We are in the process of negotiating access onto our local cliff paths for mountain biking at night.
One of the concerns raised by our environment department was the potential impact on bats by the light spectrum of bike lights. Most of the information I can find relates to high level lighting from buildings and its impact but nothing relating to bike lights not wishing to startle our furry friends does anybody have any source of information on potential impact on wildlife. I have emailed a couple of light manufacturers.
Is it a bridleway or are you in Scotland?
Jesus, they’re reaching there. impact = F all. Yours a environmentalist.
I've done a number of bat surveys involving night transects. Along with the obvious bat detectors, we used LED lights for visual confirmation - and seeing where we were going, writing etc. It wasn't mentioned as an issue with the local bat group. Lights attract insects, bats capitalise on increased insect concentrations, so they get a meal deal as well.
One of the concerns raised by our environment department was the potential impact on bats by the light spectrum of bike lights
Have you asked them what sort of levels of usage they're anticipating from users with bike lights/how many people are likely to be cycling on the cliff pay after dark.
Even if the lights are incredibly disruptive is irrelevant if the usage is likely to be zero.
Projected user numbers are going to be much easier and part of any environmental assessment anyhow I'd imagine?
Is it a bridleway or are you in Scotland?
We are in the process of negotiating access onto our local cliff paths for mountain biking at night.
Would suggest neither.
Static lights are an issue, due to interference with dusk, not so much one or two MTB’ers going past.
This.
Irregular ephemeral sources will have the sum total of **** all impact.
Daft question,
We are in the process of negotiating access onto our local cliff paths for mountain biking at night.
Having re-read that, am I right in thinking you have day time access from that then?
By their assessment, a farmer / rambler / environment department jobsworth with a torch could also cause a potential impact.
I can't imagine night riding on cliff top trails would be a sustainable activity.
Likely to be a bigger negative impact on the population of MTBers as natural selection takes its toll 😉
On the newly opened Wye Valley Greenway they have "banned" lights in the Tidenham Tunnel. There is a sign at the entrance asking you not to use lights inside the tunnel. It's 1km long with a bend so properly dark. They have fitted waist high down-lighters so you can see the floor but they they don't throw out much light. This is to protect the bat population. No idea what science it's based on but it actually makes the tunnel really cool. Would be horrible in there with a 50000 lumen light coming at you
Thank you for all your replies @fossy , @gallowayboy and @devash that is very much the argument we are using.
@dangeourbrain unfortunately no day time access either it is currently illegal to ride the cliff paths but we are trying to obtain permission for a limited use trial and this is just one of the hurdles we are trying to overcome.
@intheborders not Scotland, Guernsey
Would be horrible in there with a 50000
lumen lightbats coming at you
Would be horrible in there with a 50000 lumen light bats coming at you
Fear and loathing in Chepstow?
t is currently illegal to ride the cliff paths but we are trying to obtain permission for a limited use trial
Night riding for multiple reasons sounds like the worst way to try this. Low usage, higher chance of user conflict, depending on how cliff-y, higher risk and chance of injury,higher risk of interaction with wildlife etc.
If anything I'd say night riding as a trial is more likely to work against instead of for you.
I get about one bat collision a year night riding.
I get about one bat collision a year night riding.
Cos they blind innit
I had a bat land on my arm once whilst night riding. I felt its claws on my skin.
I’ve never had a bat land on me in the day time but I have woken up an owl which fell onto then flew above my top tube in between my knees as I rode under a tree.
It's generally the colour temperature and intensity that they worry about.
We get it regularly when doing lighting designs & planning applications for carpark lighting etc.
Most bike lights are quite cold white (4000 kelvin) - this is what they don't like, they prefer a warmer light colour (2700 kelvin).
As above I would argue that it's not going to be heavily trafficed and that most of the light will be pointing downward.
If anything I’d say night riding as a trial is more likely to work against instead of for you.
I assume cliff paths are naturally much quieter at night due to the inherent risk of walkers wandering off the edge so is probably the time to create least conflict?
I assume cliff paths are naturally much quieter at night due to the inherent risk of walkers wandering off the edge so is probably the time to create least conflict?
That same risk would apply to cyclists though? When you do make the oblivious pedestrian leap aside with a blood curdling scream they're more likely to leap off the edge.
For everyone who doesn't like cyclists in the day time there are three in the night - they don't like your lights, they're too bright, but not bright enough to stop you startling them; they very much like letting the dog off the lead and ignoring it as it poos in the dark; you shouldn't be here, you're not allowed - recent changes have a life time of habit to overcome; see previous, you startle them because they're not expecting you.
I can’t imagine night riding on cliff top trails would be a sustainable activity.
Likely to be a bigger negative impact on the population of MTBers as natural selection takes its toll 😉
We manage it around here quite a lot. (S Wales) Not lost a rider yet.
Yep, no issues in Ireland either
Yep, no issues in Ireland either
😲
Now try it at night, while dodging bats.
Lights attract insects, bats capitalise on increased insect concentrations, so they get a meal deal as well.
I ride slow enough at night that bats use my lights to get the insects attracted to them
Night riding for multiple reasons sounds like the worst way to try this. Low usage, higher chance of user conflict, depending on how cliff-y, higher risk and chance of injury,higher risk of interaction with wildlife etc.
If anything I’d say night riding as a trial is more likely to work against instead of for you.
For context it is a limited use trial, will be one way on a very safe section of cliffs ie no immediate risk of near death experience not much in the way of wildlife and the bats are likely to be hibernating or whatever it is they do.
Dusk till dawn was chosen to reduce likely hood of conflict with other path users.
Most bike lights are quite cold white (4000 kelvin) – this is what they don’t like, they prefer a warmer light colour (2700 kelvin).
Had a very positive response from Exposure Lights assisting with this if it is indeed a problem.
I ride slow enough at night that bats use my lights to get the insects attracted to them
Sort of related to this, there was an ecological survey done on our woods a few years ago, to assess the impact of MTB trails. The survey said that it was the sort of place that you'd expect to find bats, badgers and owls. I suggested that maybe the surveyor should come along on a night ride with us and I could show them where the bats roost, badger setts are and where the most likely parts of the woods are to find tawny owls. (No barn owls, sadly.) We actually see these things, regularly, not just guess that they might be there.
Do people walk the route at night with headtorches on? If so, same difference.
And more over, are they prohibited from using a head (or hand) torch ?
In my years of night riding I find there's more conflict with badgers than bats or whinging barsteward ramblers ! (Though this Gov are trying to resolve that by extermination of anything living in the landscape except pheasant and grouse that their mates go and shoot)
It would be more of a problem if the lights were interfering with the bat pathways from roost to food.
Also what's the cross over between lights usage and bat hibernation?
The tunnel lighting nickjb raises will be for the potential to disturb bar roosts which is a very different issue to light use in the open where they might be out and about feeding.
I get about one bat collision a year night riding.
Get a spokey dokey for the clicks....
Scientific paper found torchlight had no effect on hibernating bats, see
ARE HIBERNATING BATS SENSITIVE TO LIGHT AND NOISE DISTURBANCE
similarly
Effects of Disturbance on the Energy Expenditure of Hibernating Bats
