This post comes in 2 contexts.
Firstly…. Running on PCNs at night these days can seriously damage your eyes
The northeast region of Singapore is one of the best places be if you want lots of pavement to run or ride your bicycle. The Northeastern Riverine Loop alone is 18km of mostly uninterrupted lane, and that does not yet include going through Coney Island and the Waterway canal route.
So my runs and casual rides go through these routes, mostly on my weekday workouts in the evening or just the post-dinner walk.
Lately, I am running really short on my year-end mileage goal. I put it on my lack (almost zero) of weekday run mileage. I have a bunch of reasons, valid and lame, but one that really puts me off are the inconsiderate riders with their blindingly blue/white lights.
Most of these offenders are on e-scooters/PMDs, some are on bicycles. Its almost as if one guy is trying to one-up the other. “Oh yeah? Well my lights are much brighter than yours!”
Don’t believe me? Here’s a video of just one evening loop around the Riverine Loop.
I’ve gained back 2 kgs from 1 year ago, and I am slowly picking up mileage again to shed them again. For my weekday runs when I lace up, I end up remembering scenes similar to this video, so I end up avoiding the PCN and just go running around my city block sidewalk.
These e-scooters and the super bright LED lights come very cheap these days, that I am sure many of the readers here actually have them. If you do, please do not be like these guys in the video. In the PCN, you only need to be seen. Just a 1-2 LED blinker should be good enough to alert people from 300m away.
And if you have only those lights to use, then please point them DOWN. Don’t point them level / head on. Not sure what are you expecting, your light to turn the night into day? Is it just like how you put up the flash on your camera to shoot a nightscape?
Unfortunately, even oBikes (stationless rental) have their lights pointed head on. Gotta find their contact info to feedback this.
Again, you only need to let people know you are there. No need to blind other users of the PCN. Let’s enjoy and let others enjoy the PCN.
Secondly…. Here’s a cheap headlamp for you – Just $25 from the grocery!
I’ve had my Black Diamond Spot headlamp for a while. It served me well for my trail runs which I always start very early in the morning on weekends.
I’ve been itching to buy a brighter headlamp than the Spot’s 130 lumens. I was thinking twice though as these items, though not so expensive, are not that cheap either. I need a very special reason to buy another lamp when what I have current still works.
I was at the nearby FairPrice grocery one time and the display for batteries have a new model of Energizer headlamps. Their older models look more like work lamps for working on machines, but those that I saw in grocery looked a lot more like trail headlamps.
And they have 150 and 200 lumens version. And what’s more, only $25 (for the 150)!
Here video comparing the headlamps. The Energizer have a warmer tone. Its a great alternative to more expensive lamps.
Finally…
Have you ever accidentally turned on your headlamp while pointed into your face? It hurts, right? You’ll be seeing white spots with your eyes closed for like 30 seconds.
Aside from using them on trails, they’re also useful on PCNs. There are some really dark spots where the lamps are useful, there are also times the park lights are off.
Also, by giving those e-scooter/bike users white very bright LEDs a dose of their own medicine by shining your spotlight into their eyes, maybe they’ll get the idea.
