San Francisco is well on its way to becoming a world-class bicycling city. In the last four years alone, the number of people riding bikes in the City has increased by 58%.
The event’s locations are kept secret to ensure that lights go to those who need them most. Photo courtesy of San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
Published: December, 2011
San Francisco is well on its way to becoming a world-class bicycling city. In the last four years alone, the number of people riding bikes in the City has increased by 58%. With that dramatic increase in ridership comes the need to ensure that all riders are safe and visible on our city streets.
Last month, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, the largest city-based bicycle advocacy group in the nation, in partnership with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), announced the launch of this year’s “Light up the Night” campaign, a bicycle safety event that will provide free bike lights for those who need them.
The program started on November 14 and will continue through December 15. SFMTA and SF Bicycle Coalition staff and volunteers will be distributing 2,000 bike lights and bicycle safety materials at “Light up the Night” stations throughout the City. The event coincided with the end of Daylight Saving Time, when many people on bikes unexpectedly found themselves commuting home in the dark.
Stations are set up along bike routes during evening rush hour, between 5 and 7 p.m., when bicycle commuter traffic is heaviest. In an effort to reach as many people as possible, all safety materials will be published in English, Mandarin and Spanish. The locations are kept secret, to guarantee that the lights go to those who need them most.
Having bike lights isn’t just a good idea; it’s also the law. California law requires that riders use a white front light and rear red light or reflector at night, and that the lights are visible at a distance of 300 feet. This year’s “Light up the Night” lights are better and brighter than ever, with 5 LED lights on the front and multiple blinking settings on the back. Trained SF Bicycle Coalition and SFMTA volunteers will install the front and rear lights, and distribute information about other bicycle safety rights and regulations.
The SF Bicycle Coalition conducts many other educational activities. Last year, through their bicycle classes, they taught more than 2,000 San Franciscans bicycle safety. October, the SF Bicycle Coalition partnered with the SFMTA for the first-ever Bicycle Safety and Education Week. For more information on their safety programs, visit sfbike.org/edu.
Leah Shahum, executive director of the SF Bicycle Coalition, said, “We are thrilled to be partnering with the SFMTA once again on this important bicycle safety event. More and more people are riding bikes in San Francisco, and we want to make sure that everyone is safe and visible, especially during these dark winter months.”
“Distributing the lights directly to riders allows us to not only ensure that bicyclists get the word that being properly visible is the law, but also to inform more bicyclists about what they can do to be safer on the streets,” said Edward D. Reiskin, SFMTA director of transportation.”
One current SF Bicycle Coalition volunteer, Rachel Cassandra, 29, had been riding without a front light. Until she participated in a “Light up the Night” training session, she didn’t know that riding without a front light was illegal. She is the first of hundreds of San Franciscans to now be riding safely, legally, and visibly thanks to “Light up the Night.”
“Light up the Night” volunteers install front and rear bike lights at stations during evening rush hour. Photo courtesy of San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
“Light up the Night” hopes to educate riders about bike-light safety laws. Photo courtesy of San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
