rich, thanks for your thoughts and local perspective on this one.  We still hope to be in France this spring, and I’ll certainly be bringing my blinking Varia along.  Rachael relies on hers religiously but I haven’t used mine in over a year because I forgot to pack the mount for it last spring.  With the loss of vision in my right eye though I’m sure I’ll want its help to warn me of approaching traffic.  We never bike after dark anyway, so it sounds like I’ll be safe turning an blind eye on the new reg. 

I bought a Varia this year.  One of the options is to have the radar on, but no light. And there are two options that include a solid light (either bright or not-so-bright). So there are ways to stay out of trouble in countries that hate them.  Personally, I use blinking lights front and back because when I've been driving, I have realized how much earlier I notice cyclists with blinky lights.  

And for anyone who is frustrated by Garmin's lack of mounting options, I bought this mount like this from Amazon for my rear rack on my touring bike.  It works great.   

Hi from France

My understanding is that a flashing light is illegal only if it is the only light. That has been the case in many European countries for a long time.

The law certainly doesn't refer to a single make of lights.

happy days

léo

Hi Betsy

That still won’t allow me to put a Varia on my bike. There’s not enough vertical clearance between the rack and the rear fender. And if I don’t have the rack on, there’s no space for it on the seat post without giving up my little tool bag, which I’m not ready to do. 

Jacquie-  does your tool bag have a loop on the back? On my road bike, I attach a Garmin mount to the back of my Topeak tool bag.  I wish I could say I came up with it myself, but I learned how from this YouTube video. Or failing that, I know my sister bought herself a tool bag that already had a Garmin rear mount. 

My usual one does not. My larger one does, but I can’t fit it and the rack at the same time. 

A friend who is also cursed with not being tall has the same problem but she really wanted a Varia. So she moved her tools into a canister, meaning she can’t carry a second water bottle in a cage, so she uses a handlebar bag to carry water. 

There’s also the fact that most cycling in the Vancouver area is on roads with enough traffic that a Varia would be constantly alerting you. I’m happy and able to turn my head and look. I haven’t found a mirror I like since the original Mirrcycle, which doesn’t fit on modern drop-bar bikes because there’s no brake cable coming out the top of the hood. 

Jacquie I’d happily sacrifice blinking lights if I could ever return to France for cycle touring. And I’m one of those riders who has the rear light blinking brightly all day long when I’m touring. Truck drivers have even complimented me on my high visibility.

Nevertheless the huge appeal of France as a cycle touring would over ride my penchant to blink to other road users with my rear light. Slightly odd as it is, the law is the law.

Wow, innovative use of your blind eye! It's a little like Dodie, continental cyclist, claiming to be disabled with her cane in airports.

I'm with you, Rich. Flashing lights are more effective, as we see from personal experience and the Bikeradar article. Given the big disadvantage the cyclist has on the road, any safety improvement is good. I am reminded of the chorus from "Break the Law", a now obscure song by Canadian singer Doug McArthur, that goes "Break the law, before the law breaks you". It as actually about the expropriation of a farm. It turns out that the recent "origin" of the concept was General Douglas MacArthur, with "Rules are mostly made to be broken and are too often for the lazy to hide behind."

I am also reminded one time of riding in Toronto. There was intense traffic on the streets and a posted rule - no cycling on the sidewalk. Again, between life and a stupid rule, life wins!

Well here's something interesting while looking a YouTube videos of Besançon.  

The City of Besançon wishes to support cyclists in their practices and draw their attention to the absolute necessity of being seen in order to limit the risk of accidents. With the change to winter time, many cyclists are required to ride at night.

The City of Besançon is offering awareness-raising to cyclists. The municipal police mountain bike officers accompanied by officers from the Roads Department will remind them of good practices in this area and in particular the mandatory equipment.

The police were giving front and rear lights to cyclists who did not have them. Now this was four years ago, but I find it interesting that a rear light mounted on a bike at the beginning of the video was put on sort of a pulsing setting by an officer. But now, as I understand it, that might be illegal. I do wonder what officers' opinions of the change is.

https://youtu.be/Q3Fnj_pOryA?si=Y_wpfRWhiGIJdH7Q