HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-13-22 Public Comment - M. Egge - Transportation Board - Lights for SafetyFrom:Mark Egge
To:Agenda
Subject:Public Comment to the Transportation Board - Lights for Safety
Date:Tuesday, September 13, 2022 10:49:12 PM
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Members of the Transportation Board—
Fall is here, and with it a shocking and sudden degree of darkness. Withthat darkness comes cyclists riding in the dark without lights, especially
near the MSU campus.
While Bozeman's law banning cyclists from riding on sidewalks is awful(forcing riders, especially more vulnerable and less confident cyclists, to
choose between their personal safety and abiding by City ordinances), I
wholeheartedly support the requirement that cyclists use lights at night.
I'm writing with a proposal that will, if implemented, make biking in
Bozeman safer (and give drivers a bit more peace of mind as well):
In lieu of (or, better yet, in addition to!) spending $60k on the next HAWKbeacon, consider purchasing and distributing 3750 sets of bike lights
instead (the IMAGE sets on Amazon are $16, bright, rechargable, and
dependable—better, in my experience, than some $100+ light kits from
REI).
These lights should be offered to MSU students if/when they register their
bike with the campus police department, given out at Catapalooza to any
students who attend with their bike and/or helmet, distributed by HRDC toclients observed to be biking without lights, and should be issued by the
Bozeman Police Department (perhaps with a nominal fine or stern
warning) to all first time offenders who are caught riding without lights.
Providing education, enforcement—and maybe some helpful enablement—
to get cyclists (especially students) in the habit of using lights when it's
dark will improve the safety of those who—bless them!—continue to bike
into shoulder season.
Anecdotally, I've had two somewhat near misses with other cyclists in the
last week near campus—both without lights. Helping get lights on more
bikes is something within the purview of the Transportation Board andwould be a practical and cost effective way to improve the safety of biking
in Bozeman.
Thanks for your service and consideration,
-Mark
Mark Egge
219 E Story St
Bozeman, MT 59715