MISSOULA (AP) -- The death of a bicyclist after dark here last month has sparked a new city effort to handout free bike light sets to cyclists caught without them at night.

Police officers will be distributing 150 of the light sets -- free of charge -- to bikers stopped for failing to have proper lighting.

The lights were purchased at cost from Planet Bike, a Madison, Wis., bicycle products company that donates 25 percent of its profits to promoting biking, the city said.

''I think the city has responsibility to show some leadership here,'' Mayor Engen said in a statement. ''And when we can do something that's simple and symbolic and practical, everybody wins. We may not prevent every tragedy, but if we prevent one, it's worth the effort.''

The Missoula Bicycle/Pedestrian program and police officers have been making an extra effort for some time to get more cyclists to use lights.

At a special meeting called after the October death of a 14-year-old boy who was struck while riding at night without a light, Engen learned of a police department light promotion in Portland, Ore.

Jim Sayer, director of the Adventure Cycling Association, got Engen in touch with Planet Bike, which agreed to provide 150 of its light sets to the city at cost.

The sets include a front light that is easy to mount to any handlebar and a back strobe light that is visible from as far as a mile, said city spokesman Ginny Merriam.

The Missoula City/County Health Department used $2,000 from a DUI Task Force account to pay for the lights.

Merriam said police officers, who typically ticket bikers caught without lights after dark, are excited about the program because it ''gives them a chance to interact with the public in a very positive way.''