 With the snow melting, the temperature rising, and the city's announcement of a new protected bike lane coming to Commonwealth Avenue, it's a great time to be a biker in Boston. However, for those biking around BU, the protected lane won't hit ComAb until 2017. So what can riders do in the meantime to improve their safety? The first thing you want to do is be visible. I think even more than important than a helmet is a light. A light helps you be seen front and rear. The front light helps somebody from opening a car door in front of you. A rear light certainly helps a car come up from behind you. But it's more than just what you wear that can improve your safety. Wearing a helmet is an added layer of safety, but it's not the only thing that you need. You have to follow the rules. You have to wear lights, use signals. You have to do all these other things. You can't just wear a helmet and that's not going to make you invincible. With or without a protected bike lane, knowing the rules of the road is key. You have to educate the road's users about its design, how to use the road, how to follow the rules safely. Vodor believes that if riders are proactive, they won't have to wait for the ComAb bike lane to improve their safety on the road. I think ComAb certainly has the potential to be a safe thoroughfare right away. These are just a few options to improve your safety on the road. And for those BU students thinking about traveling via two wheels, be sure to pick up a free helmet from Transportation Services. For BU TV News at Noon, I'm Paley Cunglehorn.