Cyclists encouraged to Be Bright at free clinic

Horizons Regional Council is teaming up with Crank It Cycles to run a free cycle safety clinic aimed at helping cyclists Be Bright on the road.

The clinic, to be held at Crank It Cycles on Cuba Street (next to Café Cuba) between midday and 3pm Saturday 24 May, is part of a national Be Bright campaign designed to improve cycle safety in low-light conditions.

Horizons road safety coordinator Desley Monks encourages cyclists of all ages and levels to bring their bike to the event.

“Everyone who brings their bicycle in to be checked will receive a bag of safety info and hi-viz products to help them Be Bright and be seen,” Mrs Monks says.

“It’s a great opportunity to have your bike checked over by a Crank It staff member and ask any questions you might have about safety compliance or cycling in general. We’ll be starting the day with a free sausage sizzle and all entrants into our road safety draw will be in to win a set of high quality cycle lights.”

Mrs Monks says cyclists’ visbility to other road users, especially during times of low light, is an essential part of cycle safety.

“Some simple ways of increasing your visibility include wearing bright, reflective and hi-viz clothing and using front and rear bike lights,” she says.

There are also a number of requirements for cyclists biking at night or when visibility is poor. These include:

One or more steady or flashing rear-facing red lights that can be seen from a distance of 100 metres.
One or two white or yellow headlights that can be seen at night from a distance of 100 metres. Only one of these headlights may flash.
Pedal retroreflectors on the forward and rear facing surfaces of each pedal. If the cycle does not have these, the cyclist must be wearing reflective material.
The free Crank It cycle safety checking clinic is open to all cyclists. More information on the national campaign is available at www.bikewise.co.nz

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