The Chainlink

Getting more people to cycle with lights

No lights, no rights. 

Get Lit: Use lights at night (front side)

I will be asking you to donate money by the end of this post. 

I believe that too many people are cycling without headlights. Not only do city and state law require cycling with a white front light at night, it bodes well for your if you are involved in a crash at night. You do not have a case, essentially, and one of our many bike lawyers will concur. 

 

Active Transportation Alliance has conducted many bike light distributions in the past few years. They do it with donated money. One event was sponsored by Lawyer Jim Freeman, while another even was sponsored by Groupon's G-Team and Groupon purchasers. 

 

I am introducing you to the Get Lit campaign I've started. This campaign uses a simple website, a fancy postcard, and an appeal to Chainlink members, to raise funds so that Active Transportation Alliance can put on another bike light distribution event. 

 

Donate now. Thank you. 

 

Read more:

Bike lights distribution

A Chicagoan gets a headlight during an event in November 2010. 

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Zidaane on March 9, 2012 at 9:11pm

Hey Steven,

I donated $10 (Your order number is 3634). 

I will say one last thing. There should be some coordination with the local city colleges for young kids that come to Chicago and get a bike for school. They are the most vulnerable to not being prepared/equipped for cycling in a city. Should be a no brainer but, no one is doing it. It kills me when I see a young person going to college in the news for a cycling accident.

Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on March 10, 2012 at 12:58pm

I'm also in the camp of not wanting to be visible from the front.

Not so much for the street people reason, as I agree they'll see you either way, but because I'd rather assume nobody sees me and ride accordingly; plus, drivers tend to behave unexpectedly when they're 'suddenly' aware of bicycles behind them.

However I do agree that having a front light is important in an after-the-crash situation from a legal standpoint.

Steven, I asked you last weekend if a helmet light would satisfy the requirement-- is there a way to find out for sure? I'm never mounting lights on any of my bikes again-- it just doesn't make sense.

Permalink Reply by Steven Vance on March 10, 2012 at 4:06pm

I don't understand that at all. Can you draw how you ride through intersections?

Thank you for donating. 

As for doing something for kids in school, there is the Bicycle Ambassadors and Safe Routes Ambassador programs that visit elementary/middle schools in Chicago, but I don't know of any programs at City Colleges. Some colleges, it appears, are developing bike clubs, but if they offers any curriculum beyond providing resources, I don't know. 

Also, West Town Bikes has After School Matters programs at schools that teach students how to repair bikes and run a bike shop. ASM programs seem to always be in flux, though, with constant budget crises. I think only 4 (or fewer) schools have this; it should be expanded. 


Matt Donohue said:

Well, that's on me to be ready for that. I typically never go straight through an intersection ever.

I mean never- even with no cars. I always do a S curve through cross traffic and a reverse C for oncomming traffic if that makes sense. The car would not have time to hit me if he wanted to. I mean, if the car is going so fast that's not really an option I would not put myself in the intersection at the same time. I would time it different. The whole idea I have is reducing the total time you are ever at mercy of someone else driving 4,000lbs of distraction. I don't want blinkers to try and wake them up.

I'm not saying Steven's idea is bad and I would donate. It is the right choice for some people. Not all.

I just sometimes think there are safer ways to ride and those don't always conform to laws. If you are hit by a car in Chicago, there is 1/3 chance it's a hit and run. So, having a light because you think you need to sue someone is not really a seller for me.

Permalink Reply by Steven Vance on March 10, 2012 at 4:13pm

I just emailed Jim - waiting for a response about this. 

The Chicago law says, "Every bicycle when in use at nighttime shall be equipped with a head lamp..." That makes me thing the bicycle must have it, not the user. But there may be judges that interpret it either way. 

h' said:

Steven, I asked you last weekend if a helmet light would satisfy the requirement-- is there a way to find out for sure? I'm never mounting lights on any of my bikes again-- it just doesn't make sense.

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on March 10, 2012 at 4:32pm

Interesting wording. 

It doesn't say anything about it being turned on or even that it be a "working head lamp."   Looks to me like you could have one with dead or no batteries at all and one would be still be in compliance with the letter of the law.


I'd like to see how an actual lawyer would interpret this.



Steven Vance said:

I just emailed Jim - waiting for a response about this. 

The Chicago law says, "Every bicycle when in use at nighttime shall be equipped with a head lamp..." That makes me thing the bicycle must have it, not the user. But there may be judges that interpret it either way. 


Permalink Reply by Steven Vance on March 10, 2012 at 4:33pm

James, I should have pasted the complete wording. 

"(a) Every bicycle when in use at nighttime shall be equipped with a head lamp which shall emit a white light visible from a minimum distance of 500 feet from the front and with a rear red reflector capable of reflecting the head lamp beams of an approaching motor vehicle back to the operator of such vehicle at distances up to 200 feet or a rear lamp emitting a red light visible from a distance of at least 200 feet from the rear."

http://chicagobikes.org/bikelaws/?show=search&chapter=7&db=chi


James BlackHeron said:

Interesting wording. 

It doesn't say anything about it being turned on or even that it be a "working head lamp."   Looks to me like you could have one with dead or no batteries at all and one would be still be in compliance with the letter of the law.


I'd like to see how an actual lawyer would interpret this.

Permalink Reply by Zidaane on March 10, 2012 at 4:42pm

So, in the above diagram the B and C are two points when you can bailout. 


Steven Vance said:

I don't understand that at all. Can you draw how you ride through intersections?

Thank you for donating. 

As for doing something for kids in school, there is the Bicycle Ambassadors and Safe Routes Ambassador programs that visit elementary/middle schools in Chicago, but I don't know of any programs at City Colleges. Some colleges, it appears, are developing bike clubs, but if they offers any curriculum beyond providing resources, I don't know. 

Also, West Town Bikes has After School Matters programs at schools that teach students how to repair bikes and run a bike shop. ASM programs seem to always be in flux, though, with constant budget crises. I think only 4 (or fewer) schools have this; it should be expanded. 


Matt Donohue said:

Well, that's on me to be ready for that. I typically never go straight through an intersection ever.

I mean never- even with no cars. I always do a S curve through cross traffic and a reverse C for oncomming traffic if that makes sense. The car would not have time to hit me if he wanted to. I mean, if the car is going so fast that's not really an option I would not put myself in the intersection at the same time. I would time it different. The whole idea I have is reducing the total time you are ever at mercy of someone else driving 4,000lbs of distraction. I don't want blinkers to try and wake them up.

I'm not saying Steven's idea is bad and I would donate. It is the right choice for some people. Not all.

I just sometimes think there are safer ways to ride and those don't always conform to laws. If you are hit by a car in Chicago, there is 1/3 chance it's a hit and run. So, having a light because you think you need to sue someone is not really a seller for me.

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on March 10, 2012 at 5:12pm

Did he died?

Matt Donohue said:

Permalink Reply by Duppie on March 10, 2012 at 5:43pm

You could just wait for a green light, no?

Matt Donohue said:

So, in the above diagram the B and C are two points when you can bailout. 


Steven Vance said:

I don't understand that at all. Can you draw how you ride through intersections?

Thank you for donating. 

As for doing something for kids in school, there is the Bicycle Ambassadors and Safe Routes Ambassador programs that visit elementary/middle schools in Chicago, but I don't know of any programs at City Colleges. Some colleges, it appears, are developing bike clubs, but if they offers any curriculum beyond providing resources, I don't know. 

Also, West Town Bikes has After School Matters programs at schools that teach students how to repair bikes and run a bike shop. ASM programs seem to always be in flux, though, with constant budget crises. I think only 4 (or fewer) schools have this; it should be expanded. 


Matt Donohue said:

Well, that's on me to be ready for that. I typically never go straight through an intersection ever.

I mean never- even with no cars. I always do a S curve through cross traffic and a reverse C for oncomming traffic if that makes sense. The car would not have time to hit me if he wanted to. I mean, if the car is going so fast that's not really an option I would not put myself in the intersection at the same time. I would time it different. The whole idea I have is reducing the total time you are ever at mercy of someone else driving 4,000lbs of distraction. I don't want blinkers to try and wake them up.

I'm not saying Steven's idea is bad and I would donate. It is the right choice for some people. Not all.

I just sometimes think there are safer ways to ride and those don't always conform to laws. If you are hit by a car in Chicago, there is 1/3 chance it's a hit and run. So, having a light because you think you need to sue someone is not really a seller for me.

Permalink Reply by Zidaane on March 10, 2012 at 5:59pm

I think you missed my point in the comments above. It's not a provable fact that you are safer stopping at every light/stop sign. There's good reason to think it's safer to be ahead of traffic (with no cars next to or behind you). Even if that means going through intersections.



Duppie said:

You could just wait for a green light, no?

Permalink Reply by Thunder Snow on March 10, 2012 at 6:20pm

In Motorcycle Safety Foundation courses I've taken, they teach to ride across an intersection just to the right of a car, so that the car blocks anyone from T-boning you.  I try to do the same thing with my bicycle.  Seems to me that if you're leading the pack from the stop light, you're the one likely to be mowed down by a late left turner, or someone on the cross street speeding up to "beat the light."  But your s-shaped intersection crossing fascinates me: it's either genius or suicidal, as it doubles your time within the intersection from a straight cross, and puts you in the oncoming lane to boot.

Permalink Reply by Zidaane on March 10, 2012 at 7:06pm

Technically you are on the center divider or stripes (between traffic). Not the actual oncoming lane. You can get stuck there though which is awkward. Ideally you only spend a few seconds there. 

Thunder Snow said:

In Motorcycle Safety Foundation courses I've taken, they teach to ride across an intersection just to the right of a car, so that the car blocks anyone from T-boning you.  I try to do the same thing with my bicycle.  Seems to me that if you're leading the pack from the stop light, you're the one likely to be mowed down by a late left turner, or someone on the cross street speeding up to "beat the light."  But your s-shaped intersection crossing fascinates me: it's either genius or suicidal, as it doubles your time within the intersection from a straight cross, and puts you in the oncoming lane to boot.

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