To the editor:
On Oct. 6, the Journal-World ran a story on the front page of the Pulse section, titled "Shedding light on bicycle safety." It was a good start on an important subject, but it didn't tell the whole story. The article stated that a biker "can go with one or more of three general light options."
However, the fact is that bikers do not have "options." Rather, they must meet certain requirements. These requirements are specified in Kansas Statute 8-1592, which requires that bikers have a lamp on the front of a bike, a lamp or reflector on the back of a bike, and reflectors on the pedals of a bike. The specifics about these light sources and reflectors can be found in this statute, and the statute can be readily accessed at many places including at the library, via the Internet, at the Motor Vehicle Bureau or at the police department.
I have twice had the frightening experience of nearly running down a biker at night who had no lights on his bike. Believe me, I don't want to cause any biker's death or injury, and I'm sure bikers want to avoid getting a traffic ticket, not to mention that they want to stay alive and healthy.
Jane Frydman,
Lawrence
Comments
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merrill (anonymous) says…
Cars that don't notice cyclists will pull out of side streets no matter if cyclists have the right of way. After the second experience purchasing night lights was no problem. Flashers on front and back make at easier for cars to see a cyclist at night. In addition this year we got a small,inexpensive yet powerful beam front light that has a strobe effect which provides great eye attraction.....the best light yet. While riding at night a cyclist see reasonably well without lights, drivers on the other hand cannot detect a cyclist nearly as well. NiteRider Ultrafazer 3.0 waterproof gets the attention. Very powerful,small and lightweight. The strobe uses far less energy yet provides ample light no matter what the situation... this light is awesome. Planet Bike Super Flash for the rear. The super flash can be seen from the sky most likely. Also compact yet powerful and awesome.Both can be purchased locally at our bike shops.NASA may want these two lights on the next trip to the moon so that earth bound star gazers will be able to track the rocket ship.
BrianR (anonymous) says…
I bought a bike light at Terraplane a long tiime agoe and it still works great. If you buy a good one it should last a long time.
Informed (anonymous) says…
I guess many of us break the law regularly when we ride at night: we have front/rear lights, but no reflectors on our pedals. I went clipless many years ago. Most of those pedals don't have reflectors. There might be a few, but none in the style of pedal I use.I'll continue to use those pedals AND ride at night.
blue73harley (anonymous) says…
There are a couple of cyclists (please use the right terminology!) that I regulary see on Dg Co 458W in the early morning hours that have great lights, front and back. I only occasionally see a "law breaker". I consider the requirement for pedal reflectors bogus.
BuffyloGal (anonymous) says…
What about helmets? Not wearing one of those is really bogus!
jumpin_catfish (anonymous) says…
Many cyclist operate in a safe manner, its the few idiots that give them all a bad name.
gccs14r (anonymous) says…
"Bicyclists do not belong on the roads, get on the sidewalk..."Do you really want to give the blind yet one more thing to worry about?
tvc (anonymous) says…
Informed, do you know if they put reflective material on the shoes?
just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (anonymous) says…
"do you know if they put reflective material on the shoes?"Most biking shoes, and lots of running shoes, do have reflective trim on them.
yoornotmee (anonymous) says…
Hey cyclists, when you're at a 4-way stop (like 11th and Connecticut), try actually stopping like the rest of us. Don't just ride through. The same goes for stop lights.
deputyfife (anonymous) says…
Hey Molly, when you come to a stop sign actually stop in front of the sign -- not half a car length past in the middle of the crosswalk. My path is blocked daily (typically multiple times a day) by cars in the crosswalk. I use the sidewalk/bike paths but probably won't for much longer because they are dangerous due to careless, inattentive drivers!
Informed (anonymous) says…
Bozo is correct, tvc. Most cycling shoes have reflective trim.And I agree with blue: the requirement for reflectors on pedals is bogus!!
dweezil222 (anonymous) says…
b3 (Anonymous) says: Bicyclists do not belong on the roads, get on the sidewalk Lance!=========================================One minor problem: In many cities, it's actually illegal to ride your bike on the sidewalk.
countrygirl (anonymous) says…
Not wearing dark clothes would help a bunch too--and that goes for you runners too. I nearly got one running down the middle of the street on the north end of Mass a few weeks ago. There must have been some street lights out, because that part of Mass was lots darker than the rest, and this guy was way out in the middle of the street. He got over by the sidewalk after I went by, but he scared me to death. Please, please runners and cyclists do all you can to be seen in the dark.
timetospeakup (anonymous) says…
Anonymous userOne minor problem: In many cities, it's actually illegal to ride your bike on the sidewalk.-----------------Too bad that's a myth - most places it's perfectly legal to ride bike on the sidewalk except directly in front of a business. That includes Lawrence
consumer1 (anonymous) says…
You could wear a light suit(with lights all over your body) and some idiot in a car texting on his cell phone would still run over you. People, you don't have to stop at these stupid round a bouts. wake up PaaaaaLeaseeeeeeeee!!!!!
none2 (anonymous) says…
My two points:1) Why do so many night bikers refuse to buy lights and use them? Not only are you risking YOUR life with cars, you are risking the lives of pedestrians that you almost hit -- like on the levee. 2) I agree with those that say bikers belong on the sidewalk. Bikers can look out for pedestrians (especially if they use lights so they can see and be seen) and make appropriate adjustments when necessary. On the other hand, night bikers on the road are still sometimes not easy to see. Why risk it? Your bike won't be of any use if you get hit.
irecord (anonymous) says…
Well I almost creamed a cyclist the other day because the first two times I looked I saw nothing, no white light coming at me, luckily for them it was the direction I was turning, so when I looked back to pull out there was a light on. Scared the crap out of me! As I watched in surprise I saw that they had a really slow flashing front light, and it just happened that it was off when I looked twice.