The sunny days of summer see more cyclists on the streets of Redstone. In order to ensure those riders are seen, Redstone has specific equipment rules.
"It's a short regulation and a pretty simple requirement," Garrison safety officer Mike Moore said.
Bicycles are defined as a vehicle under Alabama law, Title 31, which makes them governable by the same traffic laws that both motorcycles and automobiles must follow. Those laws, including right-of-way and signaling are the same on the installation as they are off. Where the state's Title 32 and Redstone differ lies within Redstone Arsenal Regulation 190-5.
All cyclists riding within the gates of Redstone are required to wear two key pieces of safety equipment - a helmet that meets federal standards and a reflective vest. While the helmet requirement rarely raises any ire, some riders don't care for the idea of a reflective vest.
"We get calls and complaints," Garrison safety specialist Keith Coates said. "We're not trying to make anyone mad. We're just trying to help them stay safe and meet the commander's requirements."
While everyone agrees that riders need to be as visible as possible to motorists, the bone of contention seems to be whether brightly colored clothing is sufficient. Moore has a simple answer.
"While clothing may be enough to make you more visible, it doesn't fulfill the regulation's requirement," he said. "This is the rule that our Garrison commander signed. Much like you have to have a decal on your car to drive, this is the rule to ride on Redstone. You must be wearing a reflective vest."
Jamie Miernik has been riding bicycles on post for close to 20 years. She can be seen commuting to her NASA job on her bike most days. She doesn't have any issue with wearing a reflective vest. In fact, she does so off post as well.
"My vest is mesh. I wear it all over town," she said. "To be safe, people need to be able to see you."
Miernik said she can see why some people are aggravated by having to add another item when they may be addressing the issue of visibility with other equipment.
"The regulation just has two words: reflective vest. I would like to see that expanded to include shirts or jackets that are made for visibility," she said. "For now though, this is what you have to have."
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