise to keep them further away. I think it'd wake up most drivers from phone reveries, but what keeps drivers away will undoubtably attract rozzers!
October 22, 20223 yr Author If one puts a rear light with a LED it should be red LED as a white LED will show pink through the red lens . Don’t give plod a reason to stop you . Myself Ride with dynamo lights on 24/7 as well as flashing LED’.s goodluck with your project . That's a good point. I've got some thick car rear red lens material which I can cut to size, to cover it with if needed, plus I can layer acetate sheets... I'll see how red I can get it. Don’t give plod a reason to stop you I can't see why the cops wouldn't stop me.
October 22, 20223 yr Author You want a powerful laser that 'alerts' the drivers eyeballs that maybe they should not be looking at the phone. If one puts a rear light with a LED it should be red LED as a white LED will show pink through the red lens This shooting a bright horizontal 30W LED red line directly into vehicles behind? I think my 1800LM headlight consumes about 21 - 25W, so this should look brighter. Could be workable for road use, behind a couple of diffusers? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/155217514856?hash= Edited October 22, 20223 yr by guerney
October 22, 20223 yr Such as the police women cyclist, the defence using an expert police witness to state that a single red bike light is not enough to be seen. Yet she was riding legally as the law states a rear single red light is required. Well yeah sure, a single rear light is a legal requirement. But its more than that. The lite was steady, not blinking which is far easier to see. Plus just because its the basic minimum thats no excuse for believing that that is easy to see. The small lights- legal requirement remember, that pass me and they are just not powerful enough to make themselves stand out. So you can put a rear light on the bike. But unless it has the power to make itself stand out, it isnt visible unless you're a couple of feet away from the bike. A rear light needs to be 70 lumen plus to be seen. Many are not. But its more than just intensity. Many lights are very small and thats like a tiny red spot that is in no way noticeable. To be safe the lamp needs to be large.
October 22, 20223 yr Author But its more than just intensity. Many lights are very small and thats like a tiny red spot that is in no way noticeable. To be safe the lamp needs to be large. It's crazy that bicycle lights are tiny compared to those on motorbikes, and a lot less bright.
October 22, 20223 yr i was riding back from town on the road with my light flat out and was going about 30mph and clocked a car waiting to pull out from a turning on a side road and seen him from about 10m away and thought he has not seen me yet so slowed down and he still pulled out in front of me like how the fook can you not see the light that's 8000lm they must be fkn blind or on the fkn phone. must have been slow tonight as only seen about 7 Deliveroo riders one twat had a front light on the rear in flashing mode and none of them wear helmets as must have a fkn death wish as blast past ppl flat out and no one gives a crap or says anything like its normal to fly past ppl going 35-40mph these days and look where there going via gps order details on the bloody phone while doing it is madness that this is allowed to happen as cctv everywhere and doubt any of them are from the uk either. checked the local rag and found this and says it all the police dont care. https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/news/gloucester-news/elderly-woman-frightened-speeding-scooters-7722246 Edited October 22, 20223 yr by soundwave
October 22, 20223 yr Author Or one of these red spotlights behind a few layers of diffusers, or simply projecting a bright red spot somewhere behind the bike? https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32836792270.html?spm=
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