Proposed ordinance against endangering bicyclists moves to Chic...

John Birch wrote:

Oh brother. We all know bike riders cause these accidents.
PLUS:
They have no license, registration, insurance and pay no fuel taxes!
Yet they claim equal access to OUR roads.
If it is too dangerous, don't ride. Good advice eh?

They don't CLAIM equal rights to the road, it is the LAW. Read the Illinois Rules of The Road. Bicycles are permitted to use the roads the same as vehicles but many drivers think like you and mistakenly believe that bikes have no place on the roads. By the same token I agree that bike rider are required to obey the same laws as veicles.

I see motorists on their phones all the time. Who's going to ticket drivers who are "rude" to riders? A new fleet of keystone cops?

YEAH RIGHT MAYOR!!! Don't make me laugh. I feel no more safer than I did before. You go getta tiger!

I'm all for this ordinance... as long as 1) they also require bicyclists to purchase license plates (so that they can be id'ed just as easily as motorists), and 2) they program all of the city's red light cameras to detect bicyclist red light violations & mail them tickets too. With rights come responsibilities...

Olympics wrote:

How will this new law be enforced?
Who will enforce this new law?
Where will the fine $$$$ go? I've got a good guess.

this law will be enforced just like the cell phone driving ban in the city.

the law will be enforced by CPD- when they are done with their cell phone calls.

the money, if any is collected will go toward da mayor's legacy.

John Birch wrote:

Oh brother. We all know bike riders cause these accidents.
PLUS:
They have no license, registration, insurance and pay no fuel taxes!
Yet they claim equal access to OUR roads.
If it is too dangerous, don't ride. Good advice eh?

many bikers are tax payers, home owners and have cars they are not driving. when i was hit, i was stopped at a light and a driver (on a cell phone) made a right turn into me- wasn't paying attention at all, just rolled right through and almost over me.

you never know or can predict when you might have a brush with a bad driver- or a bad cyclist for that matter.

last time i checked, being in a car didn't mean automatic safety or an elimination of danger. it did, however, mean i had a greater potential to kill someone (darned physics).

mark wrote:

just another excuse for me to STAY out of chicago....

We probably won't miss you if that is your attitude.

Like many things, 90+% of the motorists are polite and conscientious 95% of the time. 90% of the bicyclists are polite and conscientious 95% of the time.

As an avid urban biker, I have dealt with a lot of idiot drivers. I have also been shown extreme courtesy by many, and that is usually the case. Thank you to all the polite drivers that have given me extra room or other breaks! And "a Chicago salute" to those that have yelled at me when I am doing nothing wrong, cut me off, blown by within inches, and feel we don't belong on the roads.

I agree with these additional laws, dealing with the 10%. I also agree with going after bicyclists that blow off red lights and otherwise act like idiots. Most of the time, that is the bike messenger types, but not exclusively.

It is important we all learn to share the road, and be aware of each other. It only makes sense.

Ha!

All I have to say is...how am I supposed to avoid opening my door in front of a bike rider at night if I can't see the rider...and really the same applies to any of the scenarios mentioned in the article. When was the last time you saw a bicyclist in Chicago riding at night with both a headlight and flashing tail light? Is that not, according to the 'Rules of the Road' required for night riding?

We wouldn't have nearly as many encounters if both drivers and riders followed the same traffic laws...but we know more often than not bicyclists feel exempt from such laws. Shouldn't this article be about bicyclist fines? Nooo...I forgot Daley is an "avid rider". That must be fun to watch...Daley riding a bicycle followed by a few squad cars and/or a group of armed bicyclists. No guns for the public...but plenty for Daley!

I know this city is run by radical liberals looking to steal money from us by any means possible, but this is just getting out of hand. Get rid of Daley and start cleaning house so we have a city actually run by people working FOR the people...and not themselves.

John Birch wrote:

Oh brother. We all know bike riders cause these accidents.
PLUS:
They have no license, registration, insurance and pay no fuel taxes!
Yet they claim equal access to OUR roads.
If it is too dangerous, don't ride. Good advice eh?

I agree with an earlier poster who suggests more bike only, barricaded routes. Without question, separating bikes and cars is the optimal situation. Not always practical, but more of it is called for. Both sides will appreciate it.
Putting temporary cement blocks (removed during the winter), rather than relying on a painted line, blocking access to bike lanes on major bike routes like Elston would help a lot.
A network of routes like this, would go a long way in separating traffic types, with both sides being winners.

let me get this straight: a young man was killed by his own reckless intentional misconduct by breaking the law, ignoring signals and traffic laws and therefore the City of Chicago is creating more fines for motorists who did not do anything wrong in this instance? Ridiculous, how about requiring the riders to all have a license plate, so police can issue them a citation for running stop lights and signs, riding against traffic, and speeding on bike paths. Most bikers in this city are very rude on the street and do not follow the traffic laws and it is getting out of hand just as in the unfortunate case of this rogue group of cyclists whose actions wound up taking the life of this talented man. you all should be ashamed of yourselves.

Jon wrote:

Why does the subject of "rude biking" come up during discussions about protecting the safety of bikers? Biking home this evening I had a 4,000lb SUV make a left turn in front of me - they ran a red light, starting from a stopped position! That is what I call life-endangering stupidity. I frequently bike Clark Street where I encounter all manner of cars parked in the bike lanes, cabs letting passengers off in the middle of the street, jaywalkers stepping out from between parked cars, and u-turning drivers too lazy to go around the block. Yet somehow for bikers to be offered some modicum of protection under the law we are supposed to first become saints on the road. As I understand it, the City of Chicago collected $30mil in fines last year just from drivers running red lights just at intersections with those red light cameras - yet bikers are somehow seen as the chief scofflaws out there. I suggest that drivers examine their own behavior on the road before they cast stones at a few bikers.

You're funny. The fact that you don't know it makes you even funnier :)

A partial solution would be to close off a couple of cross streets to cars. More people would be inclined to ride as a means of trasportation if they didn't have to contend with car traffic. I have no doubt that designated bike streets would deliver people to their destinations much faster than cars.

JRP wrote:

Like many things, 90+% of the motorists are polite and conscientious 95% of the time. 90% of the bicyclists are polite and conscientious 95% of the time.
As an avid urban biker, I have dealt with a lot of idiot drivers. I have also been shown extreme courtesy by many, and that is usually the case. Thank you to all the polite drivers that have given me extra room or other breaks! And "a Chicago salute" to those that have yelled at me when I am doing nothing wrong, cut me off, blown by within inches, and feel we don't belong on the roads.
I agree with these additional laws, dealing with the 10%. I also agree with going after bicyclists that blow off red lights and otherwise act like idiots. Most of the time, that is the bike messenger types, but not exclusively.
It is important we all learn to share the road, and be aware of each other. It only makes sense.

Hey! What do you think you're doing bringing common sense to any debate on Topix? Don't you realize that it will only warp our feeble lil' minds?

ejhickey wrote:

<quoted text>
Your point is well taken. The concept of "endangering" is subjective and will lead to one persons word against another. This law will be subject to constitutional challenges.
However, it is not inconceivable that some of the more radical members of the cycling community may use this new law to try set up some drivers, by riding in small groups, taunting drivers and then video taping the alleged incident . This law will if passed will only result in more needless litigation. After reading some of the anti -car posts by cyclists in connection with recent cyclist death, it is clear that some cyclists have declared war on drivers. They do not want responsible sharing of the public roads but to drive all combustion powered vehicles off the road.

Right. Gangs of marauding bikers armed with video cameras, lawyers hiding in the bushes. Watch out all you Hummers! Mister, you are out of your mind.

m murphy wrote:

let me get this straight: a young man was killed by his own reckless intentional misconduct by breaking the law, ignoring signals and traffic laws and therefore the City of Chicago is creating more fines for motorists who did not do anything wrong in this instance? Ridiculous, how about requiring the riders to all have a license plate, so police can issue them a citation for running stop lights and signs, riding against traffic, and speeding on bike paths. Most bikers in this city are very rude on the street and do not follow the traffic laws and it is getting out of hand just as in the unfortunate case of this rogue group of cyclists whose actions wound up taking the life of this talented man. you all should be ashamed of yourselves.

this law was proposed months before the cyclist was killed for running the red light. it is not a result of the accident.

JRP wrote:

I agree with an earlier poster who suggests more bike only, barricaded routes. Without question, separating bikes and cars is the optimal situation. Not always practical, but more of it is called for. Both sides will appreciate it.
Putting temporary cement blocks (removed during the winter), rather than relying on a painted line, blocking access to bike lanes on major bike routes like Elston would help a lot.
A network of routes like this, would go a long way in separating traffic types, with both sides being winners.

how would cars park with barricades?

"All I have to say is...how am I supposed to avoid opening my door in front of a bike rider at night if I can't see the rider."

I'll agree with you there that bikers that ride at night with no headlight or rear blinkie are idiots. They can be bought for less than $15.

However, people that open there doors without even looking endanger everyone and should be fined. The same goes for all drivers who can't be troubled to pay attention to the road while operating their potentially lethal 4 ton + vehicle. Drivers that deliberately endanger others, though, should be arrested for assault with a deadly weapon.

Everybody calm down; this is just another revenue enhancement scheme for the city of Chicago (like red light cameras, parking tickets, zone parking,...)

As a cyclist, all I can say is that no soldiers died to power my ride.

" there should be equal treatment for rude bike riders"
.
I AGREE. I'm a cyclist and a vehicle driver. And it angers me that some cyclists believe they do not have to follow the rules of the road or behave courteously.