Cycles at Stations: Red Rear Light Safety Risk?

[stuu]

Out of a great many contenders for weirdest responses on this forum, I think this thread is the winner

 

[edwin_m]

Millions of road users survive with cyclists on the road without getting them confused for traffic lights and emergency braking causing injuries to the drivers in the vehicle, or indeed causing a collision.

Road drivers seeing a red light of any sort should be reacting to it, slowing down, stopping or steering round it. A train driver has far fewer options, having less good brakes and not being able to swerve.

 

[rower40]

Out of a great many contenders for weirdest responses on this forum, I think this thread is the winner

Has Sir read the Altnabreac threads recently?

Only slightly more seriously - the bicycle and the railways were the two inventions that had the greatest effect on the genetic diversity of the human race. (Ok, possibly fire as well...) So it's no surprise that a thread combining the two will raise passions.

 

[Falcon1200]

Speaking as a cyclist...it is entirely reasonable for the railway to require you to turn off or cover red rear lights on platforms.

Also speaking as a cyclist, I once had a bike with dynamo-powered lights; The dynamo rubbed against the back wheel and had a mechanism allowing it to be lifted away from the tyre when not needed. This was over 50 years ago, presumably modern bikes are not as simple?

How bizarre that a suggested solution to the problem is the railway replacing every red light with another colour, rather than simply requiring cyclists to switch off or cover their red lights.

 

[JohnRegular]

Also speaking as a cyclist, I once had a bike with dynamo-powered lights; The dynamo rubbed against the back wheel and had a mechanism allowing it to be lifted away from the tyre when not needed. This was over 50 years ago, presumably modern bikes are not as simple?

How bizarre that a suggested solution to the problem is the railway replacing every red light with another colour, rather than simply requiring cyclists to switch off or cover their red lights.

Modern dynamo-powered lights have capacitors sufficient to keep them illuminated for at least a little while - consider being stopped at a set of traffic lights for a minute, I for one would like to remain visible!

My last bike with dynamo lights had a switch on the front light to cut power, but the rear light would remain illuminated whilst the capacitor discharged. Some dynamo rear lights may have their own switches, but there are very few circumstances where that would actually be useful, and the switch would probably be the first component to break!

 

[RiverDon]

I can vouch for other posts that it definitely can catch you out as a train driver. I've only been driving a short time but have seen it on platforms and also out in the countryside (which can be even more disconcerting!). There's nothing like coming round a curve and seeing a red light where you're not expecting it to get the adrenaline flowing.

LED bike lights are so bright that they can be seen from a very long distance but in the dark it can be hard to tell how far away they are and what they're attached to until you're very close. It's just one of those things you have to deal with, like temporary traffic lights next to the line.

On the other hand we should be grateful that most cyclists are making themselves visible on the road, unlike the youths who fly around on unlit electric bikes in the dark dressed all in black with balaclavas.

 

[172007]

I have lost count the amount of times i have sounded the horn at night at a security light or when a new light has been installed or foliage removed exposing a light which i habe thought was P'way or a tresspasser. Especially in the countryside.

 

[Via Bank]

I do get the impression that it is more common on the continent, where dynamo lighting setups are more common, to see people walking their cycles along the platform or boarding trains with the lights still turned on and even flashing as they do when you roll the bike along at low speed. Presumably drivers in countries like Germany and NL are more used to it, or maybe they don't have a policy of 'red lamp = stop' and have other ways for staff to stop trains in emergencies.

I for one am happy to fold my bike or stand in front of the light to prevent it from being seen by any passing drivers and confused for an emergency stop. The issue with mobility scooters (on the Elizabeth line core that uses CBTC anyway) is more concerning to me.

 

[D6130]

Millions of road users survive with cyclists on the road without getting them confused for traffic lights and emergency braking causing injuries to the drivers in the vehicle, or indeed causing a collision.

If this risk was genuinely real (and not H&S scaremongering) then the railway needs to find a solution. This reeks of satisfying insurance policies more than anything.

Roads are a completely different environment to the railway. At any given time during the hours of darkness, a motorist will be able to see hundreds of red lights in all directions. On the other hand, the only red lights that a train driver will see in normal circumstances will be signals....and, to a lesser extent the tail lights of trains running in the same direction on adjacent tracks or stabled in sidings, plus red lights on the buffer stops of sidings. From their detailed route knowledge, they will know where to expect to see those lights....and anything out of the ordinary is - literally - a red flag and an instant adrenaline trigger.

 

[john prytherch]

Roads are a completely different environment to the railway. At any given time during the hours of darkness, a motorist will be able to see hundreds of red lights in all directions. On the other hand, the only red lights that a train driver will see in normal circumstances will be signals....and, to a lesser extent the tail lights of trains running in the same direction on adjacent tracks or stabled in sidings, plus red lights on the buffer stops of sidings. From their detailed route knowledge, they will know where to expect to see those lights....and anything out of the ordinary is - literally - a red flag and an instant adrenaline trigger.

The Exeter West Group newsletter recorded, some time ago, an incident with Mike Hayman, former signaalman at Cowley Bridge Junction. One dark winter morning, having cycled to work as usual, he left his bicycle, as usual, at the foot of the box steps, but unfortunately left its rear red lamp lit. All went well until the first up HST made an emergency stop!

 

[Krokodil]

It's a lot harder than it used to be - more and more new bikes automatically turn them on when the wheels rotate. It's a good safety feature for the bikes.

Then cover it up, it's not difficult.

 

[Agent_Squash]

Then cover it up, it's not difficult.

This sort of passenger hating attitude is why the railway gets its reputation in some circles.

How bizarre that a suggested solution to the problem is the railway replacing every red light with another colour, rather than simply requiring cyclists to switch off or cover their red lights.

How bizarre a public service is expected to adapt to fit the needs of its users? The lights example was perhaps a bit extreme, but so is expecting cyclists to modify their bikes to use the railway.

Again - would improving the lighting go anywhere to improve the issue?

 

[consettman]

I often take my e-bike with me on long-distance journeys. I was asked a while back by a despatcher at BHM to turn the lights off on the platform - he explained the reason, I thought it was fair enough, and keep my bike powered off at stations - it's no big deal at all.
If there are bikes on the market where lights can't be turned off - in the interests of "safety" - then that's the law of unintended consequences at work. I'm not a railwayman but I imagine red=stop has been kicking round for a couple of hundred years; it's down to the manufacturers of bikes to make sure what they sell complies with what's just a common-sense requirement.

 

[duffield]

This sort of passenger hating attitude is why the railway gets its reputation in some circles.


How bizarre a public service is expected to adapt to fit the needs of its users? The lights example was perhaps a bit extreme, but so is expecting cyclists to modify their bikes to use the railway.

Again - would improving the lighting go anywhere to improve the issue?

I don't see how it would**, but just assuming for a moment it did, you are basically suggesting changing the lighting at thousands of stations at vast expense so as to avoid cyclists having the "terrible inconvenience" of turning off or briefly covering (not modifying) their rear light. This strikes me as totally absurd, and I think the taxpayers and railway fare payers who would between them have to foot the bill might find it highly objectionable, preferring that such money was spent on something actually useful.

** I would think even if it was possible that the lighting could be increased to a level that would "wash out" high intensity LED rear lights it would be painfully bright and create a new dazzle hazard to train drivers who might no longer be able to see genuine platform signals.

 

[GusB]

If this risk was genuinely real (and not H&S scaremongering) then the railway needs to find a solution. This reeks of satisfying insurance policies more than anything.

There is a solution - asking people to either switch off or cover their lights when bikes etc. are on the platform.

And there's plenty of things the railway can do. Such as changing the colour from one that is so prevalent in every day life (I appreciate this won't happen) - or more realistically, ETCS which removes the need to rely on signal colours at all.

As post #17 suggests, use a different colour. Purple would be a good one.

I had to check my calendar there as I thought we might have skipped to the beginning of April...

As others have pointed out, red is the universal colour for stop/danger. Asking the railway to change it is ridiculous.

 

[Agent_Squash]

I don't see how it would**, but just assuming for a moment it did, you are basically suggesting changing the lighting at thousands of stations at vast expense so as to avoid cyclists having the "terrible inconvenience" of turning off or briefly covering (not modifying) their rear light. This strikes me as totally absurd, and I think the taxpayers and railway fare payers who would between them have to foot the bill might find it highly objectionable, preferring that such money was spent on something actually useful.

** I would think even if it was possible that the lighting could be increased to a level that would "wash out" high intensity LED rear lights it would be painfully bright and create a new dazzle hazard to train drivers who might no longer be able to see genuine platform signals.

I think you’re ignoring the validity of the point just because you disagree with it.

Plenty of other reasons to improve lighting at stations - improve safety, improve the perception of safety. If the lights are genuinely so bright that they are causing safety issues in a well lit environment, then that’s another issue.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 20 Jan 2026 ==

There is a solution - asking people to either switch off or cover their lights when bikes etc. are on the platform.



I had to check my calendar there as I thought we might have skipped to the beginning of April...

As others have pointed out, red is the universal colour for stop/danger. Asking the railway to change it is ridiculous.

Where does the madness stop? We’ve already had an example where a mobility scooter user was told their lights were as a safety risk - on a line with no colour signals and in potential breach of the Equality act.

Perhaps the colour idea was tongue in cheek, but considering we’re trying to promote active travel in this country, we should be encouraging bike usage - including on the railway. I know it seems like a simple thing to cover up the lights, but it’s a temporary fix, can’t apply at unstaffed stations - the list goes on.

 

[Krokodil]

This sort of passenger hating attitude is why the railway gets its reputation in some circles.

Asking people to obscure things that could confuse drivers is "passenger hating" now?

but so is expecting cyclists to modify their bikes to use the railway.

The railway is under no obligation to convey bicycles. I (as someone who relies on a combination of cycling and public transport to get about) would appreciate it if the present situation of bicycles being permitted on most trains wasn't jeapordised because a minority can't follow a simple safety instruction.

on a line with no colour signals

As has been mentioned by multiple posters, a rear light could be confused for a red hand lamp which is a way for staff to signal an emergency stop.

 

[Horizon22]

Where does the madness stop? We’ve already had an example where a mobility scooter user was told their lights were as a safety risk - on a line with no colour signals and in potential breach of the Equality act.

You’re missing the point. If anything, the presence of a moving red light is even more dramatic in the Elizabeth line core where there aren’t colour light signals, and it represents some sort of danger.

That being said I’m sure there’s a middle ground with it being a mobility scooter, generally at a lower level and with platform screen doors.

But the point still remains, that there could be a risk, albeit minimal. And for most people causing the risk (cyclists, unintentionally) there’s a very simple solution that requires little adaption and is temporary.

 

[Mattplans]

I wonder if the complementary Elizabeth Line mobility scooters have red lights at the rear?

 

[whoosh]

Where does the madness stop? We’ve already had an example where a mobility scooter user was told their lights were as a safety risk - on a line with no colour signals and in potential breach of the Equality act.

Irrelevant. If there is an emergency, then there may not be enough time to get hold of the Signaller- or, during the time whilst trying to get hold of the Signaller, the fact that there is an emergency and that trains need to stop still needs to be communicated to approaching trains.
A red handsignal is a legitimate way of doing this and has been for a considerable number of years.
Whether trains are signalled conventionally with lineside signals, use ETCS in-cab signalling, or use CBTC in-cab signalling, is irrelevant in an emergency situation. A red handsignal universally means stop to every train driver whatever the signalling infrastructure.

Don't show a red light whilst on a platform, if there is no emergency. Otherwise, delays may occur.

 

[GusB]

I'm beginning to wonder if this is a deliberate wind-up!

Where does the madness stop?

I could ask you the same question; while you may not be the one who initially suggested that purple be the colour, you did agree with the point. That is madness, in my opinion!

We’ve already had an example where a mobility scooter user was told their lights were as a safety risk - on a line with no colour signals and in potential breach of the Equality act.

Could you explain exactly how you think the Equality Act is being breached?

The thread was started by someone who had a bicycle, not a mobility scooter. They were told off for having a red light on a station and, while they weren't given a proper explanation at the time, the issue has been explained here and it seems that the OP is satisfied with the response.

Wouldn't it be better if the manufacturers of mobility scooters allowed their users to switch off all lights, especially in pedestrian areas where those lights are completely unnecessary?

 

[z444z]

Wouldn't it be better if the manufacturers of mobility scooters allowed their users to switch off all lights, especially in pedestrian areas where those lights are completely unnecessary?

Agreed with this too. Went round quite a dark exhibition the other day and had a family member put some tape on the lights. However that isn’t something I can do every time I need to use a train.

Any actually constructive ideas for how I could reduce the risk would be appreciated though. Obviously now it’s been pointed out I can do my best not to brake while the lights would be in the driver’s view but other than that I’m not sure what more can really be done.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 21 Jan 2026 ==

Perhaps the colour idea was tongue in cheek

It wasn’t. I’m of course not suggesting changing signalling, but the lights that platform staff are equipped with, yeah absolutely change the colour. It lowers risk for a small amount of money.

 

[GusB]

It wasn’t. I’m of course not suggesting changing signalling, but the lights that platform staff are equipped with, yeah absolutely change the colour. It lowers risk for a small amount of money.

You're the one who suggested purple... Whatever you've been smoking, please pass it round

Having different colours for signals and those shown by platform staff will simply introduce confusion. Green means go and red means stop.

 

[MargaretNoodle]

I think this is something that could be done with being put on the bike policy on all the TOC's website. I've just checked my local operator EMR and also on the National Rail site and it doesn't seem to be mentioned on there. As this thread highlights there is clearly a risk with displaying red lights on platforms so I definitely think it needs to be made clearer to the passengers who want to take a bike with them.

 

[Tester]

I think this is something that could be done with being put on the bike policy on all the TOC's website. I've just checked my local operator EMR and also on the National Rail site and it doesn't seem to be mentioned on there. As this thread highlights there is clearly a risk with displaying red lights on platforms so I definitely think it needs to be made clearer to the passengers who want to take a bike with them.

That is a very sensible idea.

 

[blimmo]

I don't think the system of red hand signals should be changed for the convenience of cyclists... but since you will never be able to inform everyone bringing a bike onto the railway of the "no red lights" rule, changing the hand signal for stop to something less likely to be accidentally given by the public could be a good idea.

I don't see how it would

If station lighting is sufficient then the driver can see that the light is attached to a bike and not the arm of platform staff looking worried.

That is a very sensible idea.

I do not have high hopes for the proportion of people bringing bikes onto the railway that have read the bike policy.

 

[davart]

I'd suggest a couple of solutions:

Notices regarding this to be placed adjacent to bike racks at stations and racks on trains so that over time, the message is disseminated to those it concerns.

For vehicles that can't switch the red light off, scooters, electric bikes and so on, I'm sure a dense black sock and an elastic band would mask the output sufficiently.

There's no need to over-egg the issue. Yes, it could be a serious problem. No, it doesn't breach the equality act - it's a matter of safety. It just needs a bit of tact and common sense on both sides.

 

[Yew]

Millions of road users run red lights every day. I'm not going to use the roads as an example of best practice.

That is not relevant to the discussion.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 21 Jan 2026 ==

How bizarre that a suggested solution to the problem is the railway replacing every red light with another colour, rather than simply requiring cyclists to switch off or cover their red lights.

That's common risk management though, the best solution is to eliminate the risk. Any system that relies on people remembering to do things is one that invites errors.

 

[edwin_m]

Notices regarding this to be placed adjacent to bike racks at stations and racks on trains so that over time, the message is disseminated to those it concerns.

In particular I'd suggest adding it to the safety notices on platforms that warn about putting wheelchair and pushchair brakes on and the risks of things coming into contact with overhead lines.

 

[Falcon1200]

How bizarre a public service is expected to adapt to fit the needs of its users?

How even more bizarre that in order to suit a tiny, tiny minority of its customers (that minority in turn of cyclists who cannot or will not arrange for their bike's red light to be switched off, covered, or face away from oncoming trains) the railway should spend untold sums altering what is universally recognised and accepted as the colour for stop and danger.