Campaign To Put Lights On Bikes Hits The Streets Of San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) -- A multi-organization safety campaign is hitting San Francisco's streets with the goal of arming every nighttime biker with tiny, blinking lights that will at the least put them in alliance with state law and, at best, save their lives.

The "Light Up The Night" safety campaign is an effort by the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, and the San Francisco Police Department to distribute 2,400 front and rear bicycle lights to people biking at night, coalition spokeswoman Teri Gardiner said in a statement.

The effort to arm every unlit bicyclist with blinking white front and red rear lights -- as they are required to be by California law -- began on Monday and will continue until daylight savings resumes in the spring, Gardiner said.

Since, thanks in part to over 30 miles of new bike lanes throughout the city, ridership has increased by more than 53 percent in the past several years, members of the coalition want to ensure the cyclists are as visible as possible to other vehicles on the busy city streets, Gardiner said.

"Bicycle lights are a key item for safe night riding and we want
everyone to use them, especially during the winter months when it gets dark earlier," coalition Acting Executive Director Renee Rivera said in a statement.

Other efforts on the coalition's part to educate and equip San Francisco bicycle riders in dozens of free Urban Cycling Workshops throughout the year, Gardiner said.

The light distribution will be taking place at classified locations throughout the city during evening commute times and will be most targeted at people who do not have any lights on their bicycle, according to the statement.

More information is available at www.sfbike.org.

(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Bay City News contributed to this report)