(COLUMBIA, MO) -
With the change from Daylight Saving Time (DST) to Central Standard Time (CST) occurring this weekend, cyclists traveling during early evening hours are reminded of the need to use a white front facing light. In an effort to encourage the use of bicycle lights, GetAbout Columbia, in partnership with Columbia Parks and Recreation, will be conducting bicycle light checkpoints from 6 to 8 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 7 and Wednesday, Nov. 9. Bicycle light sets will be distributed and installed free of charge, as part of "Lighten Up Columbia," a bicycle safety awareness campaign.
Prepackaged light kits will include a front light, rear taillight and a flyer summarizing Missouri laws and City traffic ordinances related to safe cycling. Funding is provided by the Federal Highway Administration's Non-Motorized Transportation Pilot Program. The campaign kickoff date was planned to coincide with the end of Daylight Saving Time.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data from 2012 indicates that 69 percent of bicycle fatalities in the United States occurred in urban areas, and 48 percent of the fatalities happened between 4 p.m. and midnight.
GetAbout Columbia staff would like to remind cyclists that it's not just an extremely good idea to have lights on your bike; it's actually the law in regards to a front-facing white light and rear-facing red reflector. GetAbout Columbia recommends also utilizing a red taillight and high visibility clothing. Use of both a front light and taillight allows the cyclist to see the roadway or trail and also improves their visibility to drivers of motor vehicles.
"Cyclists riding on City streets at night or early morning hours without adequate lighting, are not only subject to a $49 fine," stated Janet Godon, Planner with the GetAbout Columbia project, "they're also putting themselves as well as drivers and pedestrians in a perilous position."
Bicycle lights sets are also distributed during regular business hours at the Columbia Parks and Recreation Office, 1 S. Seventh St. and the main lobby of the Columbia Police Department, 600 E. Walnut. The Columbia Police Outreach Unit also distributes lights during neighborhood outreach events.
About GetAbout Columbia: Funding for GetAbout Columbia is provided by the Federal Highway Administration's Non-Motorized Transportation Program. Education and encouragement programs are administered by the Columbia Parks and Recreation Department.
Summary of City Ordinances Related to Bike Lights as Required Equipment on Cycles
Sec. 14-508. -Required equipment.
…(b)
Lights. Each person operating a cycle on a street or highway during the period from one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise shall have his cycle equipped with the following:
(1) A front-facing lamp on the front or carried by the rider which shall emit a white light visible at night under normal atmospheric conditions on a straight, level, unlighted roadway at five hundred (500) feet.
(2) A rear-facing red reflector, at least two (2) square inches in reflective surface area, on the rear which shall be visible at night under normal atmospheric conditions on a straight, level, unlighted roadway when viewed by a vehicle driver under the lower beams of vehicle headlights at six hundred (600) feet…
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