Originally Posted by
cyccommute
Simple solution: Don't ride bike paths at night. Even a tightly focused beam with a cut off is inappropriate for most bike path situations. The standard width for bike paths is around 11 feet (about the width of a road lane). There is less than 6 feet between you and any on-coming traffic if you are riding down the middle of the path. That's too close for even the narrowest of beams.
For one, why would I be in the middle of a two-lane path with a stripe; for another it conflicts hard with my actual experience that everyone on the bike path after dark is a serious thoughtful cyclist or runner, and I have far more trouble in bike lanes on suburban streets with skater teens on reflectorless BMX bikes salmoning at me out of nowhere.