The halcyon notion of the greener, less congested, less polluted Chicago that would result from a bicycle rental program is cracked by one sobering reality: the danger of unleashing hundreds more bicycles onto the already crowded streets of central Chicago.
When people share the road, they are bound to run into one another sometimes. When there’s a collision between a bicycle and a car, the bicyclist is usually going to take the brunt of it.
On Tuesday, a 19-year-old bicyclist in Logan Square was killed when a garbage truck made an improper right turn and hit her bike. One week earlier, a church pastor in Chicago was killed when his bicycle was hit by an SUV.
Now, drivers and bicyclists have successfully shared the Chicago streets for quite some time. That has been by design. Chicago has a number of designated bike lanes on streets and has used various tools, such as speed bumps and cul-de-sacs, to slow vehicle traffic. A bike rental program could help safety by taking cars off the streets.
Bicyclists in Lyon, France, have logged more than 10 million miles since the start of its rental program two years ago, and auto traffic there has declined.
Drivers need to take care before turning, changing lanes and backing up. They need to check for bikes, as well as cars, before opening the door of a parked car.
But there are a lot of brazen bicyclists on the streets too. They need to follow all traffic signs and signals. Yes, stop signs and traffic lights apply to bicyclists as well as cars.
“Bicyclists fare best when they act and are treated like other vehicles on the road,” said Ed Barsotti, the executive director of the League of Illinois Bicyclists.
The two recent deaths should remind everybody — drivers and bikers — to pay attention.
