Cycle Toronto shining light on biking safely at night

The Get Lit! campaign aims to educate cyclists on the importance of having proper lights while cycling at night

TheStar.com
Oct. 3, 2016
By Jackie Hong

As the days get shorter, an annual campaign will be hitting Toronto’s streets again Tuesday with one message in mind - cyclists, get lit.

Organized by cyclist-advocacy group Cycle Toronto, the Get Lit! campaign, which is sponsored by the city and Bike Law Canada, will see staff and volunteers hand out 1,500 lights total to cyclists every Tuesday in October. Staff will be setting up stations around the downtown core, flagging down people biking without lights and educating them on the importance of being visible on the streets. Cyclists will get also free front and back lights as well as a copy of the Toronto Cyclists Handbook and education on the importance of staying visible while cycling at night.

“We want to encourage people to keep riding even as the light fades, but it’s really important that everyone does their bit to stay safe on the road,” Cycle Toronto’s executive director Jared Kolb said in a statement. “Lights help riders to see and be seen, and we want to be sure cyclists continue enjoying their ride while also staying safe.”

Education is an important part of the city’s new Road Safety Plan, Toronto cycling infrastructure and programs manager Jacquelyn Hayward Gulati told the Star, which is why the city directly partnered with Cycle Toronto for this year’s campaign.

“Especially when the seasons change from summer to fall, it does become a pretty important issue, where people are perhaps riding either when it’s darker than they would have in the past in the morning or later into the night … But it is a very important safety issue to make sure that people are well-lit and seen by other road users,” she said.

Cyclists have been “really receptive” to past iterations of Get Lit!, Cycle Toronto membership and ward advocacy manager Mark Romeril told the Star. The first event was held in 2011.

“You can pretty much go down any busy corridor during the evening, or even the morning, sometimes, if you’re early enough, and it’s a pretty common thing that you’ll see, is people riding by without proper lights,” he said.

“I think it’s a really effective way to get out to people who might not be engaged with cycling with something that’s a lifestyle,” Romeril added. “It’s going to reach out to people who are just using their bike because it’s the option of them at the moment, and beyond.”

Under the Highway Traffic Act, bicyclists are required to have a white or amber light on the front and a red light or reflector on the rear of their cycles if they’re riding from half an hour before sunset to half an hour after sunrise. Violating the law, which does not apply to unicycles, comes with a set fine of $110.

Get Lit! stations will be set up at the following locations from around 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.:

Oct. 4: Art Gallery of Ontario, Beverly St. and Dundas St. W.

Oct: 11: Boulton Drive Parkette, Boulton Dr. near Poplar Plains

Oct. 18: Castle Frank subway station

Oct. 24: Toronto Public Library, College St. and Shaw St.