GET A LIGHT!

See the rest of this amazing comic, from the ever Talented BikeyFace.  Get some awesome prints of her great work here, tell her BostonBiker sent you over.

I honestly don’t know what people are thinking, but you need lights.  You need a red one in the back, a white one in the front and you need to have them on and at full power.  Its dark 24 hours  a day now, so the USB rechargeable ones are nice, but I don’t care if you have to light the front and back of your bike on fire, you are 100% invisible without a light.

Reflectors are nice, but they don’t work for pedestrians or other cyclists, or if the car has its lights off, or if it comes at you from a strange angle….basically you need to be lit up like a gaudy Las Vegas sign all the time every day (seriously).

I almost ran into another cyclist the other day, there was a line of cars facing me (as I was going up the Longfellow towards Cambridge), and they had no lights or reflectors.  They were completely invisible until I was about 3-5 feet from them.  Similarly some crazy ass runner did the same thing, except he was running TOWARDS me.

All in all I would say in the last two or three weeks I have had more than a dozen close calls with people dressed totally in black riding or walking with NO LIGHTS.  (I think that pedestrians need lights as well, especially when out for a jog in the street, or when j-walking.)

Get em, use em, love em.  LIGHTS!

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New Signs Encouraging People To Use Lights On South West Corridor

I have gotten multiple reports that there are big signs urging people to use lights at night (as well as reminding them its the law) on the southwest corridor. This is for sure the time of year when you need some good lights on your bike, be sure to have a white front light, and a red back light, and make sure they are bright!

Its things like this that don’t cost the city much money or effort that are going to be important in changing the culture of Boston. Little things do matter, thanks City of Boston!

EDIT: now with video! Thanks William!

He says:

Looks like the Boston police are enforcing light laws on the SW corridor bike path. I passed a flashing traffic sign that said, “Be Bright, Bike With Lights At Night, Massachusetts State Law”. Here’s a short video I took of the sign: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JxiN_pA6QE

The next time I passed through, there was a police car with lights flashing at the intersection. At Lamartine and Atherton, I think. A helmetless, lightless biker passed me on the path, and was flagged down, lectured, and probably ticketed by the cop.

Thought you’d like to know and maybe pass that on to your readers. Looks like the Boston police are serious about enforcing at least some cycling laws.

I doubt they were given tickets (I could be wrong) but they most likely were given a talking to, which is totally fine in my opinion.

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