Originally Posted by
ItsJustMe
Absolutely, hi-vis is the first thing to do. I never said to get a bright light and not do anything else. Just because I want a big light, please don't assume that means that I think it will automatically replace all other safety measures, as this is a silly assumption.
I wear a hi-vis vest, I have a lot of reflective tape on my bike, I have reflectors in my wheels, on my bags, on my ankles. I'm also running a DesignShine DS500 on the back and an Axiom Pulse 60 on my helmet, and a 400+ lumen light up front. I'm thinking about going with side lights too (lesser taillights pointing to the sides), and before I go to the really dangerous commute in early 2016, I intend to have a high pole with active lighting on that as well (it's likely to be too high for reflectors to be effective).
The first comment in my post was the idea I was trying to convey, and wasn't meant as an accusation or directed at you, but an observation of what I've seen.
In full daylight even the brightest bicycle tail lights just aren't that effective, and if one goes full bore with alternatives in an attempt to do so, it could create issues at night if they can't be turned down. In full daylight I have observed that a high-viz flag shows up the best and a lot further back than lights, I see a motorcyclist now and then that has a lime bandanna on their backpack, and can still see it clearly off in the distance when their tail light is no longer visible.
A small banner would work great on a pole where it would flap and flutter