This is a great program. However, it's unlikely to do much of anything about the problem of cyclists who insist on riding in the dark with no helmets, no lights, and no reflectors while wearing black, at night, in the rain, in Portland. They're a dangerous infestation in SE Portland, where I live.

I ride a bike, and I've almost run over these characters on my bike on any number of occassions.

Until we start seeing these self-destructive idiots pulled over by the cops, being issued high-dollar tickets, and having their bikes 'towed', their behavior won't change, no matter how many rah-rah signs go up.

Here's a suggestion: form a "citizen's bike patrol" of deputized bike-riding members of the citizenry who call in sightings of kamikaze bike riders to the cops, who can then pull them over for the real citation.

Seeing a few cyclists pulled over and receiving tickets for being beyond stupid would go a long way toward relieving the anti-bike resentment that's been building of late. Which will help all of us survive.

- Mitch