Why no lights?

     I ride quite a bit at night, mainly on the south side (Pilsen, Bridgeport, McKinley Park, Brighton Park).  Riding and driving, I note that the vast majority of bikers I see (sometimes just barely) at night have no front headlight.  Many don't even have a rear reflector, much less a light or blinkie.  For example, look at the video for the Monday Night Ride on this website.  Many if not most of the riders, who I am sure are great people, have no form of illumination whatsoever.  I have a few questions for you ninjas:

     1.  Why?  Is it so hard to purchase some small light, per the Chicago ordinance, so that people can see and avoid you?  There are plenty of inexpensive lights that will do the job.  Is this some kind of aesthetic issue, an attempt at rebelliousness, or just plain laziness?;

     2.  Do you understand the danger that you place yourselves and others in?;  

     3.  Do you understand that bikers like you make people resent bikers in general, thus hurting the cause of us all?  Or is it your actual purpose to antagonize?;

     4.  Is this more of a south side problem, or is it relatively uniform throughout the city?  I do know from experience that Wicker Park isn't any better than where I live.;  

     5.  Do you drive cars without headlights?  Do you think that would be OK?

      When I see photos of an accident scene involving a biker who was hit at night, I always try to discern if they had lights.  From what I can tell, almost always did not. 

     I know I sound crotchety here, but I just don't understand the point of risking death or serious injury because of refusal to do something as simple as make yourself visible to other people on the roadway.  

     And yes, my own bike is almost as illuminated as Snoopy's doghouse in the Charlie Brown Christmas special.  

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Permalink Reply by Bill Nedza on August 19, 2014 at 1:36am

If you ride without lights in the dark you're stupid, unless you don't care about living.  Even at dawn and dusk it is smart to ride with lights.  If you absolutely need to ride without lights, say because you forgot them, RIDE SLOW AND PREDICTABLE,  and consider doing it on a sidewalk.  

Permalink Reply by Simon Phearson on August 19, 2014 at 5:27am

How are the "bike geeks" "almost as annoying" as the riders you might crash into because you can't see them biking illegally at night?

So I throw my light on in the dawn/dusk hours - a lower-level light with a pulse - just because I think it will improve visibility to car drivers pulling out of driveways, etc. I didn't think it was bright or blink-y enough to really be a nuisance to anyone, but if it is - what would be preferred? 

Shawn Evans said:

I think these are the same people I see riding the wrong way on a 2-way street - late teens or just out of their teens, this is the only bike they own (cheap mountain bike, got it when they were kids, so it's too small for them), they're only riding a short distance (mile or less), and they don't give a shit what you think. You really have to be aware and avoid them at all costs.
Almost as annoying are the 'bike geeks' (expensive road bike, helmet, spandex, pannier) riding in the sunny daylight with the blinking lights on.
Permalink Reply by Ifi Susana on August 19, 2014 at 6:43am

Yeah just got into a crash yesterday because I could not see a huge dip in the road with my little light. I usually don't ride at night and if I am, I am not usually going more than 16mph. Of course that night I was and my little blinking light did not help. Lesson learned. 

Permalink Reply by Jim Reho on August 19, 2014 at 7:06am

I have to say, in over 33 years of riding the streets of Chicago, I've never had a car stop suddenly or unexpectedly because my bike had a light.  I have never had any adverse response from a car in front of me because I have a light.  As a driver during that entire same period, I have had no problem whatsoever seeing a bike with a light in back of me, and I appreciate knowing that he or she is there.  A dimmed rear view mirror, or side view mirror for that matter, cuts down on glare from others' lights, but by no means renders them invisible.  Not at all.  Also as a driver, a light makes it a lot easier for me to see bikes approaching from the opposite direction, insuring that I don't make a tragic left turn.  That alone makes front lights beneficial. Car headlights are intentionally oriented so that they don't shed much light into oncoming traffic lanes, so as not to impair the vision of drivers in them.  When you ride your bike at night and have no front headlight, it makes it much harder for me to see you when I'm turning left, or even when I'm turning right through a bike lane you may be in.  How am I supposed to see you in back of me and to my right when you aren't illuminated?  No biker has a gift of prophecy so great that they can foretell when a driver who can't see them might suddenly turn.  I see no sense in taking those risks when an inexpensive headlamp greatly alleviates them.            
h' 1.0 said:

Stopping suddenly/unexpectedly, trying to negotiate with you somehow when you don't have a prayer of being able to see them gesturing or waving--- would rather cars in front of me just went about their business and let me work around them.  It's not any harder to figure out what they're about to do at night than it is in the daytime. I disagree strongly with any notion that having lights that are easily visible from behind is not important.
On city streets, a white front light is only useful at night to satisfy the letter of the law and to keep one from losing legal standing in the event of a crash IMO.
Jim Reho said:

More unpredictably how?    

h' 1.0 said:

I find drivers behave much more unpredictably when they see a cyclist's light behind them at night.


 
Tricolor said:

A light that can be seen by cars is expensive.  When you ride in the dark without lights you can still see pretty well, so it's easy to assume everyone else sees, too.  In my experience rear reflectors are fine since a car will light them up, but someone riding behind a car needs a very strong light to be noticed in a dimming mirror.  Add in the usual bad habits with passing on the right and the dark is very dangerous.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on August 19, 2014 at 8:08am

Thank you!

Jim Reho said:

I have to say, in over 33 years of riding the streets of Chicago, I've never had a car stop suddenly or unexpectedly because my bike had a light.  I have never had any adverse response from a car in front of me because I have a light.  As a driver during that entire same period, I have had no problem whatsoever seeing a bike with a light in back of me, and I appreciate knowing that he or she is there.  A dimmed rear view mirror, or side view mirror for that matter, cuts down on glare from others' lights, but by no means renders them invisible.  Not at all.  Also as a driver, a light makes it a lot easier for me to see bikes approaching from the opposite direction, insuring that I don't make a tragic left turn.  That alone makes front lights beneficial. ... When you ride your bike at night and have no front headlight, it makes it much harder for me to see you when I'm turning left, or even when I'm turning right through a bike lane you may be in.  How am I supposed to see you in back of me and to my right when you aren't illuminated?  No biker has a gift of prophecy so great that they can foretell when a driver who can't see them might suddenly turn.  I see no sense in taking those risks when an inexpensive headlamp greatly alleviates them.            

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on August 19, 2014 at 8:09am

Yeah, those little blinkies are useful for being seen, but not very helpful for showing pavement conditions. Sorry to hear about your crash.

Ifi Susana said:

Yeah just got into a crash yesterday because I could not see a huge dip in the road with my little light. I usually don't ride at night and if I am, I am not usually going more than 16mph. Of course that night I was and my little blinking light did not help. Lesson learned. 

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on August 19, 2014 at 8:10am

I wonder what it is that you're doing differently from me that gets this kind of response. 

h' 1.0 said:

Stopping suddenly/unexpectedly, trying to negotiate with you somehow when you don't have a prayer of being able to see them gesturing or waving--- would rather cars in front of me just went about their business and let me work around them.  It's not any harder to figure out what they're about to do at night than it is in the daytime. I disagree strongly with any notion that having lights that are easily visible from behind is not important.
On city streets, a white front light is only useful at night to satisfy the letter of the law and to keep one from losing legal standing in the event of a crash IMO.
Jim Reho said:

More unpredictably how?    

h' 1.0 said:

I find drivers behave much more unpredictably when they see a cyclist's light behind them at night.

Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on August 19, 2014 at 8:18am

Sorry to hear that--hope you are not hurting too much.  Even at 16 mph we are traveling a little more than 23 feet per second.  With reaction time and time to slow/stop/maneuver, I wonder how far ahead we want our lights to illuminate to give us the chance to avoid hazards?
 
Ifi Susana said:

Yeah just got into a crash yesterday because I could not see a huge dip in the road with my little light. I usually don't ride at night and if I am, I am not usually going more than 16mph. Of course that night I was and my little blinking light did not help. Lesson learned. 

Permalink Reply by Tandemonium on August 19, 2014 at 11:49am

Oh noes! I hope you are alright. If I recall correctly you commute over in our area and there are some major road hazards around Wilson/Francisco. Where about did this happen?

Ifi Susana said:

Yeah just got into a crash yesterday because I could not see a huge dip in the road with my little light. I usually don't ride at night and if I am, I am not usually going more than 16mph. Of course that night I was and my little blinking light did not help. Lesson learned. 

Permalink Reply by Ifi Susana on August 19, 2014 at 12:24pm
I'm alright. It was completely my fault. I was on California going south near Peterson. There was a dip in the road and I fell over. Had I be paying more attention and had a stronger light I would have seen that sneaky bugger.


Tandemonium said:

Oh noes! I hope you are alright. If I recall correctly you commute over in our area and there are some major road hazards around Wilson/Francisco. Where about did this happen?

Ifi Susana said:

Yeah just got into a crash yesterday because I could not see a huge dip in the road with my little light. I usually don't ride at night and if I am, I am not usually going more than 16mph. Of course that night I was and my little blinking light did not help. Lesson learned. 

Permalink Reply by Tom A.K. on August 19, 2014 at 12:51pm
Yo, dude! Why no lights?! Cuz it ain't COOL !
Lights/flectors on my ride, no way !
Ruins the look man ! Duhh ! !
Ninja say, "see ya, not me!"
Permalink Reply by Michael A on August 19, 2014 at 3:41pm

"no lights" are the new "no brakes"

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