Pittsburgh, PA – In an effort to make our streets just a bit safer, Bike Pittsburgh (BikePGH) partnered with the Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) on a targeted bike light giveaway last night (December 8, 2011) in Oakland. Lenny Chan, Coordinator of Student Life at CMU stated “It is great that we could partner with BikePGH to bring this program to our community. It is important that our community members take steps to be as safe as possible when commuting by bike. This program will help to give students, faculty and staff
equipment to increase their safety and provide valuable knowledge about biking in Pittsburgh.” The pop-up event was a great success. “It gets dark so early now that there was an enormous need and we gave away all of lights very quickly” said Rebecca Susman, membership and outreach coordinator for BikePGH, “It was wonderful to see the lights as people biked away.”

“Making Pittsburgh increasingly safe, accessible, and friendly to bicycle transportation.”

The effort, which BikePGH started this fall in Pittsburgh, set out to specifically target people riding bikes sans lights. Lights were not given to people who showed up on foot or on bikes which already had lights on them. Planet Bike extended a discount to BikePGH that made this program possible. “Planet Bike’s generosity and Carnegie Mellon’ enthusiastic support made this possible,” stated Scott Bricker, executive director of BikePGH.

If you missed the opportunity to get a free light last night, BikePGH encourages you to use your membership discount at a local bike shop to buy a set.

Facts:

• 28 sets of front and rear blinky lights (28 white front lights, 28 red rear lights)
• Nearly 30 bicyclists now fully lit who weren’t previously
• Almost 80 percent of those who received lights are students
• Dozens of Pittsburgh Bike Maps, Bike Commuting 101 guides, and other street safety information
• was distributed, educating bicyclists on the best routes, rules of the road, and helpful hints about biking in Pittsburgh.
• Since October BikePGH has given way nearly 100 sets of lights to bicyclists in need of them.