Most communities require that bicyclists use some type of front and/or rear bike light on their rides after dark. In addition to the legal aspects, it's just plain common sense.
The Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WADA) reports that half of all bicycling fatalities occur after dark involving bicycles without lights, although only 3% of bike rides occur at night.
To raise awareness about nighttime safety issues, bicycling associations are giving away free front and rear bike light sets. I've spotted upcoming giveaways in Washington DC, Seattle and Portland.
Washington DC
WADA and the District Department of Transportation will hand out 200 free front and rear bike light sets the next two Fridays. The times and locations are: 5-7 p.m. Friday at Suntrust Plaza, 18th Street and Columbia Road NW, and 5-7 p.m. Nov. 19 at Shrine of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church at 3211 Pine St., both in Washington DC.
Seattle
On 4:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 5, cyclists will meet at the Bicycle Alliance of Washington's BikeStation at 311 3rd Avenue South for the Get Lit bike ride. Participants will visit Union Gospel Mission, The Salvation Army, Plymouth Housing Group, Goodwill and Bike Works to hand out light sets to low-income cyclists.
Funding for the giveaway was provided by attorney John Duggan, individual donors and the Bicycle Alliance's proceeds from the Share the Road license plate. More information at Kent's Bike Blog (that's Kent Peterson, association staff member).
Portland
The Community Cycling Center is giving away 400 light sets to unsuspecting and deserving bicyclists this fall in its Get Lit program. Volunteers visit neighborhoods after dark, find people riding bikes without lights, and install the free lights. The program was possible by Planet Bike, Kristin Lensen Consulting and David Whitaker Engineering.
Meanwhile, the Portland Department of Transportation is sponsoring the 2007 Bike Light Parade at 6 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 15, at SW Park and Burnside for an escorted ride up and down Broadway.
(The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and San Francisco Bicycle Coalition had 2,000 bike light sets to hand out at six locations around the city on Thursday, Nov. 1.)
Planet Bike
Planet Bike has offered special deals for the light giveaways in Portland and has done so in Seattle as well. The Madison, Wisconsin-based company gives 25% of its profits to grassroots bicycle advocacy programs, primarily the Thunderhead Alliance. This sounds like a very worthwhile program.
If you're thinking of offering something similar through your bike club or association, it might be worth contacting someone with the company.
There are many styles and brands of bicycle lighting systems costing from a sawbuck to hundreds of dollars. In addition to LEDs for the front lamp, there are halogen lights, rechargeable HID lights, and your basic battery operated flashlights. There are also generator-powered lights that run off your hub.
Wikipedia has a decent summary of all the styles, and Sheldon Brown lists bike lamp articles at his website.
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