Light Love: Helping Michigan Riders Shine After Dark

Across Michigan, thousands of people rely on bicycles as everyday transportation. They ride to early morning shifts, travel to school and appointments, and head home long after sunset. For these riders, dependable lighting is essential for staying safe, yet quality lights are often out of reach for people already stretching their budgets. The League of Michigan Bicyclists created the Light Love initiative to support these bicycle‑dependent riders, and Planet Bike is proud to help power the program through our annual 1 percent for the Planet advocacy giving.

Light Love focuses on riders who may not have access to dependable lights even though Michigan law requires lighting after dark. Nearly half of the state’s bicyclist fatalities occur in low‑light conditions, and many of those crashes involve riders who simply were not visible. Light Love closes that gap by providing free bike light sets and multilingual safety education in English, Spanish, and Arabic. The program helps riders understand not only how to use their lights, but why active lighting dramatically improves safety for both bicyclists and pedestrians.

Since its launch in 2023, Light Love has grown into a statewide network that continues to expand each year. The program has distributed over 9,000 rechargeable light sets and reached more than 3,000 people who depend on their bicycles every day. In 2026 alone, Light Love provided 3,090 light sets and 1,540 safety belts through 41 partner organizations in 17 Michigan communities. These partners include bicycle co‑ops, community bike shops, nonprofits, youth programs, homeless shelters, neighborhood groups, and police departments. Each partner distributes lights and safety materials directly to riders who need them most.

The impact of Light Love is best understood through the stories shared across the state. Partners describe commuters riding safely home from evening shifts, youth receiving lights with newly repaired bikes, and immigrants gaining visibility on unfamiliar roads. Police officers have used the program to build positive community relationships by offering lights instead of issuing warnings. Community bike programs have turned light distribution into teachable moments, helping riders understand how visibility can transform their experience on the road.

These stories show how a small investment in lighting can ripple outward into safety, dignity, and connection. Planet Bike was founded on the belief that bicycles make communities stronger, and supporting Light Love is a natural extension of that mission. We are honored to help Michigan riders shine a little brighter and travel a little safer through the night.