My neighbour is a BSO-riding ninja!

[Max]

So I was standing on the side of the road outside my house this morning, organising myself for the ride in to work. It was pitch black. Me: High-vis backpack cover with reflective tape, three rear blinkies, front blinkie, bar-mounted Ayup and helmet-mounted Ayup.

I heard a noise from across the road. I couldn't see anything in the dark, so I kept on doing what I was doing. I heard the noise again and lit it up with the Ayups. It was the neighbour from two doors down. He was on a BSO with nary a light or reflector to be seen. Helmetless, of course. The only reason I even saw him at all is because he was wearing a worker's long-sleeved shirt with reflective tape sewn onto it.

I really wanted to pull him aside and slap some sense into him. Our streets are not well lit, and relying on a car's headlights to illuminate his shirt is leaving safety to chance. Then, I wanted to ask him Say What he was thinking - surely a $5 blinkie front and back would be a good idea? Instead, I said nothing. Absolutely nothing. I didn't even greet him.

I found myself wishing he'd get hit by a car. I'm a bad person.

Max

[drubie]

My "something else" is hand him one of your three blinkies and buy a new one for yourself.

[Sveky]

Llet natural selection take its natural course.

[il padrone]

Lodge a police report of road traffic rules violations occurring at 5am each day, outside the address.

And/or send him a brochure on the benefits of bicycle lights and reflectors from BQ.

[trailgumby]

Unless you know how he'll react, I'd suggest leaving it alone. Having had bad experiences with nasty neighbours who've taken offense over innocuous and innocuously expressed matters, you need to be careful.

Buying some cheap lights and giving them to him with a plea to use them is the least likely to offend and most likely to be effective if a behaviour change is what you're after.

[beauyboy]

I like the idea of running him down but then again I believe in
Darwins Theory of Evolution.

That said I went with pulling him aside but the thing is i am assuming that you know him.

Donald

[hannos]

That said I went with pulling him aside but the thing is i am assuming that you know him.

Donald

And have a fair idea of what his reaction will be.

[Parker]

I like the idea of just heading over and saying, hey mate I realised you didn't have any lights on the other day and I was just a bit worried... give him one of yours and say, give it back to me when you get some of your own. Sounds like you have lots of lights Max.

That way your just showing that you're concerned, at least Karma points will be a +1 for you. Give them to him after work or something, don't be high and mighty about it, I'd say he'd most likely be bowled over.

You obviously thought it where a problem, a good person would help and the Karma will be amazing! I saw a guy drop a piece of paper the other day when I Was on the bike, I was at the lights, nobody else picked it up. I got of (red lights) and picked up the paper and took it back to him, nobody else was going to do it and it only took a few minutes.

I was training on the BLVD the other day and a girl had a flat, I'd ridden past her once, I wasn't about to ride apst her for the second time without asking if she was okay, we had a good chat and may meet up for a ride in the future.

Karma... its good stuff

[Parker]

I should add, don't be snooty about it, the comments that you've put up in the poll all sound very snooty, none of them actually helpful, those options aren't constructive either. ( I don't mean this to be attacking you either)

He may say, not interested and if he does just say, okay fair enough and have a good day.

Its very easy to lecture people about the rights and wrongs but lecturing very rarely works out for these best.

[HyperHorse]

I should add, don't be snooty about it, the comments that you've put up in the poll all sound very snooty, none of them actually helpful, those options aren't constructive either. ( I don't mean this to be attacking you either)

He may say, not interested and if he does just say, okay fair enough and have a good day.

Its very easy to lecture people about the rights and wrongs but lecturing very rarely works out for these best.

Your posts of substance have restored my faith in humanity.
*bearhug*

[lethoso]

meh, let him be. Sticking lights on your bike if you're riding in the dark is common sense, so we can conclude the guy doesn't have common sense, so talking to him is probably a waste of time.

[il padrone]

He probably thinks that without lights 'they' can't see him so they can't get him

[MountGower]

I've lost count of the number of helmet mounted ayup morons I've felt like running down. At least your neighbour is not infuriating everyone he looks at on his way to work.

[trailgumby]

I've lost count of the halogen equipped morons who've only registered my presence and averted a collision course because I'm an ayup-wearing moron.

He might be annoying, but at least he has your attention. The pity is that that's what it so often takes to get a driver's attention. I'd prefer it was otherwise.

And then there are the bike ninjas that max wrote about. It was a near head-on with one of those brainless vermin wandering onto on the wrong side of a SUP one evening that was the final straw that led to the purchase.

[bosvit]

I've lost count of the number of helmet mounted ayup morons I've felt like running down. At least your neighbour is not infuriating everyone he looks at on his way to work.

I have a problem with this because bright lights directly onto my retina cause me migraines (within 10 min). Has happened from cyclists before but mostly when the kids flash me accidentally with their LED torches.

[Spork!]

"Something else".
Offer to lend / give him one of your blinkys.
Perhaps tell him about DX, torpedo7, cell bikes..., so he can get some decent lights cheap?
Perhaps the poor bugger awoke to a flat (car) battery and needed to get to work and had not planned on riding his bike? Encourage and empower him to do the right thing. He might even choose cycle more often - one more of "us" on the road and one less of "them".

[cjrich]

No lights, no helmet, he obviously doesn't give a toss about his own safety, unless he's a mate why should you.

Only thing that annoys me about ninjas is the bad name they give to the rest of us.

[MountGower]

I'm an ayup-wearing moron.

Thanks for letting us know.
You also have poor comprehension as I clearly made reference to helmet mounting. But hey, I wouldn't want to discredit what you said there at all.

[MountGower]

Only thing that annoys me about ninjas is the bad name they give to the rest of us.

It'd be interesting to find out whether the random acts of vengence against cyclists in general is promoted more by these "ninjas", who generally ride on the footpath and other out of the way places, or by self absorbed ayup morons, intent on exposing their look at me sydrome to the world. Offered even money on both, I know where my money would go and it'd be drinks on me.

[il padrone]

He might be annoying, but at least he has your attention. The pity is that that's what it so often takes to get a driver's attention.

I love riding at night but don't have this problem. I use a bright headlight - mounted on my fork crown. Bright lights are great, but keep them pointed down, not dazzling other's eyesight. You really don't need that helmet-mount around the city.

[hannos]

Intermediate beam AY-Ups:
When it is dark they're pointed towards the ground about 10m in front of me on high beam.
When it's daylight they're on Flash pointed wherever I bloody well like. Usually towards drivers eyes.

If it's too bright for you then at least you know I'm there.

[wombatK]

No lights, no helmet, he obviously doesn't give a toss about his own safety, unless he's a mate why should you.

Because someone has to scrape the remains up off the street, and spend money trying to patch him up should he not quite manage to kill himself. Even if he kills himself, if he has already sprouted offspring, the partner will be reaching into the public purse to support them.

Otherwise, I'm all for letting Darwin's Law take its natural course. If that sounds callous, it's a perfect match for riding a bicycle with callous disregard for the consequences.

[elStado]

So what happened? Max you should go over after work and have a chat. Tell him it's probably not a great idea and that you can buy cheap lights on DX etc.

[SeanB]

I reckon you should ride alongside him for a little way to demonstrate the benefits of having your lights. Perhaps don't even mention lights. He's sure to want some when he realises the improvement it can make on riding in the dark.

[uncle arthur]

Max,

I have sitting here at home a Tioga 4AAA battery lamp on a mount which does nothing bu take up space on my desk.

I'm at Acacia Ridge - it's all yours if you want it - put it in his mailbox with a note, or just give it to him.

That way I get karma, you get karma, and he becomes more 'enlightned'