Road Safety Bill [HL]

As a regular cyclist, I very much support the amendment. I use a fixed and a flashing light, front and back, because it is very useful to be able to say that you comply with the law. However, if you watch anybody else’s lights, the ones that stand out are the flashing ones, as other noble Lords have said. It makes an ass of the law that you cannot use flashing lights but you can used fixed ones, when the flashing ones are said to be much better. When we were debating the Railways and Transport Safety Bill two or three years ago, I remember either my noble friend or his predecessor saying that the Transport Research Laboratory was still doing tests on the compatibility of flashing lights. Three years have passed. How long does it take to test a cycle light? Flashing lights are not cheap. The good ones cost around £20, which is probably more than it costs to put reflective tape around a lorry. As other noble Lords have said, it is a very important measure to take. It is one means of protecting yourself from being hit by somebody else; of demonstrating that you want to be seen; and helping the majority of cyclists who do try to obey the law do so without having to buy so many lights. It is about time that these experiments were completed and that a set of high quality and reasonably prices lights was available at all cycle shops. I have just one word of warning. I switched on my light on Oxford station platform one day this winter and was told that I must not have the cycle lights on while on the station platform because it could be misinterpreted for a train in distress. I had a bit of a giggle about that but I am sure that the person who told me was right. More seriously it really is time that this matter was resolved. The amendment gives the Minister the ideal opportunity to do so.