Stealth ramblers!

Quoted message said:

Is it me?

Maybe. I have a degree of sympathy with the walkers - it's difficult to see
how they could injure others by walking into
them at high-speed.

Graham

Tim Dunne said:

Cue rant...

You're not the only one.

Tuesday night was going along a lane (cycle route) and spotted some
red lights up ahead - assumed it was the farmer. Got a bit closer and
my cateye 10w reflected off something, bit closer still and saw it was
5 or 6 runners. To be fair though they moved to the right and said
thanks to me for slowing down and turning off my spotlight. Further
on I passed several more groups of runners although these didn't have
any lights (only hi-vis vests which are only good when there's a
decent light shining onto them!) and were more reluctant to move out
of the way.
Further up the road I illuminated a chav (their white tracksuits are
really good for spotting them in the dark) and a pair of dog walkers
dressed in black/khaki who I only noticed because their dog had a
reflective yellow collar on!

When cars don't dip their lights I find veering across the road in
their direction is good at getting them to do it. I find it worse
though when car drivers dip their lights but go back to full beam
before they've passed so you get properly blinded for a few seconds.

peter

Tim Dunne said:

Oh, and while I'm ranting, what's the thing about not dipping lights
with some bozos? It's bad enough being blinded by the twunts but
after they've passed you can't see a sodding thing...

Try shutting one eye. That one may not have the receptors burned out to
"daylight", and might then pickup things afterwards more quickly.

- Nigel

--
Nigel Cliffe,
Webmaster at http://www.2mm.org.uk/

Tim Dunne said:

Cue rant...

Just coming round a bend slowly I pick out a white led torch flick on and
off ahead. As I swing round, I spot two walkers in dark clothes at the edge
of the road - holding my tongue I shake my head and press on. Up ahead, I
can just see something in the gloom, as I get closer my light is reflecting
of something metallic and moving - I'm expecting full on stealth cyclist,
but no, it's *five* male ramblers (wooly hats, trousers in socks etc.)
walking abreast the full width of the lane - my light picked out the walking
sticks. I was about 30 meters away when I saw them, their camoflage being
somewhat effective.

There's nothing you can do. I recently remonstrated with a couple of
Stealth Teenagers on an unlit, rural lane in Norfolk. The response was
something like:

"[censored] off, [censored] cyclist c*nt, mind your own [censored] business".

Frankly, I couldn't give a flying [censored] if/when they end up a bonnet
ornament of some truck/chavmobile; they get what they deserve.

HTH

Tim Dunne said:

Is it me?

It's probably your lights. Car lights would have picked them out.
What sort of light do you have on your bike?

"naked_draughtsman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

When cars don't dip their lights I find veering across the road in
their direction is good at getting them to do it.

I must try that... nice tip.

Quoted message said:

I find it worse
though when car drivers dip their lights but go back to full beam
before they've passed so you get properly blinded for a few seconds.

Yeah, a sudden flash of full beam full in the face is lovely, isn't it...
not.

Tim

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"Nigel Cliffe" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Try shutting one eye. That one may not have the receptors burned out
to "daylight", and might then pickup things afterwards more quickly.

Excellent tip, thank you.

Tim

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"Chris Smith" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Frankly, I couldn't give a flying [censored] if/when they end up a bonnet
ornament of some truck/chavmobile; they get what they deserve.

I just feel that in the situation they were in, they should take a bit more
care. It would be so easy to round a corner in a car and find yourself
coming up behind these guys too fast to do anything about it...

Tim

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"Tom Crispin" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

It's probably your lights.

No. It was dark and they were wearing dark clothes. Anyone would stuggle
under those conditions...

Quoted message said:

Car lights would have picked them out.

Not from round a bend they wouldn't

Quoted message said:

What sort of light do you have on your bike?

As stated in the original post, 2x10W halogen on the front, white flashing
LED as a marker on the front, 2xLED om the rear and flashing bar end
lights.

Tim
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Tim Dunne wrote on 05/02/2007 01:17 +0100:

Quoted message said:

I just feel that in the situation they were in, they should take a bit more
care. It would be so easy to round a corner in a car and find yourself
coming up behind these guys too fast to do anything about it...

Which is where the old adage of driving or cycling so you can stop
within the distance you can see to be clear comes in. If you can't,
which is what you are suggesting above, you are driving/cycling too fast.

--
Tony

"...has many omissions and contains much that is apocryphal, or at least
wildly inaccurate..."
Douglas Adams; The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Tim Dunne said the following on 04/02/2007 21:03:

Quoted message said:

but no, it's *five* male ramblers (wooly hats, trousers in socks etc.)

Ah - the dreaded Red-Socks!

Quoted message said:

'Oh pardon me!' shouts rambler sarcastically, 'I didn't know you owned the
road.'

They, on the other hand, do own the road, and bridleways, and footpaths!
FWIW, I'm also a walker, but because I'm not one of those that tucks
my trousers into my socks I get treated in the same way as you! They
tend to be, at best, ungracious to any non-red-socks. A cheery
"'morning" is often as not likely to be met with stony silence or a
grunt. Not all of them of course, but a lot of them.

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

Tony Raven said the following on 05/02/2007 07:53:

Quoted message said:

Which is where the old adage of driving or cycling so you can stop
within the distance you can see to be clear comes in. If you can't,
which is what you are suggesting above, you are driving/cycling too fast.

Which is very all well in theory, but Tim mentioned that the road "often
suffers with boy racers". Boy-racers, on the whole, don't give a stuff
about driving within the distance they can see to be clear, so making
yourself as visible as possible just seems sensible. The epitaph "He
was in the right" isn't much use.

Of course, you can be lit up like Blackpool Illuminations, but if
someone comes round a bend too fast it may not help much!

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

Paul Boyd wrote on 05/02/2007 08:18 +0100:

Quoted message said:

Tony Raven said the following on 05/02/2007 07:53:

Quoted message said:

Which is where the old adage of driving or cycling so you can stop
within the distance you can see to be clear comes in. If you can't,
which is what you are suggesting above, you are driving/cycling too fast.

Which is very all well in theory, but Tim mentioned that the road "often
suffers with boy racers". Boy-racers, on the whole, don't give a stuff
about driving within the distance they can see to be clear, so making
yourself as visible as possible just seems sensible. The epitaph "He
was in the right" isn't much use.

And how many cases of that happening from the approx 700 pedestrians
killed every year have you heard of?

--
Tony

"...has many omissions and contains much that is apocryphal, or at least
wildly inaccurate..."
Douglas Adams; The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

"Tony Raven" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Which is where the old adage of driving or cycling so you can stop
within the distance you can see to be clear comes in. If you can't,
which is what you are suggesting above, you are driving/cycling too
fast.

I was moving slowly enough to avoid them, I merely pointed that, to other
roadusers, they may be less than obvious.

I'm sure the knowledge that the driver was in the wrong will be a huge
comfort while they're in the hospital or undertakers. At some point people
need to act sensibly.

Tim
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"Tony Raven" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

And how many cases of that happening from the approx 700 pedestrians
killed every year have you heard of?

I honestly don't know, but as I've said, acting sensibly doesn't seem such a
bad policy.

Are you usually this intemperate of a Monday morning or did you just have a
bad night?

Tim
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better to be somebody else.' - Dave Matthews 'So Much To Say'
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Tim Dunne wrote on 05/02/2007 08:44 +0100:

Quoted message said:

"Tony Raven" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]

Quoted message said:

Which is where the old adage of driving or cycling so you can stop
within the distance you can see to be clear comes in. If you can't,
which is what you are suggesting above, you are driving/cycling too
fast.

I was moving slowly enough to avoid them, I merely pointed that, to other
roadusers, they may be less than obvious.

I'm sure the knowledge that the driver was in the wrong will be a huge
comfort while they're in the hospital or undertakers. At some point people
need to act sensibly.

a) I've never heard of it happening despite 700 pedestrians a year being
killed in other circumstances b) on a dark road at night you can see a
car coming for miles off. If it is coming round a corner too fast to
stop its going to hit you whatever you are wearing but mostly you can
see and hear it coming and get onto the verge well before it can see you.

The argument you are making is similar to the one that used to be made
about dress and rape and which is no longer tolerated.

--
Tony

"...has many omissions and contains much that is apocryphal, or at least
wildly inaccurate..."
Douglas Adams; The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Tim Dunne wrote on 05/02/2007 08:47 +0100:

Quoted message said:

"Tony Raven" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]

Quoted message said:

And how many cases of that happening from the approx 700 pedestrians
killed every year have you heard of?

I honestly don't know, but as I've said, acting sensibly doesn't seem such a
bad policy.

Are you usually this intemperate of a Monday morning or did you just have a
bad night?

Is it intemperate to point out that the scenario you propose to justify
people having to wear PPE when out for a walk does not appear to happen
in real life?

--
Tony

"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable man
persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all
progress depends on the unreasonable man."
-- George Bernard Shaw

"Tony Raven" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

The argument you are making is similar to the one that used to be made
about dress and rape and which is no longer tolerated.

For heavens sake, get a grip. Being visible when in the raod at night is
just common sense... I take it then that when out on your bike you do the
full stealth thing with only the legally required lights and no other
measures to improve your visibility. If not, why not?

Tim
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better to be somebody else.' - Dave Matthews 'So Much To Say'
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"Tony Raven" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

Is it intemperate to point out that the scenario you propose to
justify people having to wear PPE when out for a walk does not appear
to happen in real life?

When walking down the centre of a lane on a dark night I would suiggest it's
sensible to keep to one side (as suggested in the HC) or to wear something
light or reflective in colour. I don't know what you have against it, but
even the Highway Code suggests it.

http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/01.htm

I'm not a health and safety nazi, H*lm*t advocate or other single issue
fanatic, but I do believe that it's an imperfect world occupied by imperfect
humans and helping yourself and each other often goes a long way to making
things better.

Since you seem to be spoiling for some kind of argument I'll withdraw from
this particular discussion as it's serving little productive purpose.

Tim
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Sent from Birmingham, UK... Check out www.nervouscyclist.org
'I find sometimes it's easy to be myself, but sometimes I find it's
better to be somebody else.' - Dave Matthews 'So Much To Say'
My 'reply to' address is valid, mail to the posting address is dumped