Random Acts of Brightness
Our next Random Acts of Brightness event is scheduled! Join us for our most popular volunteer event!
Where: Meet at the Bike Cleveland HQ at 3000 Bridge Ave (Suite 1) in Ohio City. Press the *PHONE* icon then 33 on the outside panel and we will let you in.
When: Thursday, May 18th – arrive at 7:00PM.
What: We will divvy up light sets, form groups, and head out into the neighborhoods to distribute them to riders.
After: When you are done, everyone returns to Platform Brewing to share stories & provide feedback.
Bring: Your bike 🙂 with lights, helmet, clothes for the weather, and a bag or backpack you can ride with and carry lights to distribute.
Why do we do this?
Many people in our region do not own cars and ride bicycles out of necessity, making riding at night an unavoidable reality. A major safety concern we have in Cleveland is people on bikes riding around at night without adequate on-board lights.
One reason for this is that quality light sets and their replacement batteries can be expensive, and for a person on a limited income, bike lights may not be a priority….so we’re making it one of ours. While overhead street lights may be enough for the riders to see where they are going, an unlit bicycle is practically invisible to people in cars at night. Moreover, it is against the law to ride a bicycle at night without lights. According to the Ohio Revised Code, bicycles must have a white front light and red tail light visible from at least 500 feet.
In an effort to address this, Bike Cleveland members and volunteers take to the streets several times a year equipped with hundreds of free bike lights to give away to unlit riders. We covered neighborhoods such as Ohio City, Detroit Shoreway, Central, St. Clair Superior, Midtown, Clark-Fulton, downtown, and Tremont.
To date, we have given away over 1000 light sets to people in the community, helping to make their evening commute safer and more enjoyable. While installing the lights, we make sure to educate the riders on pertinent laws, and gather useful data using our rider surveys.