Postal Driver Nearly Delivers Right Hook To Chicago Bicyclist

An aggressive U.S. postal driver nearly delivered a right hook as I rode home in the Kinzie bike lane last night.

Illinois law generally requires bicyclists riding slower than motor vehicle traffic to travel along the right side of the roadway.  Right turning drivers who fail to look for bicyclists on their right are among the most common causes of bike crashes in urban areas.  These collisions are common enough in Chicago that the city's municipal code addresses them.  Section 9-16-020(f)  states:

When a motor vehicle and a bicycle are traveling in the same direction on any highway, street or road, the operator of the motor vehicle overtaking such bicycle traveling on the right side of the roadway shall not turn to the right in front of the bicycle at that intersection or at any alley or driveway until such vehicle has overtaken and is safely clear of the bicycle.

The situation represented in the video above was particularly frustrating.  The driver must have seen me.  Firstly, I was riding in a clearly marked bicycle lane.  Secondly, I must have been very visible to any driver.  I had a red flashing light on the rear of my bike, panniers with reflective strips, tires with reflective sidewalls (Schwalbe Marathon), and a bright flashing white light on the front of my bike.  Thirdly, there is a sign located at the intersection (Kinzie and Jefferson) that instructs turning drivers to stop for bicyclists and pedestrians.  (Bicyclists are only required to stop at that intersection when pedestrians are present.)

I was able to avoid colliding with the mail truck because I was not riding very fast.  Also, the driver did use his/her turn signal.  Thankfully, I noticed it.

Click here to learn more about right hooks.

City Policy Makers May Hear Concerns Today About Winter Maintenance of Bicycle Lanes

Today is the perfect day to voice concerns to the City over how it has maintained (or not) Chicago's bike lanes over the winter.  From 3:00 to 4:30 this afternoon the Mayor's Bicycle Advisory Council (MBAC) will meet at City Hall to discuss the state of all things bicycle.  The meeting is open to the general public and will take place in Room 1103, 121 North LaSalle Street.  MBAC meetings are held four times a year and provide an excellent opportunity to hear about the latest bikey happenings and to discuss issues with actual policy makers.

There is much to discuss about how the City has dealt with a difficult winter season.  Judging solely by appearances, the City seems to have largely thrown in the towel when it comes to maintaining our (no longer) shiny new bicycle infrastructure.  Our bike lanes, particularly our protected bike lanes, are in terrible shape. Plastic posts meant to separate bikes from cars have in numerous instances been ripped from the asphalt, often by the City's own snow plows.  Potholes, are not merely an annoyance but are so deep and prevalent in areas designated for bike traffic that they are down right dangerous.  In the Kinzie protected bicycle lane there is a sewer cover that has recessed deeply into the ground so as to present a hazard to cyclists using what was once a gleaming example of where the we wanted to go as a city.  Someone placed a orange safety cone in it some weeks ago.  It now lays mashed in the hole, a limp symbol of our present sad state.

As my law partner, Jim Freeman, documented a short time ago on this blog, snow removal in Chicago bicycle lanes has been inconsistent this winter.  This morning conditions in both the Kinzie bike lane and the Loop's Dearborn bike lane were down right treacherous.  Both were filled with a thick mix of slush and ice that probably could have been avoided had the City simply placed salt in the bike lanes.  This is what Kinzie looked like at around 8:30 a.m.:

Chicago's Kinzie Bike Lane this morning

Many cyclists were forced to abandon the lane and ride on the sidewalk.

This is what the Dearborn bike lane looked like a short time later:

Chicago's Dearborn Bike Lane this morning

It was accurately worse than it looks and it looked bad for the lane's entire length through the Loop.  In the case of Dearborn, the City does not seem to have attempted snow removal.  Also, the situation was made worse by building property managers along the route pushing snow directly into the bike lane.  (I'm looking at you Monadnock Building.)  This has been a problem all winter long and the City is quite aware of it.  After snow storms Chicago police should be patrolling Dearborn handing out tickets to those dumping snow in the bike lane.  

My guess is that the City's response to many of these concerns will be that, you know, this was an exceptionally bad winter.  It was.  But the weather was certainly not unprecedented.  No one should be surprised when a Chicago winter is cold and snowy.  Perfection is not expected, but the current state of affairs is unacceptable and worrisome.  Is Chicago truly committed to making cycling safe and accessible for people "8 to 80" year 'round, or not?  If it is, then hard work and planning is required.

If you share the concerns raised here, or have additional concerns, show up today and make yourself heard. I know, the winter is nearly over and everyone is sick to death of thinking about snow and the removal thereof.  But the time is now to start making sure that next winter the City does a better job of making our bike lanes safe for everyone to use.

Bicyclist Doored On West Kinzie Receives Settlement

A claim arising from a dooring incident that occurred in front of Chicago's East Bank Club in May has settled. My personal injury law firm represented the bicyclist who was commuting home from work when he was injured.  The 38 year old cyclist was riding along the right side of West Kinzie Street when a driver parked along the curb opened the door of her 2010 Mercedes-Benz into his path without looking for bicycle traffic.  She was ticketed by police.

The car's door opened a sizable gash along the right calf of the bicyclist who was transported via ambulance to Northwestern Memorial Hospital.  The wound was large enough that bone was visible to the naked eye and required 11 stitches to close.  The cyclist also experienced weakness in his right great toe since the incident which has slowly resolved.  He also continues to have some significant scarring to his lower leg which is likely permanent.

The incident occurred about a month before installation of the Kinzie cycle track which segregates bicycle traffic from motor vehicles and eliminates vehicle parking along the curb.

Looking Back At Chicago's Biggest Bicycling Stories Of 2011

Once again it's time for the obligatory end of the year round-up of the top cycling stories of 2011 in the Chicago area.  It must be noted that there were several reported serious injuries and deaths of cyclists in Illinois this year. Of course, any one of those is the biggest story of the year.  That grim point duly noted and respectfully put to the side, here are the top five stories of the past year:

5.  Bicyclists were banned from texting and other mobile phone usage by the Chicago City Council in early October.  This was something of a no-brainer really.  No one using the roadway, neither motorists nor cyclists, should be focused on anything but, well, the road.  Yet, there was something that felt odd about the passage of this ordinance.  Sure, some bicyclists text while riding, but it never seemed like a problem widespread or serious enough to warrant the attention of the City Council.  Other cities even seemed interested in the ban.  I received a call out of the blue from a reporter at The Washington Times requesting a few words about what I thought about the new ban.  The Washington Times?  The passage of the ordinance and the interest in it from odd corners of the country struck me as sour grapes against bicyclists who have elbowed their way into a share of the road over the past few years.  My sense is that motorists are also sick of being told that much of what they do behind the wheel is wrong:  texting, talking, nail painting; even getting behind the wheel at all.  The ordinance felt like a bit of push back from motorists toward what some perceive is the snugness of we health conscious, no emissions producing, lycra/skinny jeans wearing, skip-to-the-head-of-the-traffic-line bicyclists.

4.  Governor Pat Quinn signed a bill into law that, as of January 1, 2012, will permit bicyclists to proceed through traffic signals that fail to turn from red to green.  The new law will only apply outside of Chicago.  Cyclists will need to come to a complete stop at red lights, but will be permitted to pedal through after waiting a "reasonable period of time" for the light to change and only when the coast is clear.  This is important.  Why?  Because Illinois lawmakers seem finally to be taking into account how real bicyclists ride in the real world.  My assumption is that Illinois cyclists probably were not waiting for faulty lights to turn, sitting idly for long stretches with no cars in sight before traversing uncontested intersections.  But, before the new law goes into effect, failure to do so would be illegal.  Criminalizing how real bicyclists behave is bad for cycling.  It reinforces the notion that bicyclists are social mavericks, rather than regular people trying to get from one place to another, or getting in a bit of exercise.  The new law is a step in the right direction toward considering the road from the bicyclist's point of view.


3.  So many of the bicyclists whom I represent have been injured by motorists carelessly throwing their doors open without looking.  These "dooring" incidents are a serious problem in our city.  In April, the State of Illinois for the first time began tracking such incidents by requiring local police departments to note them on traffic crash reports.  The collection of information about where doorings happen and how often they occur is no mere academic exercise.  Addressing the issue -- with either infrastructure changes or law enforcement initiatives -- requires state and/or federal funding; money that cannot be acquired without data.  Therefore, this rule change is a big step toward reducing these dangerous incidents.


2.  In June there was a seachange in how bicyclists saw Chicago and how Chicago saw us with the opening of the city's first ever protected bicycle lane along Kinzie Street between Milwaukee Avenue and Wells.  Now, bicyclists could experience riding into and from downtown without fear of encroachment into their space by motor vehicles.  The effort seems to be a whopping success.  I have ridden the Kinzie lane a lot, and it is great.  Aside from being protected from vehicle encroachment and doorings, the lane just feels welcoming.  The first few times I rode it I felt like I finally had a space where my bike and I belonged, rather than a patch of rode I constantly had to fight for.  Many other bicyclists seem to have agreed.  By my observation, even in bad weather the lane is well used.  But what really made this such a big deal in 2011 is that it was only the beginning of a new attitude, and a new infrastructure.  The Kinzie Street bike lane was followed by protected bicycle lanes along Jackson Boulevard and 18th Street.  Mayor Rahm Emanuel has promised 100 miles of protected bike lanes during his first four years in office.  So far his administration is well underway toward satisfying that ambitious goal.


1.   “I am a bike enthusiast — somebody who likes biking myself. But, my principle enthusiasm [is] I want Chicago to be the bike-friendliest city in the country.”  That was what Chicago's new mayor, Rahm Emanuel, had to said when he presided over the opening of the city's first protected bike lane.  His taking office in May was without a doubt Chicago's biggest cycling story of the year.  What Mayor Richard Daley started, Rahm Emanuel has committed to taking much further, making Chicago a truly bicycle friendly city.  His appointment of Gabe Klein as Transportation Commissioner, who led a bicycle safety initiative in Washington D.C., demonstrated a commitment to changing our infrastructure in a way that benefits all Chicagoans.  Making our city truly bike friendly encourages more people to ride our streets, reducing motor vehicle congestion.   This promises to make riding, walking and plain living in the city better.  Reduced congestion is also better for motorists by increasing drive times and the overall hassle of getting around.  From the bicyclist's perspective Mayor Emanuel's first year has been a good one.

Raw Video Of A Ride Along Chicago's New Kinzie Bicycle Lane

Courtesy of chainlinker, Travis Kluska, here is a video of a ride eastbound along Chicago's new Kinzie cycle track.  The video comes with warts:  Mr. Kluska runs numerous stop signs and the light at Kinzie and Milwaukee.  At one point another bicyclist briefly approaches him in the bike lane in the wrong direction.  But is video is honest.  I've ridden Kinzie several times now since completion of the new bike lane and the way it is ridden in the video is consistent with how I've seen the majority of bicyclists ride it.  The conditions it demonstrates are typical in my experience.

Chicago's New Cycle Track Will Not Be Optional For Bicyclists

Our beautiful new cycle track on Kinzie Avenue is nearly complete.  It provides a safe pathway for bicyclists traveling into Chicago's Loop from Milwaukee Avenue to Wells Street, segregated from motor vehicles.  Long overdue, the track promises to be the first 1/2 mile of a promised 100 miles of protected bikeways to be built in Chicago over the next few years.  Segregating bicyclists from motor vehicles is likely to make riding in the city safer and will encourage more folks to pedal around town, decreasing motor vehicle congestion and increasing the city's overall health and livability.

Bicyclists, like any other loosely defined "community" of individuals, like to complain about stuff.  And I have already heard concerns among bicyclists over the new cycle track.  Some worry -- not unreasonably -- that funneling riders into a insulated space will make getting around by bike slower, less enjoyable.  The cycle track, some fear, will get clogged with slower riders, and that it will be difficult for quicker riders to pass due to the presence of the segregating barriers.  Some of those concerned about being forced to "go Dutch" have declared an intent to simply ignore the cycle track, to ride Kinzie in the regular lane of traffic.  Well, not so fast.  Once the Kinzie cycle track is complete, riding in it will be required for bicyclists, not an option.  Section 9-52-020 of Chicago's 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.

The only time when a bicyclist may arguably avoid the cycle track will be if its use is not feasible, i.e. due to the collection of snow or debris.  Otherwise, it must be utilized when traveling that stretch of Kinzie.

I like going fast.  I am guessing there are going to be times during my commute when I am frustrated because I am behind a slow poke in flip flops on a cruiser carrying 25 plastic bags of junk.  But I am hoping that will happen rarely, and in any event is a fair trade-off for not constantly fearing for my life while trying to get to work in the morning.