[Castlebar]

Where I am there is a group called “midnight riders.” It is absolutely insane to ride this late at night no matter how well prepared for the ride. Reasons include it is dark, people cannot see you, and consider the time—there are a lot of drunks on the road. Sure enough, a few few got mowed down by a drunk driver. I am a rider, but use a little common sense when riding; it is absolutely insane to ride this late.

I am a committed cyclist; a cycle-commuter, and I have studied the statistics exhaustively.

I can tell you that as cyclist you are 5 to 6 times MORE likely to be killed, per mile, than motorist.....

BUT

If you commit to

a) not do anything stupid or illegal, and

b) AVOID DRUNK DRIVERS

you are SAFER than a motorist, per mile.

[Falconspeed]

Excellent advice. “Avoid stupid decisions, illegal actions and drunk drivers.”

I have cycled regularly in San Francisco, Rome and Los Angeles. Romans are the best drivers for avoiding cyclists, since they deal with scooters. San Franciscans have friendly bus drivers and skillful taxi drivers avoiding cyclists. But Los Angeles has big trucks and fast sports cars zipping by cyclists which is dangerous.

In summary, please cycle regularly for fitness and savings. Please cycle with on quiet, well-lit streets with full lights on bike and reflective clothes. Avoid busy highways, dark streets and bad neighborhoods. Gangsters in Oakland and McArthur Park will gang up on you and block your freedom. Cycling at night in Central Park in NYC seems foolish.