The invisible bicycle rider

Riding a bicycle instead of driving a car makes a lot of sense in many situations. Saving gas, no pollution, exercises the body, refreshing to the mind, downright inspirational and eases stress. I enjoy bicycling regularly. Many of my friends ride also. It's a thing with us. I applaud anyone that makes bike riding a part of their life for whatever reason. Except, the invisible guy on the invisible bike.

Doesn't make sense does it? Invisibility is impossible right? Nope, actually invisibility is possible. On a bicycle in the dark hours of the early morning on an unlit road anyway. Most often I drive to work. Biking is impractical sometimes due to weather, health or time restraints. My route to work varies depending on my before work errands. One such route brings me down a rather dark, busy, industrial access street with several commercial businesses scattered along it's curbed pavement. It's wide enough for two vehicles and has several view hampered curves with driveways for each business. Really not much in the way of streetlights. For a long time, perhaps a year or so, a lone figure of a man has either walked or biked down that street in the dark. On the way to work from the bus no doubt. He always wears dark clothes. When he is walking he walks against traffic and a vehicle comes upon him quickly and without warning, often swerving to avoid him. I've seen it many times. When the weather allows, he rides a bike. Now picture this: Dark, no street lights, dark clothes, dark painted bicycle, absolutely no lighting on the bike, not so  much as a reflector front or back. After swerving myself to avoid a car swerving to miss him, I stopped one day to explain to him what a danger he was to himself and the vehicles traveling on that road. Evidently he does not understand English. Total conversational confusion. Too bad. English or not, I really wanted to tell him he was an idiot, totally lacking in common sense. After swerving again today, my next step is to call the police to see if there is some way to prevent the inevitable tragedy that will surely come.

If you ride a bike, and I hope you do, use some sense and don't be invisible OK?