As a randonneur, I ride in all sorts of conditions, and many of my riding hours are between nightfall and daybreak. Often on majour roadways on weekend nights.

If you're spending less than 3 hours a day in the dark, then there are a zillion options for battery powered lighting. The least expensive decent lights will run you about $100 - $150 for 2.5 - 3 hours of battery life at a very good lamp intensity. Not just a "see me" light, but an actual "light up the road" light. I started out my riding in the PNW with a light like this: The L&M Solo 13W halogen. The DiNotte 200L-dual or 400L single are similar intensity lights.
If you're really serious about getting noticed, a dual lamp setup (one on the bike, one on your helmet) is a good idea. A hiker's lamp like the Petzl Tikka or Princeton Tec Quad can be zip tied through the vents on nearly any helmet, and used to spotlight cars at intersections. A combo of the 200L on the bars and helmet is another, stronger option.
For situations where you're getting a lot of incedental light (streetlamps, car headlights, etc.) and you want to get noticed, you might want to go with either a) a flashing front light/helmet light or b) a brighter headlight. The 600L is visible over traffic interference, so is the Tri-Newt, as well as the Seca 700... But these are all getting up there in the price category.

My personal choice, due to both length of use and ease of use, is a generator system. Not typically as intense as a battery system until you get into high-powered LED setups, generators have the advantage of never needing a recharge. You can get into a nice generator setup for around the same price as a mid-range battery system ($160 for a wheel, $130 for a good LED lamp). The disadvantage is that unlike a battery system, you can't remove it easily for lockups or use it as a flashlight in the case of changing a flat in the dark.

For rear lighting, I prefer 3 lights: solid, wired taillight and 2 blinking PBSF Superflashes.

For reflective visibility I have my bike and fenders outlined with scotchlite tape. I wear 2 reflective ankle bands and a reflective sash. My helmet is outlined in scotchlite tape.