Uniform
The other day I was riding to work when I happened to notice the other people riding bicycles around me.
This was more of a coincidence than typical of what I see everyday. But I wondered- does not wearing a fluorescent uniform make a person stand out more?
do you feel superior because you are not wearing hi vis? what difference does it make how people are dressed? let us all stop judging.
I wear what I want and I even take pictures of my daily bike commuter outfits almost everyday to inspire people to ride (I’m jillycube on instagram). People find neons to be very unattractive no matter how you tell them it’ll keep them safe if you’re trying to inspire them to commute even when their commute is less than 5 miles and getting bike lanes 😛 But if neon gives you that sense of safety, that is PERFECTLY FINE. I do sometimes see neons still get grazed and/or cut off unsafely by motorists who just don’t care. just saying.
BikeyFace – great commentary; thanks for creating this community. What I’m struck by is the variety of perspectives reflecting, in part, different biking styles. What a wonderful change over past decades!!! Casual summer rides I don’t wear reflective and might even take off my helmet. Commuting to work I ride hard and aggressive in the city so maximum visibility is a survival strategy in addition to defense riding. Like today on a tight downtown road I waited until I had very good clearance before going between a semi-trailer and parked cars when normally I would not slow. On weekend/early morning Mamil rides no hi-vis but definitely blinking light. In the Netherlands one sees none of this except helmets on high-speed road rides.
@Jillycube I like your mix of strava and kittens 🙂
hehe thanks @bikeface!! XD
While I am of the “wear what you want,” belief, personally, I don’t ride without some hi viz stuff. I also use a daylight flasher in both the front and the back on my road bike, when I am doing fitness or group rides, as well as commuting. I have really noticed how difficult it is to see cyclists when I am driving, and I do not want anyone to think that of me. I also would never ride without a helmet. I’ve seen too much TBI, mostly from dumb acidents, not necessarily at high speed. I know there are a lot who disagree with this, but I will not change my mind. To me, it’s like wearing a seatbelt.
I wear cycling clothing for my 5 mile commute, because well, I can’t imagine riding in the type of professional clothing I wear at work. I don’t mind changing my clothes, or changing in my office without a shower!
Don’t worry. As Boston’s infrastructure continues to improve, things will look like this:
https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2014/05/22/jodenbreestraat-in-amsterdam-given-back-to-people/
Literally, no, it doesn’t. You want to stand out so you catch the eye of the inattentive driver when you’re riding by yourself. If you’re in a crowd of cyclists wearing fluorescent jackets, it doesn’t matter whether you stand out or not because you’ve got the herd helping you out. But by yourself, in the evening or morning, as somebody’s about to turn in front of you, well, that’s why people wear the brightest colors they can find.
But I love the drawing as always, and appreciate the point. I went on a group ride memorial a few months ago for a poor kid who got hit on a highway. My wife was excited to see my photo in the paper. But it wasn’t me. Turns out, practically every rider there looked exactly the same — older, male, white, some beard, fluorescent jacket and helmet.