Originally Posted by
Paul Barnard
The issue for me is that they are so bright that I see spots if I continue to look straight ahead, and I wear sunglasses. I have never been on a path where I needed someone to display any lights at all during daylight hours to see them. Why someone thinks they need high intensity lights is completely beyond me. It's counterproductive to safety.
Utility will depend on the lighting, on the reflections/shadows that can obscure others' view of a cyclist, etc.
On a number of roads where I frequently ride, the strange lighting along some stretches means an unlit cyclist can effectively blend in and seemingly "disappear." Bad news, if the approaching folks are vehicles, on those roads at those spots. Invariably, though, whenever I encounter a cyclist who's got a mid-intensity (or greater) flashing headlight it's instantly apparent there's a cyclist at that spot of the road.
Can't speak for the roads and paths many others experience, but clearly certain light conditions can be overcome via the simple expedient of having effective lights that negate such effects.
Myself, I've got a multi-mode front light setup where I can select the intensity and flashing pattern depending on conditions. Same with the rear lights. Makes a difference, along such stretches, when I'm attempting to visually identify cyclists on those roads when driving them; IMO it'll make a similar difference when I'm the cyclist having similarly-obvious lighting on those same stretches. For me: better safe than sorry, by a country mile.
Of course, use of lights presupposes a person has selected an appropriate light, appropriate intensity, has it properly aimed, etc. (Which, as we all know, often isn't the case.)