Don't go into the light

It is Tuesday and so I think it might be time for a soapbox rant.

It is Winter here in Perth, which means cold weather and lots of darkness. That darkness bring with it a lot of cyclists keen to try out the shiny new 1 billion lux lights that they just got. If this is you, then I have a tip for you. If you are riding one way, and all a person riding the other way can see is this

Then you light is too bright. Or it is angled up to high. Or both.

I lost count this morning of the number of times I had to brake, since I simply couldn't see where I was going after being blinded by an oncoming cyclist. I felt like I was going to come out of the ride with sunburn the amount of light I had shone in my face.

It isn't too bad on the roads where there is a decent distance between cyclists going in opposite directions, but on narrow cycleways, it was like being constantly high beamed by a car. It really started to wear thin after a while. I didn't want to be the grumpy guy yelling 'to bright' to fellow cyclists, but I got pretty close.

Don't get me wrong. I am not anti front lights. I think they are vital for safety, both in terms of being seen and seeing where you are going. But when it comes to be seen, there comes a point where you are about as visible as you are going to be. Anything beyond that just serves to annoy the other person. When it comes to seeing, just how bright do you need it. You don't need it to be daylight. And you also don't need the light directed straight into the eyes of oncoming vehicles/cyclists. Try angling the light down a bit, you can still see well and you significantly reduce your chances of having a water bottle thrown at you.

End of rant.

Swimming in the morning.