Wednesday, January 30th we’ll be distributing bike lights to cyclists riding without lights in Pomona. Operation Firefly (Operacíon Luciérnaga) is an education and bike light distribution program of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition intended to make sure people riding bikes in LA County are riding safely at night.
Every year when the clocks turn back, we organize groups of volunteers and dispatch them to locations across the county during the evening commute, where they distribute lights and safety information to people riding in the dark without lights. We survey all light recipients to collect data on why they are riding at night without lights and ensure bilingual Spanish speaking volunteers are at each distribution.
We focus on lights because lights can prevent collisions. According to the most recent data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 71% of bicyclist fatalities in 2014 in the U.S. were in urban areas, and 49% of the bicyclist fatalities occurred between 6:00 pm and 6:00 am (NHTSA “Traffic Safety Facts” May 2016 DOT HS 812 282). Our goal is to seek out people riding without lights for various reasons, especially riders who may not have the means or time to acquire lights on their own.
If you’re interested in helping on January 30th please fill out the online sign-up form below. We will begin the distribution at 5:30pm and will go until all the lights have been distributed or 7:30pm at the latest, the location will be sent to volunteers once signed up.
Pomona Valley Bicycle Coalition 