IMMOKALEE, Fla. — Many farm workers leave their homes for work on bicycles, riding on dark streets with little lighting. Without proper bike lights, bicyclists can be nearly invisible to drivers, but now thanks to a community safety initiative, bicyclists are getting bike lights.
Cultivate Abundance has distributed and installed about 300 bike lights, targeting those who commute on bicycles during early morning and evening hours when there is no light.
Click here to see Immokalee Community Correspondent Victoria Quevedo speak with Cultivate Abundance about the initiative.
"The majority of our community is reliant on either walking or bike transportation. We want to increase safety. We know that it is a conversation that is about safety, to reduce deaths, to reduce accidents," Lupita Vasquez Reyes said.
Community members have witnessed the safety concerns firsthand. One neighbor described seeing cyclists who are difficult to spot on Immokalee's darker streets.
"Obviously, for safety in Immokalee, so people won't get hit or ran over, because those crazy people like to speed without seeing bikers," another resident said.
The Collier County Sheriff's Office reported 18 crashes involving cars hitting bicycles on major Immokalee streets last year.
The community response to the bike light program has been positive, according to Reyes.
"If we can help them by providing those lights and providing installation and conversation about those new changes, I feel like we can keep continue to keep our community safer," Reyes said.
The initiative's goal is to ensure bicyclists can confidently ride knowing they are visible to drivers.
"It's good for the bike riders to be noticeable, because if not, then they're going to get hit by these reckless drivers," one neighbor said.
Reyes noted the visible impact of the program on the community.
"We definitely saw sort of the town lighting up," Reyes said.
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