Chainwheel Donates 25 Sets of Lights in New Initiative 

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Dec. 22, 2015) – While working his River Market patrol shift earlier this year, Officer H. Jacob Tobler began to notice a worrisome trend: Many of the bicycles he saw at night didn’t have lights on them, a dangerous scenario that could lead to accidents.

Tobler decided to take action. Not by issuing traffic citations, but by devising a plan to help out those who ride bicycles as their sole means of transportation.

Arkansas state law requires that bicycles be equipped with a white light on the front and a red light on the rear, both of which should be visible from a distance of 500 feet.

“Some of the citizens riding bikes may not be able to afford getting bike lights for themselves,” Tobler said. “Instead of increasing the financial burden by giving them a traffic fine, I wanted to create a program that would let the Little Rock Police Department give out lights to those who need them the most.”

The safety concern, Tobler said, comes down to the lack of visibility. Many a motorist has likely been in a close-call situation because the cyclist wasn’t visible to them, he said in a memo to his superiors suggesting the program. 

After Tobler made the suggestion, the wheels got to turning in the community. Bicycle Advocacy of Central Arkansas contacted local bike shop Chainwheel, which provided 25 sets of TREK bike lights to the Little Rock Police Department this month. Tobler hopes to see the program grow and has already received interest from other groups looking to help.

According to Tobler, the lights will be distributed on a case-by-case basis as patrol officers see those in need. The first set was given out Dec. 14. Officers even help with the installation of the kit, which includes the white light for the front and the red light for the back. The lights have two modes, steady and blinking. 

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