Don’t forget your bike lights. A stern warning, indeed. And with the constant police crackdown in recent years, if you venture out without them, you are completely justified in feeling a sense of dread as you cautiously cycle around.

Of course, that dread should partially be because you are engaging in a completely unsafe practice, and one of the many crazy drivers on the road will probably not see you and cause a horrific accident of which you will be the victim, but the more likely outcome is that you will be caught by a police “light trap.”

I have been incredibly lucky. This has not happened to me. However, last night as I cycled home, I realized with dismay that my front light was blinking very faintly – the battery was almost dead! Moments later an officer of the law whizzed by me on a scooter, a disapproving look on his face as he squinted at the faint green light pulsing from my bag.

But he didn’t stop. I breathed a sigh of relief and sternly reminded myself to change the battery. Next time, I won’t be so lucky.