Mysterious Lights on the Bath Bristol Path

[recumbentpanda]

I am puzzled (and somewhat dazzled), by mysterious lights on the cyclepath.

I regularly ride the Bath - Bristol, and the Bath 'Two Tunnels' routes.

It is quite usual to encounter on these motor-traffic free paths, cyclists with Very Bright Front Lights, often flashing.

In broad daylight.

With perfect visibility for thousands of metres in both directions.

The Tunnels have perfectly adequate lighting, yet the same behaviour occurs.

I don't suppose anyone is going to stop doing it.

I'd just like to know why???

Is it the danger of low-flying owls? Badgers on skateboards? The extreme physical effort of flipping the off-switches when leaving the motor-road and joining the path? An irrational fear that pilots might mistake the cycletrack for a runway? The worry of encountering ghost-trains?

Enlighten me, -please!!!!

[Heltor Chasca]

You are not alone. In the 2 tunnels, it's either the above or no lights at all. Either way you and I need to warn others. Also: None of the cyclists travelling in the opposite direction return my warm greetings. I suspect they are under a hypnotic spell from these flashing lights.

And another thing...

...there are secret forces at work whilst I'm deep underground in the tunnels who disable my GPS. For 'who knows how long?' And I become one of Britain's 'disappeared'.

Hello?...

...Is anyone there?

[Redvee]

And another thing...

...there are secret forces at work whilst I'm deep underground in the tunnels who disable my GPS. For 'who knows how long?' And I become one of Britain's 'disappeared'.

I suffer the same fate too in the Devonshire & Combe Down tunnels as well as in the Staple Hill and Shelve Shute tunnels.

[lingy]

Probably just on a journey that involves both road and track? Don't forget that on the road we need to compete with daytime running lights on most vehicles now...and better lights are making this possible on bikes too.
But, yes, maybe cyclists should be better at flicking them off on tracks and paths.

[Bicycler]

I've yet to come across a retina melting flashing daytime running light on a car YMMV

[Si]

I'm noticing more bikes on the road with bright lights switched on in the middle of light days. Hope that we don't get to the point where drivers expect all bikes to have bright lights in the middle of the day and thus only look for the light and not the cyclist.

[pwa]

I'm noticing more bikes on the road with bright lights switched on in the middle of light days. Hope that we don't get to the point where drivers expect all bikes to have bright lights in the middle of the day and thus only look for the light and not the cyclist.

I have my lights on in gloomy, overcast weather. Nothing dazzling, though. It's a way of saying "I'm here" to anyone else around. Motorists about to pull out of a side road, pedestrians with dogs, and anyone else who might just glance around and notice that point of light a bit further up the road.

[kwackers]

I'm noticing more bikes on the road with bright lights switched on in the middle of light days. Hope that we don't get to the point where drivers expect all bikes to have bright lights in the middle of the day and thus only look for the light and not the cyclist.

Probably me.
I have a dynamo and can't be bothered turning it on and off. Sorry...

[syklist]

I'm noticing more bikes on the road with bright lights switched on in the middle of light days. Hope that we don't get to the point where drivers expect all bikes to have bright lights in the middle of the day and thus only look for the light and not the cyclist.

I wouldn't worry too much. I noticed recently whilst driving here in Norway that, although I notice cars with day running lights, the cars that stand out like a sore thumb are the ones where the lights are turned off. YMMV.

Anyway, hub dynamo/LED light lighting system are so cheap and effective these days that I feel that there is a good case to say that all bikes should have them fitted as standard.

[[XAP]Bob]

I've yet to come across a retina melting flashing daytime running light on a car YMMV

Not flashing, but they are all horribly dazzling

[Bicycler]

Anyway, hub dynamo/LED light lighting system are so cheap and effective these days that I feel that there is a good case to say that all bikes should have them fitted as standard.

Or at least more general purpose bikes should come with them fitted. I can understand why someone who doesn't ever ride at night or has a treasured lightweight or mountain bike might not want one.

here in Norway

I fear that this is this is the issue. Where bicycles are sold primarily as a form of transportation things like hub dynamos make sense. In the UK bicycles tend to be sold as sporting items. Typically weight is the headline figure in advertisements and this is kept low by not including "accessories" such as mudguards, racks, lights, dynamos, pumps, chainguards,....

[TonyR]

Mysterious lights? Electronic devices stopping working? I fear alien abductions in progress!

[[XAP]Bob]

Where bicycles are sold primarily as a form of transportation things like hub dynamos make sense. In the UK bicycles tend to be sold as sporting items. Typically weight is the headline figure in advertisements and this is kept low by not including "accessories" such as mudguards, racks, lights, dynamos, pumps, chainguards,....

pedals....

[syklist]

here in Norway

I fear that this is this is the issue. Where bicycles are sold primarily as a form of transportation things like hub dynamos make sense. In the UK bicycles tend to be sold as sporting items. Typically weight is the headline figure in advertisements and this is kept low by not including "accessories" such as mudguards, racks, lights, dynamos, pumps, chainguards,....

Germany yes, The Netherlands, yes, Norway, no. You are much more likely to see a bike with an electric motor in the front wheel than a dynohub here. In fact, I don't recall ever seeing a Norwegian on a bike with a dynohub in the front wheel. The only ones I've seen besides in our own bikes are WarmShowers guests who stop by and other foreign cycle tourists.

The same goes for Rohloff hubs, which I find strange given the average income levels in Norway.

The Norwegian bike market seem (to me) to be much more similar to the market in the UK and not very like the markets in Germany or The Netherlands.

[Vorpal]

here in Norway

I fear that this is this is the issue. Where bicycles are sold primarily as a form of transportation things like hub dynamos make sense. In the UK bicycles tend to be sold as sporting items. Typically weight is the headline figure in advertisements and this is kept low by not including "accessories" such as mudguards, racks, lights, dynamos, pumps, chainguards,....

Germany yes, The Netherlands, yes, Norway, no. You are much more likely to see a bike with an electric motor in the front wheel than a dynohub here. In fact, I don't recall ever seeing a Norwegian on a bike with a dynohub in the front wheel. The only ones I've seen besides in our own bikes are WarmShowers guests who stop by and other foreign cycle tourists.

The same goes for Rohloff hubs, which I find strange given the average income levels in Norway.

The Norwegian bike market seem (to me) to be much more similar to the market in the UK and not very like the markets in Germany or The Netherlands.

I think it somewhat depends where you are. I see more of all sorts of bike in Oslo, including hub gears, hub dynos, etc. I also see some bikes of the sort that I haven't seen anywhere else but Denmark, like cargo trikes, set up to carry 3 or 4 kids in an encloseable compartment, or service trikes with specialised tool / spares boxes. However, I asked after bikes & wheels with hub dynos last year, and I was told they were only offered on town bikes. Also, of my cycling friends here, most seem to have one or two (road & mountain) bikes that get used for everything including training rides, where they don't want the weight penalty. They'd rather run lights and things off batteries, so they can leave them at home when they don't need them.

So, I would say that in the cities, at least in the east of Norway, the market is more similar to Germany or Denmark than the UK. Though the market for road and mountain bikes seems similar to the UK, except that perhaps even cyclists who are more interested in the sporting aspects of cycling are somewhat more inclined to use their bikes for transport in Norway than in the UK.