Lighting etiquette for mainly bike path

[owly]

Just picked up a front white (around 350 lumen) and rear red light. Planning on riding to work once or twice a week, with dark starts.

Will be mainly on a wide bike path. My question is whether its best to have a constant beam or strobing; front and rear.

[P!N20]

^ Constant, front and rear.

[piledhigher]

^ Constant, front and rear.

I'll accept constant front, flashing rear, I can back off or pass if your rear is flashing obnoxiously, I can't do that with a flashing front.

[Jmuzz]

Flashing front sends my own eye twitchy, though is good for road attention.

You should only need minimal rear brightness and enough to front to see on a path.

[AdelaidePeter]

Flashing, but not too bright.

Perhaps I'm in the minority, but I find it more annoying when a light is too bright, not when it is flashing (or not). And given the choice between a not-too-bright-flashing light and a not-too-bright-constant light, I prefer the flashing, because it's more visible. Worst of all is a constant bright light pointing at my face - at least if it's flashing there is some respite from it.

[Duck!]

On paths you're relying on the light to see more than being seen, so steady is a must. And point the bloody thing downward!

[Cyclophiliac]

Flashing lights (at night) are a nuisance, because your eyes find it harder to adjust to them. Flashing lights with very high frequency, i.e. strobing, are more than a nuisance: they're dangerous.

[commute]

Nothing causes me to rage more than incosiderate cyclists who use one or both of strobing / super bright front lights when riding on a bike or shared path. You are not more important than any other path user, you shouldn't be riding along blinding them.

Get your self a small cheap front light for use on paths and save the bright light for when you are on an actual road.

Given Australia's nanny stateism for most aspects of life, it wouldnt surprise me if standards will one day be introduced to limit the brightness of bike lights.

[fergy1987]

oops.....ive been using my lights wrong this whole time - I always thought flashing was the nicer thing to do so other riders didn't have a light beaming in your face. I've been doing solid in the early morning and then flick it over to flashing as the sun starts to come up and I can see in front of me.

[Thoglette]

Perhaps I'm in the minority,

That you are. At the same brightness level, flashing is always worse. (search "flash bang" and "Diana" for conspiracies explaining why)

The only excuse for a flashing front light is if it's dull because the alternative is flat-battery-induced "bike ninja" status.

Ps - what Duck said

[fat and old]

Get your self a small cheap front light for use on paths and save the bright light for when you are on an actual road.

I actually find that on the unlit bike path I ride to work on a bright front light is more important than on the road. just my experience.

[MattyK]

Get yourself a bright light with proper optics that don't dazzle oncoming people.

Fixed.

There are some new STVZO approved Lezynes that look alright. I need something for my new bike that's sleeker than my Philips...

[RonK]

oops.....ive been using my lights wrong this whole time - I always thought flashing was the nicer thing to do so other riders didn't have a light beaming in your face. I've been doing solid in the early morning and then flick it over to flashing as the sun starts to come up and I can see in front of me.

Strobing lights can even induce epileptic seizures in some people, so a constant beam correctly aimed is a better choice.

[tez001]

On a unlit path, my front will be on constant. At dawn or dusk, I like it on flash to draw more attention especially when there is blinding sun. Rear is always on flash.

[Thoglette]

On a unlit path, my front will be on constant. At dawn or dusk, I like it on flash to draw more attention

From whom? At what distance? At what light level?

If it's bright enough to "draw more attention" at a distance that's relevant to someone's situational awareness, it's too bright. Or you are riding way too fast for the conditions. (Think it through)

[AdelaidePeter]

On a unlit path, my front will be on constant. At dawn or dusk, I like it on flash to draw more attention

From whom? At what distance? At what light level?

If it's bright enough to "draw more attention" at a distance that's relevant to someone's situational awareness, it's too bright. Or you are riding way too fast for the conditions. (Think it through)

So are you saying that a flashing light shouldn't be used on the road either?

[tez001]

Normally when the sun is rising or falling and I am on the road then I may use the flash function of the light so other drives changing lanes, entering the road, turning right etc are aware of my presence. Light I believe is aimed correctly so shouldn't affect other road users.

[Jmuzz]

Flash is good in the day.
A little steady light isnt even visible but the flashing helps catch the eye.

I have a big area of silver retro reflective sticker on the front of my bike and wonder how much that throws back into overly bright riders own eyes and if they think I have some huge light there when it is really their own light.

[Thoglette]

Normally when the sun is rising or falling and I am on the road then I may use the flash function of the light so other drives changing lanes, entering the road, turning right etc are aware of my presence. Light I believe is aimed correctly so shouldn't affect other road users.

OK, title was "bike path".

I'm still looking for info on effectiveness of flash/non-flash on MV users. An interesting area with a pile more variables to consider.

[tez001]

I'm still looking for info on effectiveness of flash/non-flash on MV users. An interesting area with a pile more variables to consider.

Flashing probably is more engrained in to society as danger or be alert such as emergency vehicles, roadworks etc etc. Difference if it makes any, I dont know but I feel it helps for when I am riding.

[Thoglette]

So are you saying that a flashing light shouldn't be used on the road either?

I'm still on the fence. I think that flashing lights, at a certain rate, particularly red, that meet the basic visibility criteria (that is, a broad beam and a reasonable angular size) likely do "wake up" a certain cohort of SMIDSY drivers, due to the general importance to the lizard brain of a red light coming on (be it a brake light; a traffic light or a cop car).

Me, I've gone for lights that are visibly large and cast large pools of light on the road before and behind me as, on balance, that's my current understanding of "most likely to be seen". I've got high/low beam options at the front, which get used just like they do in the car. Plus, I'm not an emergency vehicle so I'm disinclined to have flashing lights the norm. (FFS, I've got compliant reflectors; I'm lit up like a christmas tree; your car has headlights on; there's even some street lighting and yet you still didn't see me? Try putting the phone down and thanking the lord I'm not a bloody tree*)

At the end of the day I've done enough work in this area (that is, signal visibility and operator cognitive load) to know that there's a whole pile of "it depends on..." here so I'm far from dogmatic regarding on-road lights.

But for shared paths, I'm a whole lot more dogmatic.

* Explain this one to your other half!

(from "Parking Fails")

[Ross]

I have AYUPs on the front of my bike that I use on low beam solid when riding in the dark. I also have a small ~5W light that I have attached to my front fork that I use at dusk or dawn just to be seen - admittedly I mostly use it on flashing but my logic is the low power and low position I shouldn't blind people with it.

I use a ~30 lumen rear USB red light on flahing, mounted just below the seat clamp. Plenty of light to be seen with on a path.

I hate people (mostly MTBers) riding toward me on paths with 11ty trillion lumen lights mounted on their helmets. They are blinding. I get that MTBers need lots of light when riding off-road, but not when riding on a suburban path. They need to buy a lower power (< ~400 lumen) light to put on their handlebars for riding on paths.

[vaypaz]

My rough rule is that if I can see the light beam on the ground I'll set it to constant, if I can't then set it to flash.

[bychosis]

No blinkies on the bike paths. You don’t need to be seen from several kms away when the incoming traffic is bikes or pedestrians. I find it more difficult to see if an oncoming rider has a bright Blinky. Once the sun comes up make sure your light is pointing well down. You don’t need it to see where you are going and again, others don’t need to see you from several kms away. Save that for the roads

My bright light is a cheapie, so the beam is ‘everywhere’ when I see an oncoming rider I’ll cover the beam with my hand to prevent blinding them. Wish others would do the same for me.

[nickobec]

For bike paths it always lighting to see by, and seeing the path I ride are very dark (PSP between Cockburn and Kwinana) they are bright.

When riding at dusk it is on low as courtesy to other users and to conserve power. I will also dip for oncoming traffic, wish others did. (My lights also have a strobe option and only used it once, as somebody was riding at me with a stupidly bright strobing light in pitch darkness, time for their own medicine, surprised we did not head on, could no see a thing)

When riding my short commute to and from the station on the road, it used to be blinkies to be seen by. But after a few rides, with bright path lighting, I have switched to the brighter the better for the commute as other road users give you more respect. ie in the dark with only a bright headlight they treat you like a motorcycle and give you more room, than they would with blinkies and obviously a bicycle.