The Montreal ones are popular with commuters who take the Metro(subway) or bus for most of their journey to downtown. then use a Bixi for the final few blocks. A couple of weeks ago I left work at 9.30 pm and saw several tourists riding Bixis on an unlit bikepath and the lights were more than adequate for their modest speed. The front rack is just a tubular loop arrangement, which would require bungees to hold packages down, but I have seen it being used as a child seat without any problem.