National Light Up! 2008

 Bike riders are being urged to have effective lights on their bikes now that daylight saving has ended.

Bicycle Victoria has put out a warning to all riders to:

1    Fit fresh batteries to bike lights,

2    Buy lights if they don’t have them

3     Upgrade any lights that are more than two years old.

Harry Barber, CEO of Bicycle Victoria said that last year statistics revealed that one quarter of bike riders on the road were without regulation front and rear lights.

“It appears that it is people who are new to riding who are without lights,” said Mr Barber.

“You can’t see a bike rider at night unless they have lights. Other riders, drivers and pedestrians all expect riders to have lights and so do the police,” he added.

Following a recent test of 29 popular bike lights, Bicycle Victoria says that either Basta Polaris BA3 at $39.95 and the Tioga “600” TCL 54 at $19.95 provide the best light for the dollar. This year’s lights are significantly better than the ones Bicycle Victoria recommended two years ago.

The test panel included representatives from the Ride to Work program, RACV, Choice Magazine, bicycle retailers, user groups, clubs, the Victoria Police and VicRoads.

Each light was viewed from in front from the regulation distance of 200m and then from the side at 50m. Each tester rated the lights and then the scores were consolidated.

‘The test and the recommendations are a vital part of our National Light Up! campaign to get riders to use lights at night’ Harry Barber said.

‘People who ride without lights tell us they don’t know which light to buy. Well now they do.’

Full results from the test are to be published in the April edition of Ride On magazine.

Local Government support

 We encourage Local Government to get behind the campaign.

You can:

- send a message in the Council newsletter

- ask the police locally to run an education campaign

- provide rewards for riders 'caught' doing the right thing

- run a media campaign in the local papers

 Bayside Leader 2007 

 Cyclists on the Main Yarra Trail will be offered free lights over the next two weeks as part of a joint campaign betweeen Yarra City Council and police to increase cyclist visibility. Cyclists will be offered free lights on the Main Yarra Trail between 7am and 8.30am tomorrow at the Gipps St steps and near Mary St between 5pm-6.30pm next Thursday. Cyclists must have white front lights and red rear lights when cycling at night and face a $54 fine for not carrying proper lights on their bikes.'

2 April 2008 The Melbourne Times

 

Useful facts

Daylight saving
•    Daylight saving ends in WA on 30 March 2008.
•    The remainder of Australia (except Queensland) will end daylight saving on Sunday 6 April 2008 at 3 am when clocks are put back one hour.

 

As many as 25% of bicycle trips occur after 6pm.

During winter most of the commuter trips and half of all trips will require working bike lights.

Fatalities in night time or semi darkness often involve riders without lights or with inadequate lighting.

A 2006 study suggests that fewer than a quarter of bicycle collisions occur during dusk, dawn and darkness, however the injuries sustained in these collisions are more severe than those in daylight. [see reference below]

Traffic regulations require a flashing or steady white light (front) red light (rear) that is clearly visible for at least 200m from the bicycle.