With last weekend marking the end of daylight saving time, looking out the office window at 4PM and knowing it will be dark when you head home once again rears its head.
However, what should also rear its head is being safe when you’re out walking around town. Last night, as I waited for the bus, I noticed way too many people crossing at an unlit crosswalk wearing dark clothing. Buckets of rain + dark + cars/buses + not seen until it’s almost too late cyclists/pedestrians = an accident waiting to happen.
While I understand not everyone wants to sport a bright yellow rainjacket — and I include myself in that population — when it’s dark out, carry some sort of light-reflecting device so drivers and cyclists can see you. For example, I carry a small flashlight. It allows people to see me while allowing me to light the path and avoid huge puddles. (Wearing wet jeans is not fun.)
Also, for you cyclists…please, for the love of Tony Danza, don’t try commuting on a road like N. Williams without any reflector devices in place like I saw last night. Seriously, just take the bus home and be safe.
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Going home the other night in a heavy rain, I was making a left turn from SW Taylor onto Broadway when I just happened to notice the bicyclist coming up to pass me ON MY LEFT. She smiled when I stopped, and that’s great, but there isn’t a jury in the world that would have found me liable if I’d crushed her flat.
C’mon cyclists, you’ve got to ride predictably, especially in the wet dark winters. Passing on the left? Are you insane?
You’ve just named my greatest fear — that I’m gonna cream a bicyclist on a dark, rainy night because he/she wasn’t well lit. I actually quit driving my convertible (when the top has to be up, i.e all winter) and switched to my late mom’s old car because it has better site lines.
I have no trouble sharing the road with cyclists — in fact I like living in a city with a lot of cyclists. But just like you wouldn’t want me driving at night without my lights on, please, please, please get a good set of lights — FRONT and BACK — and reflectors. And I simply love it when cyclists and pedestrians ALSO wear reflective clothing on dark, rainy nights.
Thank you for the safety reminder. This is an important issue.
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