Target Fixation for Bicyclists making themselves Targets

[Butch]

Using a shiney thing to get cagers to look at them seems bad
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/201...r-for-him.html

[ctwo]

I face bicyclists daily with high intensity full on strobe headlights in the dark. I mean full on/off high intensity lighting at several hertz. Most dangerous. That needs to stop.

A half serious question is if I can bolt that onto my MC helmet?

Bicyclists already have a 6 foot snowflake zone around them so I don't care about the pool noodle. I worry more about mothers and their baby strollers, which have no such protection.

[thepretender]

I give bicyclist the full 3 feet of space, I do however use lizard feet for measurement so it might seem a little close.

[Matty D]

Lifelong cyclist here. Like others, I hate seeing those front-facing strobes on other cyclists, and I don't use them. I also have no idea why anyone would want to ride in the dark with their light going on and off like that. The most people can tell me is they are not concerned about seeing as much as they are about being seen.

[sckego]

The reason for strobing lights is battery life - since the light is operating at a reduced duty cycle, batteries will last several times as long compared to solid-on. And since on a bicycle the light is mainly to alert others of your presence, rather than illuminate the road, strobing still works fine.

[rcb78]

More than battery life, the strobe is used so that their light doesn't blend into the sea of traffic lights. The issue is that most cyclists don't bother to check the aim of their lights and have no idea it's a problem. Each morning I commute by bicycle, I take 10 seconds to point my bike at the garage door and make sure it's not pointing too high. Since most of us remove the light to charge it before each use, you have to check the aim every single time.

[ThinkFast]

Originally Posted by Butch

Using a shiney thing to get cagers to look at them seems bad
https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/201...r-for-him.html

Disagree entirely. First of all, a pool noodle isn’t any shinier than anything else on a bicycle. Secondly, the first time I saw this my first thought was, “That’s brilliant.”

Why? Because as a bicyclist and motorcyclist, one of the challenges we face in a shared road environment is making ourselves appear larger than we actually are so vehicles don’t take unsafe liberties in trying to sneak by us in the same lane we’re in. Sometimes there’s room for that, sometimes there is not. Road racing taught me a lot about riding, including learning how to make myself appear larger on the track than I actually was by using lane position and riding line. As a defensive ploy this is something I’m guessing all racers learn how to do to some degree at least.

And it translates directly to street riding, where we’re so vulnerable on two wheels to multi-ton vehicles we share the road with. The pool noodle is brilliant because it creates the illusion of size, forcing others to give the cyclist the leeway they are legally entitled to, but that is often compromised by careless drivers.

(As for those of you complaining about the strobing headlight on bicycles, I take it none of you has or is in favor of Moto headlight modulators, right?)

[ctwo]

I found the perfect pool noodle design for this purpose.

[chickenfried]

I always confused by the disdain some motorcyclists have for bicyclists. They should be kindred spirits as vulnerable users of the roads rather than enemies.

[budman]

I think it is a good idea really.

However in the image the dude is several feet off the parked car.

He should just go two noodles and ride in the middle lane.

Won't work on a moto...

[rcb78]

Originally Posted by budman

However in the image the dude is several feet off the parked car.

One simple reason for that, idiots that open their doors without looking first to see if it's safe, something that's actually illegal in Ca but still happens all the time. You either give room for people to do this without warning, or risk a pretty serious head injury as you go OTB into the door or through the window.

[ctwo]

Much safer to ride in front of a moving vehicle.

We have about a mile long DY sharrow. Sometimes it takes a while to get through, even on a MC, and then it usually isn't really necessary.

[budman]

Originally Posted by rcb78

One simple reason for that, idiots that open their doors without looking first to see if it's safe, something that's actually illegal in Ca but still happens all the time. You either give room for people to do this without warning, or risk a pretty serious head injury as you go OTB into the door or through the window.

True... good point.

[DucatiHoney]

I can tell ya this after commuting by bicycle for a few years now. It's pretty much dog-eat-dog out there. Not only are you worried about cars crowding you but other cyclists. I don't "do the noodle" but I've seen it. It's effective. I don't blame anyone for doing whatever it takes to stay safe. Cyclists face the same hazards we do without the benefit of leathers, noise, good brakes, good traction, or a throttle.

[295566]

Originally Posted by ThinkFast

Disagree entirely. First of all, a pool noodle isn’t any shinier than anything else on a bicycle. Secondly, the first time I saw this my first thought was, “That’s brilliant.”

Why? Because as a bicyclist and motorcyclist, one of the challenges we face in a shared road environment is making ourselves appear larger than we actually are so vehicles don’t take unsafe liberties in trying to sneak by us in the same lane we’re in. Sometimes there’s room for that, sometimes there is not. Road racing taught me a lot about riding, including learning how to make myself appear larger on the track than I actually was by using lane position and riding line. As a defensive ploy this is something I’m guessing all racers learn how to do to some degree at least.

And it translates directly to street riding, where we’re so vulnerable on two wheels to multi-ton vehicles we share the road with. The pool noodle is brilliant because it creates the illusion of size, forcing others to give the cyclist the leeway they are legally entitled to, but that is often compromised by careless drivers.

(As for those of you complaining about the strobing headlight on bicycles, I take it none of you has or is in favor of Moto headlight modulators, right?)

As a moto rider, I think it's our responsibility to know where we fit in traffic, and be able to avoid cars. This is because we are faster and more nimble than most cars. Not so much the case with bicycles. They are the ones slower than traffic, so being seen is a much larger issue for them.

Also, headlight modulators are not legal at nighttime.