Imagine assembling hundreds or even thousands of warm-weather enthusiasts, most of them moving at different speeds on foot or by various modes of human-powered transport, all trying to use the same restricted stretch of space at approximately the same time.
Welcome to the narrow strip of land that parallels Chicago’s scenic Lake Shore Drive and meanders for 18 1/2 miles along the coastline of picturesque Lake Michigan.
After scrapes, bruises and close calls more chilling, many experienced cyclists–this writer included–have come to prefer the relative safety of the streets, where vehicular traffic, though fast, is predictable. The decision to “do the streets” is risky and requires skill, but it merits consideration by recreational cyclists. It is a skill that can be learned, and there are workshops and qualified instructors who teach it. More on that later.
The real problem with the lakefront path, though, is not merely population density, but a lack of civility that perhaps mirrors life beyond the bike path.
There is, however, a crucial distinction. Incivility in daily life is not necessarily physically injurious to others unless carried to the extreme. Incivility on the bike path–especially during peak usage hours–can have deleterious and even fatal consequences.
A few years ago, an in-line skater was struck and killed on the path near North Avenue by a cyclist. Accidents involving cyclists and skaters are common, as are collisions between youngsters on foot and cyclists.
About four years ago while heading south on the bike path, I was involved in an accident near Fullerton Parkway with a boy who appeared to be about 8 years old. Although I wasn’t riding very fast, the boy darted out directly in front of me from the public toilets on my right. He was trying to run across the path to return to his family on the beach. There was no way to avoid him.
I took my hands off the handlebars and reached out to grab him before the bike struck his body. In the fall, I managed to move him away just enough that I and a 21 1/2-pound bike wouldn’t wind up on top of him. With no time to detach from my clipless pedals, I couldn’t even get a foot down on the pavement.
Like him, I was completely vulnerable. The right side of my face took the brunt of the fall–I wasn’t wearing a helmet. The boy, although scared almost out of his senses, wasn’t hurt seriously.
Accidents happen. But many mishaps on the path are the result of recklessness and disregard.
If there is a common attitude that contributes to the anarchy, it can be summed up as: “Don’t tell me how to ride my bike, skate or jog along the path. It’s a sidewalk, isn’t it? I can do what I like, any way I like. It’s a free country.”
A survey by the Chicago Department of Transportation showed that between 4 and 6 p.m. last Oct. 7, a total of 779 people used the bike path in the area around Wilson Avenue. Of that total, about 69 percent (535) were cyclists, about 11 percent (90) were joggers, 8 percent (59) were in-line skaters and about 12 percent (95) were walkers.
The survey was conducted on a Tuesday, not on a busy Saturday or Sunday, and the area studied covered only a fraction of the nearly 20 miles of path. It is not an exaggeration to say that on any given spring or summer day, thousands of people are simultaneously asserting their rights to be there.
There are no statistics on the number of accidents that occur on the path. In most cases, the victims, unless seriously injured, pick themselves up and go their respective ways without reporting the incidents.
The California-based National Bicycle Dealers Association reports that more than 100 million bicycles are in the U.S., about 55 million of which belong to adults.
The ranks of bicycling adults are swelling by about 1 million a year. From May to August, about 80 percent of American bike owners ride, according to Bicycling magazine. About 30 million people do it at least once a week, and according to Federal Highway Administration estimates, on an average day Americans make about 750,000 bicycle trips to and from work.
Unfortunately, not all of them make it.
About 1,000 cyclists die every year, three out of four from severe head trauma, according to the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute.
Bicycling guru Dave Glowacz, author of the book “Safe Bicycling in Chicago,” which is used by the city as a teaching tool, asserts that few people know the rules of safe cycling, let alone follow them. This is supported by a U.S. highway administration report indicating that only 50 percent of all cyclists obey the rules of the road.
Competitive racers know well the dangers inherent in their sport. A bike is not a toy. They know it has the potential to maim or kill.
Professional cyclists are capable of sprinting at speeds in excess of 45 miles an hour on flat terrain (even faster speeds on rolling countryside roads or mountains). With adequate training, a cyclist can sustain 30 miles an hour. At such speeds, abrupt stops can be lethal.
An unstated credo many competitive cyclists live by is: “I am responsible for my actions on my bike. I do not want to injure myself or anyone else. I am an ambassador for all serious, intelligent and thoughtful cyclists. I will ride accordingly.”
It makes sense, no matter the skill level.
Some of the same rules professional cyclists observe can benefit any recreational cyclist trying to enjoy and survive a weekend on the lakefront.
– Stay alert. Pay attention to what you are doing and what is going on around you. Anticipate danger from all directions, especially front and rear.
– Ride predictably. This includes making your intentions clear to others. State your intention to pass. State the direction from which you are about to overtake the rider or pedestrian in front of you: “On your left,” if you are passing on their left.
– Try to ride in a straight line. Do not zigzag or veer out of your lane. Think about how you would drive your car in traffic. Do not suddenly change lanes or direction without checking your rear first.
– Stay to the right of the center line.
– If you are slower than most riders, stay to the extreme right of the center line, just as you would in a car. As a motorist, you are accustomed to being passed on the left.
– When cycling with others, try to ride single file, especially when going through curves. It is safe, however, to ride two abreast if you ride close together. Otherwise, you are a hazard to anyone approaching from your rear, especially when they try to pass.
– Use hand signals to indicate when you intend to change lanes, stop, slow down or make turns. Conscientious riders (particularly racers) also point out obstructions and potential hazards to their companions as they are encountered.
– Slow down. Do not blaze around groups of slower, less experienced riders, in-line skaters or pedestrians.
Only by adhering to the rules can 150 racers ride in formation, shoulder-to-shoulder separated by inches, cruising at 35 miles an hour through the narrow roads of France, Italy or Spain. Most of the competitive cyclists I met during my years on the road were serious opponents, but courteous and thoughtful people otherwise. They felt an obligation to look out for their less skilled compatriots and other users of the road.
It may be a bit of a stretch, but I have come to believe that how you ride a bike tends to say some profound things about your character, perhaps even your soul.
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A free seminar on lakefront bicycle safety–taught by the Chicago Park District and the Chicago Lakefront Police Patrol–will begin at 1 p.m. Saturday at the pavilion at North Avenue Beach. Dave Glowacz will conduct a free, hourlong seminar on bicycle commuting at noon May 19 at First Chicago Center.
