(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – City officials are rolling out a plan to improve Chicago’s bicycle network, lanes and overall friendliness in the coming years.
Those attending the city council’s committee on pedestrian and traffic safety say it’s about time they see legitimate plans to keep cyclists safe.
“What we’ve seen so far is we have infrastructure that goes in but doesn’t go far enough,” one resident told the committee. “It doesn’t actually put in the gold standard infrastructure that is recommended by experts.”
Another resident spoke of his experience being struck by a car while on his bike in Chicago.
“I was doing everything right when that car hit me. I was riding in CDOT’s painted bike lane with the flow of traffic and lights on, front and back. But this traffic violence was not the result of one driver’s individual failure: it was the result of CDOT’s systemic failure to protect Chicagoans.”
David Smith, Chicago Department of Transportation Complete Streets Director, said the city’s cycling strategy aims to flip that script in the years to come.
“Increasing the visibility of cycling and the culture of cycling, access to bikes and a focus on low-stress options such as protected bike lanes and neighborhood greenways,” he said.
Many council members voiced their support for increased bike lanes in their neighborhoods as the plan picks up steam.
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