Opinion seems to be split on whether or not the front is enough to use as a 'to see by'. It is very bright but whether or not it is focused enough I dont know - you also get quite a low burn time on its non-flash setting (due to its power source - more on that below).

I ride that stretch of road too so know what you mean about the darkness but personally haven't found the need to light the road so I bought these purely as 'to be seen by's.

The thing I like about them is that each runs off a single 'camera battery' - C123A or something like that - slightly thicker than a AA but shorter - so there is no battery pack. I've always steered clear of lights with short burn times so I've had to change that with these as even on flashing you only get about 6 hours with rechargeable batteries but it is a trade-off I'm happy with given how bright the rear light is. I use the front alongside a Hope Vision 1 which is perfectly bright enough but I was concerned that it offered no visibility from the side:



The only 'problem' I've had so far with the Exposure lights is that the rear offers no adjustability on up/down angle so points at the angle of your seatpost (or wherever you attach it). I've remedied this with a fag butt wedged between the bottom of the bracket and my seat post for the moment!