Cyclists ride along Frisco Trail between Dickson and Lafayette streets.
Photo: Todd Gill, Flyer staff
We’ve received a couple of requests asking if we’d be willing to remind cyclists to use lights on their bikes when riding on the city’s trail system after dark.
We don’t do a lot of night riding ourselves, but we did spend about a half hour on the Lafayette Street bridge overlooking Frisco Trail last Friday night.
Of the nearly two dozen cyclists that passed by, we only saw two people who weren’t using a light.
Most of those who did have a light were using a standard bike-mounted unit, but several had a light attached to their helmet. One guy was using both.
Matt Mihalevich, the city’s trails coordinator, said he hadn’t received any complaints about cyclists riding without lights, but said people should be cautious when using the trails at night.
“We can’t force anyone to use a light at night on the trails, but we do urge people to make sure and stay on the right side of the path to avoid a collision,” he said.
Obviously, riding without a light is dangerous, especially when approaching tight areas like the turns on Frisco Trail under the railroad tracks near Wilson Park and directly below the Lafayette Street bridge.
Plus, not being able to see the path in front of you could result in a nasty donkey kick if there were some type of debris on the trail.
Anyway, we figured we’d ask if anyone else had noticed any issues lately, and include a poll to see how many people are riding at night and using lights.
Feel free to answer the poll question, “Do you use a bike light at night?” and/or leave a comment below.
