Cycling in the dark
The number of cyclists in London has increased 83% in the last seven years. Whether that’s down to lousy public transport or rocketing petrol prices isn’t clear, but now that petrol has topped £1 a litre you can take an educated guess.
(For American readers, that’s about $8.15 a gallon - and GasBuddy tells me that in St Louis right now it’s actually $2.87.)
Apart from being a good source of exercise, cycling is a fast and free form of eco-friendly transport (once you’ve bought your bike), so it fits in perfectly with the Blagger ethos of low-cost, low-impact living. Besides, the ride to and from the station, even in the cold, has actually become something of a highlight of my day.
But the press release trumpeting that 83% stat isn’t about the growing popularity of the bike, but the increased dangers of this form of transport over any other: 61% of cyclists complain of cars coming too close, 51% worry about not being seen, 48% of cyclists feel unsafe on the roads, and 75% of accidents happen on junctions because bike lights generally point forwards and backwards, not to either side.
They may be scare tactics, but they were convincing, and an effective introduction to Pedalite, a self-powered lighting system that you attach to the pedals of your bike. It’s charged by the turning of your crank shaft, and flashes lights to the front, back and - crucially - side of your bike, making you more visible to cars approaching from a side road. That’s something that’s concerned me more and more since the nights started drawing in, and wasn’t much alleviated when I invested in a fluorescent belt and chest strap to reflect the lights of oncoming cars.
They’re eco-green and, like bike transport itself, free to run once you’ve made your initial investment (£34). So, I’ve ordered a pair, having been assured by the site that they fit any bike designed for someone over 9 years old.
It’s difficult to see whether they’re metal or plastic from the pictures on the site, but you get a money-back guarantee, so I’ll report back once they’ve arrived and I’ve fitted them to my bike. In the meantime, here’s a picture of Pedalite in action.
If you liked that post, then try these...
Self-sufficient transport in London on February 12th, 2008
Pedalites: The Review on January 2nd, 2008
Shafted through double-counting on August 5th, 2008
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January 2nd, 2008 at 11:59 pm
[...] time ago I wrote on here about Pedalites, the self-powered lights for the pedals on your bike. I ordered a set and promised to report back [...]