Chicago's Dearborn Bike Lane: More of This, Less of That

I hate it when cyclists run red lights.

That statement may seem strange coming from someone who advocates for a change in the law, permitting bicyclists to treat stop as yield.  I have admitted publicly to being selective when it comes to halting at traffic control devices.  Like many cyclists, I make my choices based on traffic conditions, and usually when I stop and another cyclist chooses to go, I do not cast aspersions.  Riding in Chicago traffic is tricky and despite advances, most of the roadway infrastructure was not built and is not maintained with us in mind.  The individual bicyclist must make choices based upon his or her experience and the conditions at a given moment, notwithstanding what the law is.  (Warning:  Though I may not get all judgy about your conduct, if you get hit by a car while violating the law, you may be screwed when it comes to receiving compensation later.)

However, there is one place in the city where I find myself getting pissed-off when I see a cyclist running a red light, the Dearborn Bike Lane.  That is one bit of road that was built for us and actually feels like it, so let's be good boys and girls when riding in it.  It separates bikes from motor vehicle traffic and provides cyclists with two lanes so it can be used to go north and south.  Its location is great, right in the heart of The Loop so you can use it to get somewhere you really need to go, like work.  Its location does not feel like a scrap thrown at cyclists; like, Here's a mile of bike lane in a commercial dead zone.  To me, it has come to represent a real commitment by our city to change our infrastructure for the better.  Most of all, I love the traffic lights at the streets that intersect the lane.  They are designed and timed for cyclists.  A little green bicycle illuminates indicating that it is okay to proceed, while red arrows warn motorists that turning across the bike lane is a no-no.  It all makes sense, and that is important.  Because the design feels right I never feel the slightest urge to pedal through a red light.  Apparently, many of my fellow cyclists feel the same way.  Earlier in the summer The Chicago Tribune reported that since installation of the Dearborn Bike Lane's bike friendly traffic lights, the number of cyclists obeying the traffic signals increased by 161%.  In the piece, Chicago Transportation Commissioner Gabe Klein observed that, "Cyclists will really abide by a signal if they have one."  Lee Crandell of the Active Transportaion Alliance added that, "It's important to have infrastructure that speaks to people who are biking. Otherwise, they feel the roadway was not designed for them."

Yes.

The Dearborn Bike Lane is not the only new infrastructure in Chicago created for cyclists.  There are other protected bikes lanes.  But some of those lanes, or parts of them, do not make sense.  As a result I often see bicyclists who use them break the law, or, worse, get hit by a car while following the law.  For example, in the Kinzie protected bike lane there is a stop sign attached to the outer wall of the Merchandise Mart's parking structure at the T-intersection with North Franklin. Under the law, cyclists must stop at that sign.  None do, and none ever will.  There is no pedestrian crossing there and no reason for a motor vehicle to ever cross the Kinzie bike lane at that location. The sign is a vestigial appendage from before the bike lane was installed.  It should be removed. Every time a bicyclist runs it - which is often - nearby motorists likely view that cyclist as an outlaw.  That is not good for the growth and image of cycling in Chicago.  Another example of bike specific infrastructure design that does not make sense is in the protected bike lane at 18th Street and Wentworth.  That intersection is completely uncontrolled, but should be in order to protect cyclists.  A lot of motor vehicle traffic crosses the 18th Street bike lane at that location. Crashes and near crashes are apparently prevalent there.  Cyclists using the lane have reason to feel that at least that portion of the lane was not created with their safety in mind.  A bike friendly traffic light at that location, a la Dearborn, would go a long way toward fixing that problem.

Dearborn is not perfect.  There are problems that need to be fixed.  The pavement is chewed up in places and tends to accumulate water and, in the winter, ice.  Pedestrians still tend to wander aimlessly into the path of cyclists there.  A more permanent barrier between cars and bikes is needed to provide greater protection from motor vehicles that may wander into the lane.  Such fixtures may also provide greater awareness to pedestrians that a bike lane exists there.  The City is aware of these needs and has expressed a commitment to address them.  But despite the warts, Dearborn just feels like our place, a stretch of road - real road, not a path - for bikes.  So fellow cyclists, please do not run the lights there.  To the City:  More please!

Illinois Legislature Working To Clarify Law That Allows Bicyclists To Proceed Through Red Lights

At the beginning of 2012, a law went into effect in Illinois that allows bicyclists outside of Chicago to go straight through red lights where there are no motor vehicles present and where the light fails to detect their presence.  The law presently requires cyclists to wait "a reasonable period of time" before proceeding.  This vague directive has apparently caused some consternation.  In response, the Illinois legislature is setting about to fix the wording of the statute so as to require bicyclists to wait at least two minutes before proceeding through the intersection.  The measure has passed through the Illinois Senate and is being considered by the House.  The bill is designated SB 2528.

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.

Why I Run Red Lights

I run red lights.  Stop signs too.  Not just sometimes, but often.  When I do it, it is because I view it as the safest way to approach traffic conditions.  I do not do it to simply thumb my nose at the law; and let me be clear, in Illinois running red lights and stop signs on a bicycle is against the law.  Bicyclists in Chicago can and do get ticketed for doing so.  (So far, I've be lucky in that regard.)  I do not do it to be cool.  I'm a 40-something year old, dad and lawyer.  I ain't cool.  I do it because I love to ride in the city and surviving Chicago's congested streets in my opinion sometimes requires disobeying the rules of the road.

Any city cyclist will tell you that the name of the game is staying alive; to not get poleaxed by the much faster, much heavier, fully mechanized vehicles with which we must share our streets.  That means doing whatever possible to just stay away from cars, trucks, buses.    Controlled city intersections often provide the bicyclist with a good opportunity to break away from traffic, to acquire that little cocoon of space so prized in the urban street scape.  For example, when I commute to my office in the Loop I travel in the southbound bike lane along Milwaukee Avenue, make a left on West Kinzie Street , then turn right into the bike lane at North Wells.  The route is reasonably comfortable, until Wells crosses Wacker Drive.  At that point the bike lane ends and I, and many other commuting cyclists must share the one-way street with motor vehicles underneath the "El" tracks.


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At that point riding anywhere but in the main lane for traffic is undesirable to say the least.  Both shoulders are guarded by "El" track support columns, parked cars and rough, uneven pavement.  Between Wacker Drive and the alleyway that accesses my building's bike room I cross three controlled intersections, West Lake Street, West Randolph Street and West Washington Street.  I slow or stop at each, but take any opportunity -- within the bounds of reason and sanity -- to traverse these cross streets when the light is red.  Doing so allows me to get away from motor vehicle traffic behind and adjacent to me.  Illegal?  Yes.  But reasonable and safe in my opinion.  The goal is to say away from motorized traffic whenever and where ever possible.

Here is what the intersection of Wells and Washington looks like:


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My approach is certainly open to valid criticism.  Some may argue that if I, and other bicyclists, want to be treated like traffic we should act like it by obeying the rules to which other roadway users must submit.  I have been a proponent of the "We Are Traffic" slogan often used by bicycle advocates.  Indeed bicyclists are entitled to use the road, equally entitled as a matter of fact to use it just as are cars and trucks.  This is what I think the slogan was originally meant to emphasize.  However, the angry enemies of bicycles have attempted to turn the "We Are Traffic" slogan on its head, to pick nits with every occasion a bicyclist fails to act as a motor vehicle in a given situation as an excuse for railing against cyclists.  To these would-be strict constructionists of decal slogans I would say, we are traffic, but we are not cars.  To require people on bikes to lumber around the city like a 2,000 lbs vehicle is to ignore reality, and, as I've attempted to demonstrate, to prohibit them from exercising a safe and reasonable approach to congested conditions, to selectively contravene traffic signals.