Re: Daytime running light popularity

Am Mon, 28 Oct 2024 07:53:33 -0400 schrieb Zen Cycle
<funkmaster@hotmail.com>:

On 10/27/2024 9:18 AM, Wolfgang Strobl wrote:

Am Tue, 22 Oct 2024 14:41:40 -0400 schrieb Frank Krygowski
<frkrygow@sbcglobal.net>:
 

On 10/22/2024 2:08 PM, bp@www.zefox.net wrote:

On a ride this past Saturday I was surprised to see between one-third
and one-half of bicyclists using some sort of daytime running lights.
>
I've used DRLs off and on for decades, but it seems around the time of
the pandemic they became more popular and are approaching mainstream use.
>
Has anybody else noted a similar trend? Any idea why now?

They've jumped in popularity around here.

 
I guess they became popular at the time when there was a switch from
halogen to LED. Hub dynamos and high-capacity batteries also play a
role. It's just become easier and doesn't have as many disadvantages as
it used to have.
 
I prefer to signal my presence by how and where I ride, not by some tiny
white spot.  Using available light under poor visibility conditions such
as fog or twilight is one thing, but training motorists to ignore
anything that does not flash or glitter is a bad idea.

>
I couldn't disagree more. There is no "training" of motorists when it
comes to bikes until such time as motorists are fined for actions that
injure a cyclist. Things may be different for you in Germany, but in the
US there is still a sizable population that considers cycling on the
roadways to be an annoyance.

This view is too short-sighted. 

In Germany, there is both a sizable population that considers cycling on
the roadways to be an annoyance and a sizable population that does not.
Many people, including myself, are happy to see other people on a bike
instead of in a car, even if they are driving a car themselves. This is
because a bicycle is generally less in the way on the road than a car.
Of course, there are other valid reasons, too.

Proportions vary, depending on where you look. Some cities and regions
have a toxic traffic climate, sometimes traffic politics, sometimes
toxic infrastructure.  For example, visible or imaginated cycling
infrastructure beyond the road creates the belief that cyclists have no
business being on the road.

This is one of the reasons why it is surprisingly easy for diehard
car-friendly politicians to make themselves popular with naive cyclists.
"Let's build cycling infrastructure for saving those cyclists lives!"
sounds much better than "Get those pesty cyclist out of our way!". :-/

Coming back to bicycle lights, too much tinsel creates the expectation
that cyclists should always look like Christmas trees. Worse still, the
popular excuse for rude behavior "I didn't see the cyclist" is then
justified by the lack of daytime running lights, high-visibility vests,
reflectors on the front, back, left, right, top and bottom. There is
hardly any nonsense that cannot be declared as a necessity once it has
been established.

There are a great many incidents where a
driver has claimed a cyclist should yield when being overtaken, and
still some that think bikes should be riding against traffic or on the
sidewalk.

Right. As I said, there is hardly any nonsense that cannot be declared
as a necessity once it has been established. That is a good reason to
oppose it wherever you have the opportunity, instead of enthusiastically
joining in. 

Remember, you only have limited resources, so it is important to limit
yourself to the effective behaviors and tools.


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