Safer Cycling: Bicycle Light Giveaway Coming Up In Red Bank

RED BANK, NJ — Dean Ross and his wife were driving on Route 520 in Red Bank one dark night when, to his horror, he narrowly missed a bicyclist pedaling in front of his car, with no light on his bike.

That gave Ross, a Farmingdale resident and Red Bank business owner, an idea he has been spearheading for the past eight years - giving away and installing lights on bicycles.

So now, Monmouth Reform Temple in Tinton Falls and the Red Bank Police department are partnering once again for a program on Sunday, Oct. 30, to offer bicycle lights for residents who depend on their bicycles to safely maneuver the car traffic in the borough.

Dubbed by Ross "Shining a Light," the bicycle light giveaway will take place from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Red Bank Train Station on Oct. 30. The event will be on the east side of the station by Monmouth Street.

Ross, president-elect of his temple, said the project is a social action project of the temple that, to date, has given away 500 lights.

The program is offered two times a year, and the fall giveaway, with days getting shorter and darker, is an ideal time for cyclists to consider getting the lights, Ross said.

The program offers front and rear lights. The only requirement is that the recipient bring the bike, so volunteers can install the lights at the event, he said. Ross added that the temple has some talented engineering experts who know how to install the lights. "I'm not that handy," Ross laughed.

The temple also collects used, but in good condition, bicycle helmets that are also free and will be given away at the event.

Ross said the program started by partnering with St. Anthony of Padua Church in Red Bank, and he has some poignant memories: Ross said he met two homeless men at the giveaway. One didn't ride a bicycle, but he used crutches. The volunteers fastened a light to his crutches. Then there was another man in a wheelchair who was given a light for his wheelchair safety.

Ross said there are a lot of day workers in town who need the bike to get to their jobs - and while he did not have recent figures about bicycle safety in the borough, he said safety is a problem. State police figures from 2021 indicate there were 22 fatalities from bicycling crashes on the roads - one of the highest rates the state has seen.

Ross said the Red Bank Police Department and PBA have been excellent partners with the temple project. And he hopes to bring the program to Freehold and Long Branch in the future, other towns with lots of workers cycling in town.

Meanwhile, he just hopes to get the word out to the public. There is an electronic sign on Bridge Avenue reminding people of the giveaway, for example.

"We just don't want people to ride without some kinds of light," Ross said.