Skip to main content

New York Citi Bike pilots laser safety light

As part of an ongoing commitment to safer cycling in New York, the Citi Bike program is installing a new safety feature, the Blaze Laserlight, on 250 bikes this winter, with the aim of making Citi Bike riders more visible to drivers and pedestrians. The light uses laser technology to project a bike symbol six metres in front of the rider and, unlike the standard beam of bike lights, is visible from various perspectives. According to Citi Bike, research on use of the Laserlight on London’s bike share f
January 16, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
As part of an ongoing commitment to safer cycling in New York, the Citi Bike program is installing a new safety feature, the 8234 Blaze Laserlight, on 250 bikes this winter, with the aim of making Citi Bike riders more visible to drivers and pedestrians.

The light uses laser technology to project a bike symbol six metres in front of the rider and, unlike the standard beam of bike lights, is visible from various perspectives.

According to Citi Bike, research on use of the Laserlight on London’s bike share fleet indicates that a cyclist with a Laserlight at night is more visible than a cyclist in daytime. Tests by 491 TRL, the UK’s transport research body, comparing the Laserlight to a standard LED-only light found that, to a bus driver, visibility increased from 72 per cent to 96% per cent, with similar results for other vehicles.

The initiative also aims to grow ridership among women, whom studies have shown are more likely to ride in safer traffic environments with features like protected bike lanes and one-way streets.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Austrian Bike2CAV V2X project could mark turning point in cyclist safety
    May 10, 2023
    Research in Salzburg into C-ITS equips bikes with V2X tech to allow detection via ITS-G5
  • Indian state launches new road accident data management system
    July 28, 2015
    The Indian state of Himachal Pradesh has officially launched its first road accident data management system (RADMS) for the management, analysis and evaluation of road traffic accident data. Designed and developed by TRL, the UK’s Transport Research Laboratory, the new system streamlines and centralises the management of accident data, making it easier to identify and introduce measures to reduce the volume and severity of accidents. Hosted at the Himachal Pradesh State Data Centre in Shimla, the RADMS,
  • The Asia-Pacific poses a multitude of ITS challenges
    May 30, 2014
    The Asia-Pacific ITS Forum and Exhibition in Auckland, New Zealand, provided a focus for the region’s ITS Associations. Mary Bell reports. In late April, ITS New Zealand hosted the 13th Asia-Pacific ITS Forum and Exhibition in Auckland. Around 350 delegates from 24 nations gathered to share and advance ITS applications on both strategic and technical levels and to discuss the differing and various challenges faced in the region.
  • ETSC report: ‘Urgent action needed’ on VRU deaths
    February 4, 2020
    Vulnerable road users (VRUs) such as cyclists and pedestrians are still at significant risk of injury on Europe’s roads, according to new research.