Originally Posted by
agent pombero
Terrible loss. Planet Bike lights should be 100% free for those who need them. Why not have something where $.25 of every tube go towards a fund that pays for PB lights for people in need?
What if every major online retailer had an option to donate towards a light fund? I'd donate $ every time I made a purchase.What if every LBS had an option to donate towards a light fund? I'd donate $ every time I made a purchase.
What about you?
It would be nice, but as the people who ride bikes routinely after dark without lights seem to have an invincibility atti-turd (<-started as a funny typo), all the free lights in the world wouldn't convince them to add one to their ride.
All over the US, we have dollar stores that sell LED flashlights for a buck. Even these lights are brighter and longer lasting than the old flashlights that we had when I was a kid. I doubt that many would be completely unable to afford that.
The idea to add a coupon or a "complementary" bike light set to fines for cyclists riding without lights seems like a good one. I'd add that once convicted of riding without lights (unless you can demonstrate that they were on the bike, but inoperable) fines should double. The excess could be used to be put into a fund to educate riders (Middle School Rider's Ed? Taking offenders to the morgue for an autopsy?) as to their rights and responsibilities as users of the roadway.