Yesterday’s bicycle light giveaway was a great success! Although the rain did discourage some people from stopping, many people riding bikes were delighted to receive a fantastic set of lights. We yelled out to people as they road by, “FREE BIKE LIGHTS!!!” Several people knew about the giveaway beforehand and were prepared to stop, or were already pedaling slowly enough to understand what we were saying before whizzing by. But for many others, it took a few seconds for our words to register. They would speed past and then circle back and ask “Did you just say free bike lights?”

The importance of bike lights for safety seemed to be well understood and people were extremely appreciative. One woman approached us, not because she wanted a light, but because as a driver she wanted to thank us. She was glad for a way to reduce her risk of not seeing someone on a bike and hitting them. Another woman didn’t see our table from the other side of the street and continued riding. I saw that she was riding without lights and ran after her to give her a set. I caught up with her at a red light and handed her a set. “You’re an angel!” she said, “Really! You could have saved a life!!”

Standing outside in dark, cold, and pouring rain was not exactly what we had in mind when we scheduled the event. However, every time I gave a light set to someone and saw their faces light up with big smile, it was completely worth it. I was glad to be giving lights away to those riding in the conditions in which these lights are needed the most.

Happy holidays from Cascade Bicycle Club and the Bike Smart Seattle.

This entry was posted on Friday, December 10th, 2010 at 5:36 pm by Hanna McFall and is filed under Around town. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.