Cycles at Stations: Red Rear Light Safety Risk?

[blimmo]

I’d say it’s pretty common sense not to be wandering round a railway station with *any* form of bright light, which would include cycle lamps.

Continuing the road analogy (which most people will apply even if incorrect) it is perfectly reasonable, even encouraged, to carry a bright light walking on the pavement and no one thinks this will cause drivers to emergency brake.

Most people would assume the railway has emergency signals that are not likely to be accidentally given by members of the public. The railway will have a lot of trouble changing this so the only options are to try to minimise the problem with good communication or making it true.

 

[Krokodil]

Regarding common sense, just remember how many people don't bother locking train toilets after themselves...

And then kick off when it opens.

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it is perfectly reasonable, even encouraged, to carry a bright light walking on the pavement and no one thinks this will cause drivers to emergency brake.

A hand-held lamp would usually be angled down towards the pavement. One mounted on a bicycle is at more risk of pointing right at a driver.

 

[renegademaster]

Ultimately most stations are un/understaffed so any campaign to make sure nobody ever brings a red light to the platform is going to be futile. The risk is less the right side failure of stopping when you shouldn't but instead drivers learning to ignore red lights on the platform.

Swapping the hand lamps to purple or some other actually makes some sense in this context when you think about it and look at it dispassionately

 

[Krokodil]

Swapping the hand lamps to purple or some other actually makes some sense in this context when you think about it and look at it dispassionately

It doesn't make sense because red means stop.

 

[renegademaster]

It doesn't make sense because red means stop.

Purple can mean "emergency stop"


Phasing in some new emergency lights is easier than a new rule that won't be easily enforced since most stations do not have a staff presence everywhere on the platform, and poster campaigns generally don't work especially over something most people view as inconsequential

 

[bramling]

Things can change meaning

Why would you want to do that for a tiny subset of people, and an even smaller subset who claim to be belligerent enough to refuse to comply with something sensible?

Red means stop, and it’s simply the way it is that drivers who encounter an unexpected red light will react to it. You’re not going to get the same reaction to another colour. Even just looking at it from a passenger perspective, I’d rather that if a train needs to be given a stop signal for whatever reason it’s going to get the fastest possible response. You’d also need to redesign signalling to remove red aspects as well, which apart from the fact that it just isn’t going to happen and isn’t a good use of funding, would probably be impractical.

If it was enough of an issue there would be something in the byelaws, the fact that there isn’t suggests that most people are sensible. Exceptions to every rule, of course…

 

[RiverDon]

Its more of a performance risk than a safety risk in my opinion.

 

[trundlewagon]

It's a non-issue, really.

I'd even say that publicising the fact that a red light might lead to a driver sticking it in emergency could create a bigger issue by encouraging idiots to start waving red lights around for ****s and giggles

 

[Krokodil]

Purple can mean "emergency stop"

Except that it doesn't. There's a reason that red is used universally across the world to indicate "Danger". It produces the fastest response of any colour. There are many studies that back this up.

Phasing in some new emergency lights is easier

Changing every single signal head and hand lamp is easier now?

easier than a new rule that won't be easily enforced

You don't need enforcement, you just need to educate a critical mass of people such that it is no longer a problem. That's the state that we're in now, where staff ask people to extinguish bicycle lights on platforms - bearing in mind that there will often not be any cyclists on a given platform anyway.

 

[blimmo]

Changing the emergency signal would not require changing signal heads because there is (and should be) a difference between emergency stop and the signal being at danger. I'm not suggesting changing is necessary but I don't actually think it would be particularly difficult.

 

[Horizon22]

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.

I suppose once you've found where you wanted to be, positioning your scooter "side on" would be the best way and where possible be in position before any train arrives. I appreciate this is perhaps easier said than done, especially at an Elizabeth line core station in the peak.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 22 Jan 2026 ==

That is not relevant to the discussion.

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


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.

Risk management also considers what is "reasonably practicable" which whilst elimination is the best method, to do so may be grossly disproportionate to the issue at hand.

And I sincerely doubt there are enough occasions where this has become an issue for it to be worthy of such a cost.

 

[renegademaster]

You don't need enforcement, you just need to educate a critical mass of people such that it is no longer a problem.

Easier said then done.
You shouldn't smoke on airplanes, it's drummed into everyone's heads a billion times, but they put ashtrays in the toilets , so if someone does, they don't set the plane alight.

I suspect seat designers also probably take into account people will put their feet on them

Relying on compliance when you have nothing actually to guarantee it is unsafe.

 

[Falcon1200]

Phasing in some new emergency lights is easier than a new rule

No it most certainly is not.

I'm not suggesting changing is necessary but I don't actually think it would be particularly difficult.

Changing the ingrained habits, behaviour and understanding of thousands of railway staff would be more than difficult - Impossible in fact.

 

[bramling]

Changing the emergency signal would not require changing signal heads because there is (and should be) a difference between emergency stop and the signal being at danger. I'm not suggesting changing is necessary but I don't actually think it would be particularly difficult.

I don’t think this holds true. Drivers instinctively notice red lights they’re not expecting to see, which will produce a fast reaction. I can see absolutely no justification or rationale for changing this.

 

[Falcon1200]

In other news, LTC Rolt's well-known book on railway safety is to be re-issued with a new title; 'Red, or maybe Purple, for Danger'.

 

[rower40]

And both Rev W Awdry’s James, and the Hogwarts Express, are going to need a repaint.

 

[renegademaster]

I don’t think this holds true. Drivers instinctively notice red lights they’re not expecting to see, which will produce a fast reaction. I can see absolutely no justification or rationale for changing this.

If the stray bike lights is such the problem some people on here are making them out to be eventually drivers are going to get desensitised to them.


If it is a serious problem then it's better to change protocols rather than expect perfect compliance from the public, but I'm sure information poster #325 is going to get paid attention to THIS TIME

 

[Krokodil]

If the stray bike lights is such the problem some people on here are making them out to be eventually drivers are going to get desensitised to them.


If it is a serious problem then it's better to change protocols rather than expect perfect compliance from the public, but I'm sure information poster #325 is going to get paid attention to THIS TIME

The existing arrangements are working. Education combined with the comparative rarity of bikes on the platform in the first place means that a lid is kept on the issue. The OOP was a recipient of the education and has now taken the lesson onboard. They may see someone else on the platform with lights on and say "you might want to turn that off, mate". If there was no attempt to educate then it may well become a more widespread problem.

 

[z444z]

Changing the ingrained habits, behaviour and understanding of thousands of railway staff would be more than difficult - Impossible in fact.

So any change is impossible? Not convinced.

 

[Krokodil]

So any change is impossible? Not convinced.

Going against thousands of years of "red means danger" would be absolutely ludicrous.

 

[z444z]

Going against thousands of years of "red means danger" would be absolutely ludicrous.

Not really. I think railway staff would be perfectly capable of learning the meaning of a new colour signal shown from the platform, and it would be far less likely to be mistaken for a signal at danger.

 

[Krokodil]

Not really. I think railway staff would be perfectly capable of learning the meaning of a new colour signal shown from the platform, and it would be far less likely to be mistaken for a signal at danger.

A red handlamp and a red signal both mean the same thing: Stop! There's nothing to confuse.

Humans react to red faster than any other colour. It's in our nature. There is no value to reinventing the wheel and making the rulebook more complicated. Complexity costs lives.

 

[bramling]

Not really. I think railway staff would be perfectly capable of learning the meaning of a new colour signal shown from the platform, and it would be far less likely to be mistaken for a signal at danger.

Yet there’s railway staff here suggesting that this isn’t a sensible thing to do, especially when there is no sensible need except possibly to assuage a tiny handful of people who are too self-aggrandised to turn off or obscure their lamp.

If nothing else it would require the issue of tens of thousands of new lamps for staff, as a taxpayer I don’t wish to fund this just for someone’s personal hobby horse.

 

[z444z]

A red handlamp and a red signal both mean the same thing: Stop! There's nothing to confuse.

No they don’t? A red signal means you must stop before it. A red signal from the platform means you must stop immediately.

 

[Andrew S]

How many train drivers, having been told that purple is now the emergency stop colour, will ignore someone waving a red light or flannelette petticoat at them, assuming they're doing it for fun?

Also, what is the worst outcome of a train coming to an emergency stop because they've seen a spurious red light and erred towards safety. A few minutes delay whilst reporting and restarting the train?

 

[D1511]

Also, what is the worst outcome of a train coming to an emergency stop because they've seen a spurious red light and erred towards safety. A few minutes delay whilst reporting and restarting the train?

Someone going head first into a glass partition and splitting their head open, perhaps?

 

[Russel]

Someone going head first into a glass partition and splitting their head open, perhaps?

Highly unlikely though.

 

[andy50027]

I always politely ask people to switch off their bike lights when they come through the gates.

 

[rower40]

On a tangential topic:
Some years ago I was rostered to work a heritage signalbox. It was a hilly 18 miles from where I was staying, and in torrential Atlantic weather. I got to the station, showered and changed out of my wet cycling clothes into uniform appropriate for a heritage signalman, except… the only coat I had was cycling dayglo yellow. ‘No way’ said the Station Manager ‘can you wear that while performing your duties on the platform’ (collecting/issuing tokens etc).
So I had to get soaked through each time I left the box.
Since then I have bought an orange cycling coat, but it’s worn out now, and no one seems to sell GoreTex in hi-vis orange any more.

 

[GusB]

Purple can mean "emergency stop"


Phasing in some new emergency lights is easier than a new rule that won't be easily enforced since most stations do not have a staff presence everywhere on the platform, and poster campaigns generally don't work especially over something most people view as inconsequential

No. Having purple lamps is a silly idea.

Changing the emergency signal would not require changing signal heads because there is (and should be) a difference between emergency stop and the signal being at danger. I'm not suggesting changing is necessary but I don't actually think it would be particularly difficult.

Not really. I think railway staff would be perfectly capable of learning the meaning of a new colour signal shown from the platform, and it would be far less likely to be mistaken for a signal at danger.

The point is that a red signal and a red hand lamp mean danger. Under normal circumstances a driver will know to expect a red, having followed the normal sequence, but if the line is suddenly obstructed they may receive an out of sequence red and will have to apply the emergency brake. In that instance it's no difference to being shown a red hand lamp. Both still mean danger. Even if a train is slowing for a red there is still danger beyond that point should the signal be passed at red.

I always politely ask people to switch off their bike lights when they come through the gates.

Which is exactly what should happen. Most normal people will react positively to a polite request and a simple explanation. It doesn't need to get any more complicated than that!