A recent column I did on a proposal that would allow bike riders to cruise through stops signs and proceed with less caution at red lights drew dozens of responses, including one from someone known to put the pedal to the metal — politically speaking.

John Burton, the former head of the state Senate and a longtime power in city politics, felt compelled to call and express his sentiment that changing a law for bike riders was ridiculous since they don’t follow the ones currently on the books. He had a better suggestion aimed at improving safety — and reducing the number of Darwin Award winners — make bike lights mandatory for all cyclists.

"The real danger is around dusk and at night, you can’t see most of the bicyclists because most of them only have these little flashers," Burton said. "I’ve talked with some people in the bike movement and they think the idea of required lights is a good idea, but I don’t know if anybody is doing anything about it."

Burton said one idea would be to have somebody donate the lights, which only cost about $12 apiece — a small price to give bicyclists a chance to ride another day.

Burton, not your average shrinking violet, said he was concerned about the state of bike riding in The City. Why? "I saw a woman, riding a bike without a helmet, run a stop sign," he said. "And she had a baby on the back."