Require bikes be fitted with suitable lights in full working order at all times

I have done my own survey of the lack of bike lights in my home city of Cambridge. I have calculated that between 30 and 40% of cyclists I observed are riding bikes without any form of suitable illumination.

While cyclists must have front and rear lights lit at night, cycle retailers do not have to supply bikes with lights. They are an optional extra. A bike is a heavy and potentially dangerous object that can inflict severe injury. You would not be allowed to buy or own a car without lights. Why should the same not be true of bikes.