genec

I've used flashing yellow and steady red to make sure I stood out from all the other lights... but when LEDs became more popular, I went to more blinkies, and that PB super flash, with a unique flash pattern. I still keep one solid red.

From my observations, multiple lights, arranged in a high low vertical pattern, with some blinking, seems to say "cyclist" best.

And yeah... I know blue is for police in some states... but these days,with LEDs, bikes "could" have a unique color... but then there are enough color blind people driving so that perhaps color isn't that special. That is why I prefer the verticle pattern with unique flashes.

genec

And all no doubt due to "needing" that "nuclear option" to get the attention of distracted motorists.

mr_bill

See Figure 1A and Figure 1B.

Strobe is a duty cycle of off-ON-off-ON-off.... They don't do that. They are low-high-low-high-low....

(Unlike your paradise, it's not illegal for me to use a blue light on a bicycle in Massachusetts. But just because I may doesn't mean I should.)

-mr. bill

Hypno Toad

The OP clip reminds me of a video I got 5 years ago:

She honestly said she couldn't see me... that's why she was honking. HA!

I have retired most flashing lights (except low intensity lights), in favor of brighter solid lights.

This intersection was part of my daily commute for 10 years. The 2-lane county road has a broad "bike route" shoulder, but at this light the "bike route" shoulder goes away to make way for a right turn only lane. Since I will continue on this road, I move the the through lane. The timing of my move changes based on the lights status, when it's red I will take the through lane earlier, since cars are not going lose any time behind me. Additionally, this allows vehicles making a right turn to pass me and make their turn. (I'm sure I'll get some criticism for my riding "style"; and the comments will be from all angles with no truly insightful input... But that's BF).

Daniel4

Wouldn't it be cool to have a blue flashing beacon on your helmet or handlebar? When cars see the light in their rear view mirror, they'll pull over and let you pass.

genec

For one commuting season in the mid '80s, I used a strobe on a tall fiberglass stick. It didn't really give the effect I wanted in traffic, and the strobing action was somewhat difficult on my night vision. Guess I should have used a blue gel on that strobe.

hotbike

Interesting, now that you mention it... There are some towns in New Jersey painting Blue Lines, to honor the police... yet the "Feds" say "Some motorists get confused"... Kind of like a DIY Bike Lane, "Motorists get confused"... Well, it's a two-way street:

Painted blue line supporting law enforcement is not safe, feds say | NJ.com

genec

Gee, shouldn't that blue line be thinner...

CB HI

So mr. bull is back with more BS seemingly denying that tail and brake lights are brighter than they were years before. And what does he think shows his case? A 182 page federal Code of Federal Regulations dated 2008, which allows a 3 fold range on intensity. Like the federal government really knows what they are doing when making more regulations.

A distinction without any modern difference. Most often these days strobe refers to low-high-low-high-low...., while flashing refers to off-ON-off-ON-off....

But these days, strobe and flashing are often used interchangeably.

So what other minutia BS does mr. bill wish to move onto now?

njkayaker

It's not likely that the blue line (or red or green, it's not only blue) really makes things less safe.

The issue is that allowing the blue line is a precedent for people painting whatever they like without getting prior approval. The blue line isn't necessary (it doesn't serve a practical traffic purpose).

CB HI

Keep a heads up for the first court case in which someone argues their ticket for crossing a double yellow is invalid since they really crossed a yellow/blue/yellow line. And since such a line sequence is not defined in traffic code, it is a meaningless line.

We are counting on you to find it and post it for lots of laughs.

Interesting what some governments will waste money on.

Milton Keynes

I don't see why they should waste money on ultimately meaningless gestures like this anyway. If they truly wanted to support the police, they could increase funding to the local department for hiring more personnel, increasing pay, better training, or getting better equipment. Painting a blue line in the middle of the road seems like a governmental attempt at slacktivism. It's like saying "Hey, we care about our police personnel, but only to the extent that we're going to do something useless to show it which will have absolutely no benefit."

dynodonn 

I've seen those types of brake lights, and as you posted, they strobe initially, but not continually, and the ones I've observed,other than a few motorcycles, have only been limited to the 3rd brake light.

hotbike

The link to the Federal DOT lighting regs is very interesting!
https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-20...sec571-108.pdf
My Type Three had an Acrylic Fairing over the headlight, this was 1986. Up to then , all cars had FLAT headlights... Except for Ferrari:
Type 3 Aerodynamic Fairing by AviationMetalSmith, on Flickr

CB HI

Rollfast

Using blue and red or other combinations that simulate emergency vehicles lights is against the law.

Rollfast

Not so funny when emergency vehicles and locomotives have to adopt 'rumblers' or 5-7 tone horns to get noticed.

genec

Duh!

Guess you need to read the whole thread.... for context.

mr_bill

What color are the tail lamp in your worlds?

Motor vehicle lamps, among the most regulated items sold in the US (and in the EU, and in the....), are too bright according to you.
Bicycle lamps, among the *least* regulated items sold in the US (and in the EU, and in the....), are not.

ALL OF THE OEM MOTOR VEHICLE LAMPS, and almost all of the aftermarket motor vehicle LAMPS (at least all of them who follow the *strong* recommendations from SEMA, there are always a grey and black markets), follow those regulations.


BTW, history is repeating.

Once upon a time, few worried about how bright motor vehicle carbide lamps were, let alone early motor vehicle electrical lamps (which were, at first, generally dimmer). Technology marches on, brats on wheels have *always* claimed that THEY NEEDS MOAR CANDLEPOWER.

Fast forward a century, and pretty much other than Germans, regulation of bicycle lamps has been nearly nonexistent. But the NEEDS MOAR CANDLEPOWER crowd of brats on wheels is leading us toward regulation.

Good for you.

Never underestimate the NEEDS MOAR CANDLEPOWER crowd. A new sign on a local bike path:



-mr. bill

mr_bill

Wow, that's an illegal conversion kit. Good for you.

You can buy this for your car too, although maybe they've already been shut down:


-mr. bill

mr_bill

Or red, white and green.

Or rainbow.

-mr. bill

StanSeven

Come on B. Carefree. This is off topic. If you want to discuss police activities instead of tail lights, go to the P&R forum.

Thanks

dynodonn 

After watching this video, I now have observed a motor vehicle, other than a motorcycle, with all brake lights flashing upon making a braking maneuver.




California vehicle Code 25251.5.

(c) Any stoplamp or supplemental stoplamp required or permitted by
Section 24603 may be equipped so as to flash not more than four
times within the first four seconds after actuation by application of
the brakes.


With the above VC code, it is legal to have flashing brake lights, but again, the flashing brake light shown are initial, and not continual, and only when a braking maneuver is being initiated, as to not confuse following road users about any impending braking maneuver.

CB HI

Really, Colorado Troopers once only used red, now I believe they use red and blue. So were red cycling blinkies illegal in the old days? Are red cycling blinkies illegal today?

CB HI

Not illegal for safety purposes only, according to Federal case law. You like looking up obscure laws, feel free to look up this case law.

Your other post with a sign is just pointless BS. Any light on a dark path or country roadway seems way too bright, even your claimed dimmed auto lights.