I left work yesterday evening, unlocked my bike and prepared to set off when I realized that I forgot my helmet in my office. It was one of those days when the idea of locking my bike again, removing my bag, going upstairs and unlocking my office was unbearable, so I decided to continue on helmetless. If I had a busy route, I would have retrieved my helmet, but my route is a series of calm side-streets.
This was one of my first times riding Betty Foy without a helmet. I have done it more often riding Oma,...
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Does Critical Mass help or hurt the cause of bicyclists? This question is as rife with tension as the big helmet question. Neither is a debate I'm interested in dredging up here. Personally, I think Critical Mass in Chicago is great, but I can understand and respect arguments to the contrary, subject to the same caveat I have for any argument: that it be thoughtful and intelligent.
This week, some guy who wants to sell his book on "urban cycling" wrote a highly inflammatory post against Critical Mass, using ...
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I recently biked along the city's first protected bike lane. It happened to be the most direct route to get from work to the bar where I was meeting Ash for drinks. And it was amazing - all I hoped for and more.
These pictures really don't do the lane justice. Most of the lane is next to the curb and separated from moving car traffic by flexible bollards and parked cars. It is wide and comfortable and felt totally safe. Not having to worry about how close drivers were passing on my left or watch out for open...
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The Loop is the very center of downtown Chicago, filled with courthouses, office buildings, theaters and shopping. Unfortunately, biking in the Loop anytime between 7:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. is very stressful. Bicyclists have to take the lane and haul ass. The wide, one-way streets are a free-for-all of buses, speeding cabs, personal vehicles of those with enough money to pay for parking, police SUVs, and pedestrians. I dislike biking in the Loop so much, When I have to go to court, I park my bike at my office and ...
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Imagine my surprise when I visited the main page of the Chicago Tribune this evening and saw the big lead story: City to rent thousands of bicycles. Apparently, city officials just announced plans for a large scale bike-sharing system. Oh yes yes yes!!
The system is still in the planning stages and a company has not yet been picked to implement it, but it's expected to start in the summer of 2012, with 3,000 bikes at 300 stations around the city, most 1/4 of a mile apart in the most dense areas. By 2014, t...
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Picking up on Trisha's post yesterday about craziness and courtesy on the road, I have a little courtesy to share from this evening's commute.
On my way home, an SUV driver stopped for three older gentlemen at a crosswalk. This is so rare in Chicago, that could be the whole story, but there's more. I was biking from the other direction and also stopped. Two of the gentlemen shuffled by and the third saw me waiting and gave a polite bow while motioning for me to go ahead of him. I thanked him with a smile and s...
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One of the most popular and vital bike routes from downtown Chicago to neighborhoods on the north side is Lincoln Avenue. I've read that 25-40% of the rush hour traffic on Lincoln is people on bikes. I certainly see lots of bicyclists along the way.
One day last week I decided to take this route to work, since I was on a tight schedule and Lincoln Avenue is by far the most direct and quickest route. Perhaps I have been spoiled by my super long and winding but super calm route of side-streets, but I was appall...
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Mayor Emanuel and I have something in common: we both took the Brown Line to work yesterday. I took it because threatening thunderstorms kept me off my bike and the Mayor took it to demonstrate how great Chicago's public transportation system is.
"Got on the train and got to work in 30 minutes, short order. That is a competitive advantage for the city," he said.
Next he should ride his bike to work. Would that be something? I think so! His people should call my people and we can work it out. (News st...
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From an article in the Trib today:
About 80 percent of vehicle-pedestrian crashes in Chicago occur at intersections and commonly involve people crossing the street with the walk signal, according to a new city study.
As a frequent pedestrian in Chicago, these statistics are not surprising. What's noteworthy is that the city commissioned a special study on pedestrian safety and plans to do something about it.
The exceptionally high rate of pedestrians being struck, predominantly by turning vehicles, while ...
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Before I get to the main point of this post, let me mention that I was thwarted from riding my bike today. Last night a severe storm knocked out power for about 18 hours. No electricity meant my garage door opener would not work and my bike was trapped inside (a detached garage). That's something I never considered before. I guess there's some sort of mechanical opener on the inside, but figuring all that out early in the morning was beyond me. So I took the L train instead. Boo.
And now for something ...
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