On bikes, lights, further thoughts

For reasons that I am not going to discuss here, I went through a phase of uncertainty which lead me to want to be damn sure I was within the law regarding bike lights in Quebec. I would be bloody embarrassed and bloody angry if, after writing a slight smug post about bike lights, I was to be on the business end of a $127 ticket for riding without a proper light. So yesterday, I went to a police station to check that I had the right information. Unfortunately, I failed to convey that my bike (Floria die Fleddermoose) was fully (and possibly overly) equipped with reflectors and thus having a Light & Motion Vis 360 on my helmet* was not adequate according the officer at the desk.

When I returned home, I looked up the regulations on the SPVM** website. From it I could tell that die Fleddermoose was easily within the requirements vis-à-vis reflectors. However the requirement "[a]t night, every bicycle must also carry, a white headlight or light and one red tail-light, both of which may be flashing" was sufficiently vaguely worded that I was wondering if I had needed to dip into my bag of semi-discarded bike lights to find a couple of MEC turtle lights to make die Fleddermoose legal.  The whole insecurity thing lead me to go back today to the police station and verify with the SPVM that when riding a bicycle compliant with reflector requirements, that if I am wearing a helmet equipped with proper lights, I don't need to put lights on the bicycle itself. Thankfully, this proved to be the case. As well, the officer at the desk wasn't the same one as yesterday so I was spared looking like a crazy person.***

As it was, I had already visited SPVM stations three times in as many days owing having found an iPhone on my way to work on Friday. By my count, it was at least the 8th lost cellphone I have come across since the day I graduated from Library School in 2000, and 4th I came across while biking to work. This is easily worth my time as I would want anyone who found my cellphone to try to return it to me. Also, one time, the cellphone belonged to a real estate agent who was so grateful he gave me a card with $100 in it.

I would like to state that I very firmly support the SPVM's attempt to get cyclists to have proper lights at night. Nothing in my comments should be construed as negativity towards the Montreal Police, only a desire for great clarity. Of course, if I get a ticket for not having the right lights coming home tomorrow, I reserve the right to very, very angry with the SPVM! ;-)

* This incorporates a fairly powerful forward headlamp with rear facing red LEDs in a USB rechargeable battery pack.

**SPVM = Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal

*** Then again, I probably am.