Last night I drove through Shadyside about 11 p.m. (on a Tuesday). In a two mile stretch of Center Avenue I saw three cyclists. I was lucky to have seen them, since none were prepared for night riding.
This is a photo of the first....
dressed in black, one tiny reflector on his seatpost, and no front light. He was virtually invisible. You can barely make out his head and torso between tne car and the bus.
A few blocks later, there was a woman approaching Center from a cross street. She was easier to see, as the she had the roadway mostly to herself, but she had no headlight, and had a grocery bag hanging from each handlebar end. So, poor illumination AND poor maneuverability. Great combination.
The third guy was just an average joe. No headlight, moving quickly. At least this one was wearing a helmet.
C'mon folks. We've read too much on these pages about the injury and death of cyclists. Can't you find the $5 or $10 that will help make you visible at night?
Sorry. End of rant.
HEY! What are you doing taking pictures while driving
Just kidding. I can't make anyone out in that pic. This seems to bea constant problem. Maybe there is a way to have a give away at some sort of event where we could get a sponsor to supply at least inexpensive lights to individuals. Or just have a bunch available and be able to give them out to people we pass at night without any.
(below is not a defence of invisibility, I do believe it's stupid and worthy of a rant but...)
but it's the appropriately equipped, law abiding, highly visible cyclists that are getting hit in broad daylight, or appropriately equipped highly visible groups of cyclists getting hit by drunk drivers at night that I hear about.
Maybe ninja cyclists getting hit is so commonplace it's not news, like "Man Wakes Up in AM Tired, Drinks Coffee". But the ones I hear about most are kids riding around their neighborhoods in broad daylight and super experienced law abiding adults cruising around in broad daylight. The occasional super experienced (glow in the dark) adult getting hit on a pre-dawn ride on (almost) empty roads, but not so much.
maybe it's not cool to be seen riding at night.
very sad. just all of it.
I think the correlation, ejwme might be because ninja riders are generally in the slower moving urban streets vs the state routes, the ninjas also seem to spend a lot of time on sidewalks. So I think in general they are doing less miles, on streets with slower traffic, and riding slower themselves. They may even be getting hit now and again, but it would be much less likely to cause serious injury and thus not make the news.
How many posts do we have where people mention how they saw "invisible" cyclists.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but all the death and injury of cyclists around here occurred in broad daylight
didn't we just have this thread a couple weeks ago?
You know what gets me all bent out of shape lately? Seeing bicycle riders in FLIP FLOPS! It just makes me cringe.
I knew a dude who cycled from Pittsburgh to Erie wearing Crocs. (Hi, Jason, if you're lurking...)
Toes are overrated.
I like riding in flip flops. just feels like 100% summer.
I do not like stopping, starting, or falling in flip flops. that just reminds me that I never had completely intact toes from age 2-... ever.
Tabby, I get that. I don't like it, but I get it. I wish mileage on roads didn't increase accident risk. If wishes were fishes...
I also love riding my cruiser in a skirt and flip flops. With some fresh produce from the farmers market in my front basket. it just feels right.
well, i love it til I take a corner to hard and remove all the skin off my toes 
I used to wear flip flops all the time, and I love the feeling of being barefoot. But I gave in and bought a pair of sandals that covers my toes (at least a little better than flip flops) and are far more secure when wearing - they don't fall off.
my new sandals have already created new tan lines to replace the flip flop shaped ones I used to have on my feet.
i ride in sandals 100% of the time (between march and october) and have for years... thousands and thousands of miles... never found a better solution for cycling footwear.
"all the death and injury of cyclists around here occurred in broad daylight"
Can it be that cycling at night is safer? That would be pretty interesting to consider.
Or that less people are cycling in the dark?
When I see flip flops around town (particularly without a helmet) I assume the rider will be hopping onto/ off of the sidewalk on a random schedule, potentially left crossing me, or salmoning up my lane. I take precautions accordingly.
At the beach? No problem. Are we at the beach?
Exception for closed toe sandals which may or may not have a SPD or other clip. I'm being flip fllop specific. I just think it's an unwise choice in footwear on a bike in an urban environment. YMMV 
Just don't come cryin' when you snag a big toe in your front chainring or need your feet to stop rapidly due to some SUV & split the ligaments between your toes.
Also see: Flip flops kill cyclists. Where is the moral imperative to avoid any association with them?
Daytime vs. Dark- I suspect there are less cyclists after dark, and maybe they assume (often wrongly) they are seen during the day. I certaily assume I am not at night, despite front and rear flashers and numerous reflective devices.
Maybe it's only experienced people riding after dark (unlikely), or those who do ride are more cautious (maybe). I don't like to ride at night without lights and only very rarely do so, like when my lights die or something, but when it happens, I am about a zillion times more cautious.
It's neither skill nor caution, it's just exposure.
here's one that's almost local - though to be fair, it's only implied that the cyclist was unlit, not stated.
I'd have to say not having a light was the least of that guy's problems.
i've been hit twice requiring an ambulance, both were between 12-4p and on sunny summer days. both were by people over 60.
jusssayin
