Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - $150-$500 fine for dooring in Chicago

spent the past few days in chicago and saw this in a few papers, sorry if it was already posted...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-chicago-bicycle-law-webmar13,0,4966178.story

regardless of how strongly it's enforced, i think it's still nice to see.

brother just got hit like this today. no major injuries just a few scratches. Its about time someone started this. Its either that or they need to make bike lanes more wider. Its a start...

they should enforce that law in cali

I'm sure Chicago has bike cops who would be MORE than happy to issue all kinds of tickets based on this. It would be a good thing. Hell, our bike cops love giving jay-walking tickets to bums which is also fun to watch.

Wow, reading thru the comments on that site really make me reconsider moving to chicago. Such hatred for cyclists. They use one incident of illegal redlight running to make a martyr of everyone on a bike. One person even said they'd kill the cyclist instead of hitting another car and messing up his own. That's pretty low.

I'm moving in the next year and need a city... And those comments do not inspire confidence. In that environment, the cyclists need all the help they can get

Wow, reading thru the comments on that site really make me reconsider moving to chicago. Such hatred for cyclists. They use one incident of illegal redlight running to make a martyr of everyone on a bike. One person even said they'd kill the cyclist instead of hitting another car and messing up his own. That's pretty low.

I'm moving in the next year and need a city... And those comments do not inspire confidence. In that environment, the cyclists need all the help they can get


judging where you are going to move based on comments on a newspaper article on the internet is pretty boring. there are nutjobs everywhere...and a lot of them have the internet, then theres the whole "internet tough guy" factor...the anonymity of the internet brings out the worst in people. You should actually go to chicago to rule it out instead of making pitiful excuses like "the comments on a newspaper article on the internet told me it was bad" and then ending up going where mindless droves go without thinking....kind of like portland, or seattle, or any other major urban hub that people have never been to but feel the need to move there based on arbitrary decision making processes

Wicked.

From the article comments


Another example of a stupid, unenforcable law. While driving, if I have to make a choice between hitting a cyclist or another car, I'll choose the cyclist...to avoid damaging another vehicle and having my auto insurance premiums go up.


Are you kidding me?!
Selfish ****s.

where mindless droves go without thinking....kind of like portland, or seattle, or any other major urban hub that people have never been to but feel the need to move there based on arbitrary decision making processesChicago fits that description just as much as those other cities--probably more so--but I don't know about the "have never been to" part; that's so rarely the case except for a refugee or someone forced to move around by their job (and my guess is that the dude above HAS been to Chicago). People have their reasons, even if it's the droves of rural folk from the Midwest flooding into Chicago for the same reasons. Don't be a prick.

Anyway, there's palpable hostility in Chicago towards pretty much everyone, especially cyclists. It's not a place where sentiments are hidden.

From the article comments


Are you kidding me?!
Selfish ****s.

Clearly that guy is a troll. It's obvious if I was driving my bike and had to either hit a pedestrian or some yuppies bmw, you bet i'm going to pwn the **** out of the bmw.

Here's a tip: never, ever read the comments posted on any newspaper story about bicyclists. The kind of nutjobs who post them make the majority of BFSSFG seem normal.

Chicago's no worse than anywhere else, and I guarantee that most of the clowns who comment on Tribune stories live miles out in the suburbs.

People in Chicago are actually really nice. Whenever some a-hole turns in front of me or something, everybody walking down the street just kind of shakes their heads and gives me a smile. Point is, I read the Tribune online a lot, and 99% of the people who comment on any given story are dicks. They're some kind of strange subset of the population, rather than a representative sample.

People in Chicago are actually really nice. Whenever some a-hole turns in front of me or something, everybody walking down the street just kind of shakes their heads and gives me a smile. Point is, I read the Tribune online a lot, and 99% of the people who comment on any given story are dicks. They're some kind of strange subset of the population, rather than a representative sample.

Kind of like the internet

All of this stuff was illegal already. Cops could write a reckless driving ticket for dooring, and if you read the rest of the law it's just rules of the road stuff. This was a junk law put up to give the mayor's office and some bike advocacy groups something to say they'd done for cyclists. Looks like it's working.

All of this stuff was illegal already. Cops could write a reckless driving ticket for dooring, and if you read the rest of the law it's just rules of the road stuff. This was a junk law put up to give the mayor's office and some bike advocacy groups something to say they'd done for cyclists. Looks like it's working.

I agree 99% However, I do think the publicity is a good thing, which is really the only effect this law will have. If during the first few weeks while they actually give tickets for this stuff, a few people pay just A LITTLE more attention, it isn't a bad thing.

hmmm, i'm thinking about heading to chicago in a bit. have to see this works out.

All of this stuff was illegal already. Cops could write a reckless driving ticket for dooring, and if you read the rest of the law it's just rules of the road stuff. This was a junk law put up to give the mayor's office and some bike advocacy groups something to say they'd done for cyclists. Looks like it's working.

It's still better than having some kind of cover violation that cops can write a ticket for (like 'reckless driving' for a dooring). Hopefully this not only makes motorists think twice when they open the door, but also makes the violation more prevalent to cops. I can see cops just giving a slap on the wrist to someone dooring a cyclist before when there wasn't a specific violation, but now that there is a specific violation it seems more likely to be enforced.

Who knows, but I wouldn't call it a junk law.

Even and inch forward is still forward.

Even if Chicagoans are generally friendly, the city does have a problem with people (who may otherwise be considerate) being aggressive and defensive over their childish sense of entitlement about the perceived complete freedom in public space. As an indicator, it's an obnoxiously loud place in lots of the residential areas and the idea of a noise complaint doesn't exist.

Now that I'm reminiscing...I was on a bike lane west of the loop and a cab stops a few meters in front of me; I stopped pedalling and began to brake but, since it's a very busy road, expected the passenger to look back and notice me before swinging the door open. He did not and I was lucky to come to a shaky stop without hitting anything.

Instead of closing the door and letting me pass after he noticed my panicked halt, he just continues to get out with his wife as if nothing happened:

Me: Look before you swing your door open! You could've seriously injured me!
Him, with idiotic sarcasm I wouldn't expect from a kid: "Ohh, sorry, I didn't know there was a rule about that."

So, yea, the character of this reaction is pretty common in Chicago. There's little common courtesy, and in the case of any confrontation people get stubborn or aggressive very fast--more so than other cities I've lived in (NY, Toronto, Montreal, Paris).

You witness this on the L all the time. Whereas in most cities people understand that you DON'T form a crowd right in front of the opening doors of a packed subway car, in Chicago this is the norm. They know that waiting to the sides of the door is better for everyone, but in their sense of entitlement they stand right in front of the people trying to get off...old people, kids, whatever.

Anyway, there's palpable hostility in Chicago towards pretty much everyone, especially cyclists. It's not a place where sentiments are hidden.

Very true. Chicago makes NYC seem like a city filled with rainbows, puppies and unicorns by comparison. Drivers are especially nasty towards bicyclists here.

Chicago has an awesome bike scene, with tons of opportunities to get involved in everything from 'cross, to fixed-gear shenanigans, to road racing. However, riding in the city SUCKS. People drive like maniacs here, which unfortunately, is how you have to drive in this city if you want to get anywhere reasonably quickly. I hate driving through the city, which I do more than I like to admit – I swear, the way some of these people drive (read: taxis), I feel like I could be seconds from snapping into a fit of road rage.

While there are tons of streets with bike lanes, those streets are often full of drivers who use the bike lane as a place to park or pass. The LFP is nice, but by this time of the year, its clogged with runners and strollers from Montrose to Navy Pier – plus, riding that thing over and over for training got old a long time ago. Thank god for my iPod and good friends. Besides Elston and Sheridan past Evanston, there are few places that are reasonably good places to ride, with few stoplights and stop signs.

I like the comment that reads, "If you kill the cyclist do you still have to pay the fine?" to which someone replies, "No, you get ten extra points". And then later: " 15 if they are in yellow spandex bike shorts"

God! Everyone knows spandex only comes in black.

DUH!

Idiots.

judging where you are going to move based on comments on a newspaper article on the internet is pretty boring. there are nutjobs everywhere...and a lot of them have the internet, then theres the whole "internet tough guy" factor...the anonymity of the internet brings out the worst in people. You should actually go to chicago to rule it out instead of making pitiful excuses like "the comments on a newspaper article on the internet told me it was bad" and then ending up going where mindless droves go without thinking....kind of like portland, or seattle, or any other major urban hub that people have never been to but feel the need to move there based on arbitrary decision making processes


Sorry, I'm not here to entertain you. I'm well aware of the internet-tough-guy that goes around, but the comments on that site are worth taking note of.

I've been to Chicago more than a couple times, and have research quite a bit. I've just never biked there, so any Chicago biking info is worth reading, positive or negative.

To assume I'd pick or eliminate a city based on one thing I read online isn't giving me a whole lot of credit. I'm not that naive.

Things like this are like Wikipedia... not an answer, but maybe a lead to a real answer. Those were very nasty comments and are worthy of more investigation if I plan to move there. Not a dealbreaker, but maybe a window to a culture of bikehatred I had not realized existed. Maybe it doesn't exist at all... but that's what I'd like to figure out.

In a place you only dream of
Where your soul is always free
Silver stages, golden curtains
Filled my head, plain as can be
As a rainbow grew round the sun
All the stars I've love who died
Came from somewhere beyond the scene you see
These lovely people played just for me
Now if I let you see this place
Where stories all ring true
Will you let me past your face
To see what's really you
It's not for me I ask these questions
As though I were a king
For you have to love, believe and feel
Before the burst of tamborines take you there

(chorus)
Green grass and high tides forever
Castles of stone souls and glory
Lost faces say we adore you
As kings and queens bow and play for you

Those who don't believe me
Find your souls and set them free
Those who do, believe and love
As time will be your key
Time and time again I've thanked them
For a piece of mind
They helped me find myself
Amongst the music and the rhyme
That enchants you there

What bothered me about those comments is that a car does not equal a bike. Its much easier to control and stop a bike. Though if a bike hits car or a pedestrian its most likely not going to kill anyone.

I agree cyclist should follow road laws and those commenters should be careful joking about killing cyclists (http://news.aol.com/story/_a/woman-jailed-after-laughing-over-victim/20080125070409990001)

I've been riding in Chicago for years now and have had minimal incidents. A previous poster hit the nail on the head -- people drive like maniacs in the city because they have to in order to get anywhere reasonably quickly. This rule also applies for cyclists. We like to blow lights, not stop at stop signs, weave through traffic...all sorts of things that are unreasonable and dangerous. The best things to do are to be aware of your surroundings, be visible, and don't be an idiot.

What bothered me about those comments is that a car does not equal a bike. Its much easier to control and stop a bike. Though if a bike hits car or a pedestrian its most likely not going to kill anyone.

I agree cyclist should follow road laws and those commenters should be careful joking about killing cyclists (http://news.aol.com/story/_a/woman-jailed-after-laughing-over-victim/20080125070409990001)

Jon, I loved that story when I first heard about it. It fills me with a tiny bit of confidence for justice and humanity. :D

Ok, now forgive me if I'm not too read up on American insurance/legal/health systems, but if someone hits another person, even "accidentally", couldn't that person or their family, sue if they wanted, therefore wouldn't the risk of losing even more money to not just insurance be greater?

Jon, I loved that story when I first heard about it. It fills me with a tiny bit of confidence for justice and humanity. :D

Ok, now forgive me if I'm not too read up on American insurance/legal/health systems, but if someone hits another person, even "accidentally", couldn't that person or their family, sue if they wanted, therefore wouldn't the risk of losing even more money to not just insurance be greater?

If someone needs to drive, but doesn't have money for insurance, then they are just going to wing it. Especially if they are stupid.

Of course if you hit someone the money would be much higher than that of insurance, but poor, desperate, redneck ******* don't necessarily think rationally.

Yeah, for real... Jail time or wrongful death law suit is better than paying an insurance deductible + increased rates? Who'd have known?

If there's anthing I've learned in my life is that no ammount of legislation will stop idiots from being idiotic. Or stop chicagoans from being dickheads, for that matter.

All of this stuff was illegal already. Cops could write a reckless driving ticket for dooring, and if you read the rest of the law it's just rules of the road stuff. This was a junk law put up to give the mayor's office and some bike advocacy groups something to say they'd done for cyclists. Looks like it's working.

exactly. in dc (and i thought most everywhere else) if you door somebody you're liable for DAMAGES. meaning if i get doored you have to pay for my medical expenses, bike, lawyer, everything. that often comes out to way more than $500.

if this is the city's attempt to tack on a couple hundred bucks for themselves in these cases then *yawn*

if this is an attempt to limit a driver's liability in these cases then it is seriously ****ed up.

as far as "publicity" i think making people aware of the fact that they could be paying many thousands of dollars in damages because they doored somebody would be much more honest and to the point. assuming of course that's still the case. never mind that they could kill somebody, people just don't care.

Come one, it's not like Chicago is the Thunderdome. Sure it's dangerous to ride a bike here, but it's dangerous everywhere. Frankly, I think cities where everyone loves one another and show each other the utmost respect at all times to be pretty boring. Some people are bad drivers, and some cyclists ride like idiots, and deserve some of the animosity they get. If you keep your head on a swivel and you have some experience and brains you'll be fine. HTFU!!!