Riding Chicago's New Dearborn Bike Lane, In Beta

Since my holiday shopping plans took me to the Loop today I decided to check out the new Dearborn bike lane for the first time.  I secured a video camera to my helmet and rode.  (See the video below).  I was concerned that riding it on a grey and cloudy Sunday would not provide a "typical" downtown riding experience.  Usually, the Loop is deserted on a Sunday.  However, today being only nine days until Christmas it was quite busy with both pedestrians and motor vehicles.

All and all I enjoyed the experience.  It was down right luxurious to have space to ride through the Loop that I as a bicyclist could call my own.  That said, the new bike lane is definitely in beta, and as such, great caution should be taken when riding it.  Many pedestrians and motorists clearly do not know how to deal with the new infrastructure.  The most interesting parts of the video are:

4:20 - A pedestrian crosses right in front of me without looking.  (I suppose I could have been more polite in reminding her that she should do so.)

4:30 - Four pedestrians are just standing in the lane apparently unaware of where they were.

6:59 - A taxi driver enters the lane and confronts me head on.  We have a brief conversation in which he tells me that there is a taxi stand at that location.  He is right, but I tell him that he no longer can stop there.  He is quite pleasant actually and seemed genuinely confused as to what he was supposed to do.  I watch him exit the bike lane.  In fairness to him, taxi drivers should receive some instruction regarding relocation of taxi stands in light of the new bike lane.

As the video shows there is a great deal of standing water in the bike lane.  It rained all day yesterday.  Were it colder that water would have of course turned to ice making travel in the bike lane quite dangerous.  Certainly the City will need to monitor the situation throughout the winter so the bike lane can be utilized safely.

Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel's Transition Plan Offers Big Benefits To Chicago Bicyclists

Courtesy of Transportation Nation

Chicago's new mayor-elect has released his 2011 Transition Plan which contains some significant benefits for city bicyclists.  Rahm Emanuel's plan proposes the creation of 25 miles of protected bike lanes yearly for use by persons of all ages and abilities beginning in his first year in office.  A two mile long pilot location for a protected lane is to be chosen within his first 100 days in office.  Protected bike lanes will be located between the sidewalk and parked cars which would shield cyclists from moving motor vehicle traffic.  The City will prioritize creation of these new lanes to link various neighborhoods to Downtown and to each other.  (See Initiative #25 on page 37).

The bicycle will be taken seriously as a mode of intracity transportation when it becomes reasonably safe and convenient of everyone.  Protected bike lanes mean that shuttling young children to school or daycare in a trailer, bakfiet or child seat becomes a viable option for more people.  Take the fear of getting poleaxed by a car out the the equation and more Chicagoans will perform more errands on their bikes, reducing the number of cars on city streets.  This will reduce congestion for drivers and cyclists alike, lessen carbon emissions and make streets safer for all.

Chicago's Intersection Camera Go To Guy

Attorneys handling bicycle crash cases should know that there is a human being at the Chicago Department of Transportation -- and a very pleasant one I'm told -- who is the go-to guy for red light camera footage.  As I described in December, video footage of a bicycle vs. motor vehicle intersection collision may be very helpful in pursuing a claim on the cyclist's behalf.  If the crash occurred within a camera covered intersection, contact Eric Green at CDOT.  His preferred method of communication is email:  egreen@cityofchicago.org.  His office is located at 30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 1100, Chicago, Illinois 60602.  His phone number is 312.742.6379.

Mr. Green told our office that if there is a traffic law violation in a covered intersection, the footage is never destroyed.  However, if there is no violation, the footage is automatically erased after 72 hours.

Chicago's Mayor-Elect Sees Protected Bicycle Lanes In City's Future

Protected bicycle lanes are in Chicago's future.  Or, so it would seem based upon the present discussion going on over at Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel's blog.  His Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is considering ideas "to make Chicago’s transportation network safer, easier, and more convenient and fun."  Among those ideas apparently receiving serious consideration is protected lanes.  The Committee states, "A major reason people say they avoid biking is dangerous traffic. By building protected bike lanes – which are physically separated from motor vehicle travel lanes, parking lanes, and sidewalks – Chicago can make urban cycling safer."


The idea is to pilot a two mile long protected bike way along a major corridor.  They are seeking the public's suggestions regarding where it should be.  Click here to provide your input.  (Raise your hand if you think it should be Milwaukee Avenue.)

New Efforts By Chicago To Make Roads Better For Bicyclists, Everybody

Chicago may be turning the corner regarding roadways designed and designated for only one kind of traffic, motor vehicles.  Over the years, city streets have gotten wider to accommodate more lanes to allow increased numbers of motor vehicles, according a piece by Jon Hilkevitch in the Chicago Tribune.  The idea, presumably, was to better travel times around Chicago.  However, the idea has backfired, the extra lanes producing, "at best, only short-term improvements in traffic flow due to the ever-increasing number of [motor] vehicles."   To reduce this trend, city officials are preparing "to launch the largest local experiment of its kind to slim down streets."  The latest effort will occur on Lawrence Avenue, between Western and Ashland Avenues, where traffic lanes will be reduced in each direction to create bike lanes and wider sidewalks.  The  project is to begin "as early as next year," pending receipt of funding, according to the Trib.

This sort of effort is to be applauded by bicyclists, pedestrians and motorists alike.  Reduced motor vehicle traffic makes bicycling safer, which will encourage more people to bike in the city, which means fewer cars and trucks on the road, which means less traffic over all.  Less traffic means. . . Ahhh, less stress, a more pleasant city, happier people.

Click here to read the full story.

A Look Back At The Biggest Chicago Bicycling Stories of 2010

It's time for the obligatory end-of-the-year look back.  What were the top five happenings of the year in Chicago bicycling?

5.  Federal case made of road rage incident:  A lawsuit was filed in federal court alleging that Chicago police officers who responded to the scene of a SUV vs. bicycle road rage incident tried to protect the driver "because of his political connections and family influence."  The complaint also alleged that the driver, Matthew Pritzker, heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune, was guilty of assault and battery, negligence and willful and wanton misconduct arising from the 2009 incident which took place near North Avenue and Segwick.  According to the complaint, Mr. Pritzker, "driving an SUV with a vanity plate of 'P'," tried to run the cyclist off the road before fleeing the scene.  Full story.

4.  Hotline created for bike crash victims:  Longtime leaders in Chicagoland bicycle advocacy, The Active Transportation Alliance created another helpful resource for the benefit of Chicago bicyclists, a hotline providing post-crash advice and guidance.  Bicyclists are among the most vulnerable users of our city's roads.  It's nice to know that someone with the resources of Active Trans has our back after a crash.  Learn more.

3.  Bike safety bill becomes law:  Declaring, "The road belongs to everyone," Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed tough new bicycling safety legislation into law on July 5th.  The law, which takes effect next week, strengthens Illinois' anti-buzzing law which prohibits motor vehicles from passing less than three feet from a bicyclist on a roadway.  It also provides for the creation of "Share The Road" license plates to be purchased through the Illinois Secretary of State's office.  Full story.

2.  Mayor Daley stepping down:  It's become something of a cliché to note the friendship between the departing Mayor Richard M. Daley and Chicago's bicycling community.  However, it would be hard to overstate the importance of his leadership in developing and building a bike friendly city.  According to WTTW's Biking the Boulevards website,

In 1991, Daley created the Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Council in an effort to promote cycling and the extension of biking programs and resources. Within one year, the Council prepared the Bike 2000 Plan, which presented 31 recommendations to encourage bicycling in Chicago. Based on these recommendations, the City of Chicago established a network of 100 miles of on-street bike lanes and 50 miles of bike trails, install 10,000 bike racks throughout the city, produce educational biking publications; and create outreach programs. In addition, the City has worked with the Chicago Transit Authority to permit bikes on CTA trains and equip more than 2,000 CTA buses with bike racks. By 2002, the mayor’s administration had begun collaboration with the Department of Transportation and the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, now the Active Transportation Alliance to present the Bike 2015 Plan. The 2015 Plan has two main objectives. The first is to increase bicycle use so that five percent of all trips of less than five miles are by bicycle. The second is to reduce the number of bicycle injuries by 50 percent. Mayor Richard M. Daley has also been instrumental in other cycling programs including the Bike Chicago Program, the Bike to Work Rally, Mayor Daley’s Bicycling Ambassadors, and the annual Bike the Drive event.

We're not perfect.  We're not Portland, Oregon, a city with a lauded biking infrastructure but with about a 5th of the population of Chicago.  But let's hope that who ever our next mayor is, that we keep peddling forward.

1.  The Brookfield sentencing debacle:  Nothing inflamed the passions of Chicagoland cyclists in 2010 quite like the weak sentences handed down to two young motorists who, in 2009, intentionally hunted down and struck a bicyclist in Brookfield.  One of the men received a sentence of ten days in jail and the other received zero jail time for his role.  Both men had been drinking before deciding to drive around looking for bicyclists to hit.  Both were sentenced by Cook County Judge Carol Kipperman.  What made this the biggest story of the year was the incredible response that the sentences generated.  Shortly after they were handed down, the Active Transportation Alliance expressed outrage and initiated a letter writing campaign directed at the Cook County State's Attorney's office demanding that they justify the negotiated sentences.  The prosecutor's office was so inundated emails that it felt compelled to respond, blaming the judge for ignoring recommendations for stiffer sentences.

In the end, though, there was a silver lining:   A new relationship grew between the State's Attorney's Office and the Active Transportation Alliance due to the letter writing campaign and the media attention it brought.  We may now hope that the prosecutor's office will let Active Trans know in advance of sentencing in future cases, which in turn can communicate with the broader cycling community.  Even a modest presence of concerned bicyclists at a sentencing hearing can make a difference when a judge is considering punishment for an attack on a cyclist.

Chicago Red Light Cameras May Assist Bicyclists After Intersection Crashes

One of the more challenging aspects of representing injured bicyclists is finding a witness to corroborate the facts.  Sometimes good witnesses just do not exist.  Bystanders -- if there were any -- often end up admitting that they did not actually see the crash, and only turned to look when they heard the collision.  If the incident involved a motor vehicle, passengers of the vehicle are rarely helpful witnesses for the bicyclist.  There is one tool, however, that attorneys may use to overcome the "he said, he said" conundrum, at least in cases involving Chicago intersection crashes: red-light traffic camera video.  According to the Chicago Department of Transportation there are red-light cameras located at 190 intersections in the city.  Here's how they work:

The digital cameras are tied into the traffic signal system and sensors beneath the pavement, just before the white stop bar.  The cameras are triggered by a vehicle passing over the sensors only after the light turns red.  The cameras take still and video pictures of the rear of a vehicle, including the license plate. . .  The images receive an initial review by the camera venter to make sure the image quality is sufficient.  The images are then forwarded to the city's Department of Revenue for review and processing.  Citations are sent to the registered owner of the vehicle shown in the pictures.  Any motorist who receives a red-light camera ticket can review a video of their red-light violation on the city's web site:   www.cityofchicago.org/Revenue.

Of course there are a lot of "ifs" involved in determining whether photos and video was taken of the bike vs. car incident under investigation.  Images may exist if (1) the crash took place at a Chicago intersection (2) with a red-light camera in place (3) where the crash was caused by a motorist's red light violation.  CDOT has created a website containing a map with an overlay depicting intersections with the cameras.  If the right circumstances exist, the bicyclist's attorney should subpoena a copy of the video and still photographs.  Pre-suit  the attorney should consider bringing a petition seeking entry of a protective order to preserve a copy of the images.  If video of the incident exists it may make all the difference in the outcome of the cyclist's case.

The Path To Safety In Chicago

Generally, Illinois bicyclists may ride in the street, and in most instances they should.  Our city's streets do not exist for motorized traffic, but for all traffic.  There is an important exception to this rule, however, at least in Chicago.  Section 9-52-020 of the Municipal Code states,

(d) Whenever a usable path for bicycles has been provided adjacent to a roadway, bicycle riders shall use such path and shall not use the roadway.

For you Chicagoans racking your brains to think of a place where this situation may exist, consider North Humboldt Drive. Between North Avenue and Augusta Boulevard, a distance of about a mile, Humboldt Drive slices through Humboldt Park, one of the most beautiful parks in the city.  The scenery is wonderful, with ball fields, duck ponds, trees and even a beach.  However, it is a very dangerous road on which to ride a bike.  The pavement is usually in poor condition, and there is no shoulder on this narrow four lane street.  But, there is a path that runs immediately adjacent to Humboldt Drive on the southbound side of the road.  Take a look:

Arguably, when riding southbound on Humboldt Drive between North and Augusta the cyclist must exit the roadway and utilize the path instead.  I must admit that section 9-52-020 does not make this perfectly clear.  The municipal code does not define the term "usable path for bicycles".  Does it mean any path on which a bike could possibly travel?  Or, does it mean a path specifically designated for bicycles?  The path depicted in the video above is not just a bicycle path.  It is used by pedestrians as well.  That ambiguity aside, it is certainly possible that a citation issued to a cyclist for riding in the road rather than the path could withstand judicial scrutiny.  That may not be a bad thing either.  I am certainly an proponent of cyclists' rights to use the roadway.  However, when I have seen bicyclists on southbound Humboldt Drive not utilizing the path just the their right, I cringe.  It is just a dangerous place to be.

I should point out that a sidewalk is not a "usable path for bicycles."  Section 9-52-020 is explicit that, "No person 12 or more years of age shall ride a bicycle upon any sidewalk in any district, unless such sidewalk has been officially designated and marked as a bicycle route."  Illinois bicyclists absolutely may ride in the street even if there is an adjacent sidewalk present.