?laser light to show cars how much is 3 feet away?

[mikalo]

In this technological age, is there so kind of laser light to fit on your bike to show cars how much is 3 feet away from the bike? I'm thinking / dreaming of a kind of light saber, as in Star Wars movies, that would not be a weapon but just a highy visible horizontal line of light extending 3 feet at a right angle to your bike. It should be visible day and night.

I like the idea of the Down Low Glow but it has two inconvenients: not waterproof / rainproof and probably not so effective in daylight.

http://rockthebike.com/lights/downlowglow/GSR-technology

[Ngchen]

Interesting idea. Now I have a retractable ruler that has a built-in laser that is used to check for right angles and to keep things straight. Maybe a laser can be mounted and pointed at the ground 3 ft away from the cyclist. I don't know whether the power consumption would be excessive or not though.

[San Rensho]

Lets see, in south Florida, the first thing drivers would do is aim at the "no go" zone. It would be a driving video game of "Buzz the Cyclist", extra points for those wearing spandex.

[maddyfish]

Duct tape, stick,nail.

Duct tape a stick with a nail in the end to your bars so that it sticks out 36" to the side. If you want to be courteous put a flag on it.

Does the same thing cheaper and better.

[piper_chuck]

Duct tape, stick,nail.

Duct tape a stick with a nail in the end to your bars so that it sticks out 36" to the side. If you want to be courteous put a flag on it.

Does the same thing cheaper and better.
A nice simple solution to a high tech problem. :) I'd suggest using a stick that can bend when the car hits it. Also, since taping it to your bars could cause the bike to change direction when the stick is hit, possibly leading to the cyclist ending up in the ditch, perhaps taping it to the frame could be safer? :D

[Fred Smedley]

I think my long rifle is about three feet long.......

[Rahzel]

Well, instead of either a laser or a nail, why not use something like the visibility flag that recumbent riders use? Stick it up and away from your bike, giving you 3 feet of room, and if a car hits it it just bends away? There would be little incentive to get buzzed, no damage to the car if it gets hit, and no breakage or adverse effects on your bike...

[GreenGrasshoppr]

I like the idea of the Down Low Glow but it has two inconvenients: not waterproof / rainproof and probably not so effective in daylight.


you can get flexible and waterproof LED bars, which need a lot less battery power than CCFLs.

[Pig_Chaser]

... no damage to the car if it gets hit...

You may be missing the point.

[aubinmg]

How about a nice low tech flash flag? http://www.flashback.ca/bicycle.html

[twahl]

How about a nice low tech flash flag? http://www.flashback.ca/bicycle.html

I actually like that. Would be even better with a blinky on the end I think. And a nail.

[nekohime]

I actually like that. Would be even better with a blinky on the end I think. And a nail.

Duct tape them on! :D

[chevy42083]

But then the car would be required by law to be an additional 3 feet away (you know, 3 feet away from your pole, 6 feet from you). :D

[Giro]

The above mentioned FlashFlag has the addtional advantage that it is made to be hooked "retracted" when you do not need it or need to fit through a narrow passageway.

[geo8rge]

actually I was thinking of mounting a cut "thunderstick", those foam things they wave at games, to my rear rack.

[ignominious]

Lets see, in south Florida, the first thing drivers would do is aim at the "no go" zone. It would be a driving video game of "Buzz the Cyclist", extra points for those wearing spandex.

Demonstrating the ultimate flaw with a lot of these new visibility devices. No one bothers to tell the drivers what it's all about and expects everyone to come to the same conclusion.

Interesting choice of light colour though, isn't green supposed to be a permissive colour. Strikes me as a poor choice for a no go zone.

[littlewaywelt]

You can't make a beam of light end in 3ft. I'd suggest getting a piece of thick fiber optic so the whole strip will light up. Not sure where you'd find it though. For similar product (albeit only 6" long) checkout the offerings from niteIZE.

[MyPC8MyBrain]

but now since you have extended you bike 3 feet wider with a stick and nail or flag, they have to pass an additional 3 feet outside of that.

[2manybikes]

In this technological age, is there so kind of laser light to fit on your bike to show cars how much is 3 feet away from the bike? I'm thinking / dreaming of a kind of light saber, as in Star Wars movies, that would not be a weapon but just a highy visible horizontal line of light extending 3 feet at a right angle to your bike. It should be visible day and night.

I like the idea of the Down Low Glow but it has two inconvenients: not waterproof / rainproof and probably not so effective in daylight.

http://rockthebike.com/lights/downlowglow/GSR-technology

Drivers don't know the three foot law. Nor do they care.

[Cyclaholic]

IMO the only laser worth pointing at a car is a target designator ;)

[mikalo]

You can't make a beam of light end in 3ft. I'd suggest getting a piece of thick fiber optic so the whole strip will light up. Not sure where you'd find it though. For similar product (albeit only 6" long) checkout the offerings from niteIZE.

Thanks for your comment, yes, it may well be impossible to stop the light at 3ft. Most answers miss the point of using light instead of a pole because it is often to the advantage of the cyclist to be close to cars, in traffic jams for example.

Thanks for the humourous posts. :)

Thanks for the info about niteIZE, didn't know them. These two products could create the kind of light glow around the bike I'm looking for. But they will work only during night time. Pitty they don't use rechargeable AA batteries.

http://www.niteize.com/productdetail.php?category_id=26&product_id=126
http://www.niteize.com/productdetail.php?category_id=28&product_id=79

[geo8rge]

I thought the idea was to project a line on the road surface 3ft from the bike. Actually you might be able to draw a line around the bike. If there were fog, it would look like an inclined wall.

As far as a 'pole', It would have to be something that would not damage anything, like foam. And be easy to retract or remove.

[crhilton]

Erm, looks too much like those awful neon lights ricers put under their cars.

[Hickeydog]

But then the car would be required by law to be an additional 3 feet away (you know, 3 feet away from your pole, 6 feet from you). :D

and you are saying this a bad thing?

[Wordbiker]

I like the stick idea, but the nail on the end could cause some repercussions.

Perhaps a magnetic sign on the end that says, "I'm reckless and nearly killed a cyclist!" that is applied to the passing vehicle would serve a good warning.

Problems with this idea:

-Plastic doors

-Carrying enough refills

-It could spur competition to see who could get the most signs

[crhilton]

I like the stick idea, but the nail on the end could cause some repercussions.

Perhaps a magnetic sign on the end that says, "I'm reckless and nearly killed a cyclist!" that is applied to the passing vehicle would serve a good warning.

Problems with this idea:

-Plastic doors

-Carrying enough refills

-It could spur competition to see who could get the most signs

I find myself thinking it'd be nice to have rubber dart guns, with weak glue on the darts (so they actually stick till they're pulled off). Sort of a way to mark cars with drivers who don't know how to operate them. Then I think "I'd be pulling a gun out in traffic, what are the odds someone else will have a gun that fires lead darts?"