Chicago Forward, Two Years Later

 Posted on December 00, 0000 in Distracted Driving Accidents

The number of bicycle accidents per bicycle rider in Chicago has remained relatively the same in the past decade. Regardless, Chicago, like several other major cities in the country, has introduced several new initiatives to increase cycling safety. Gabe Klein, Chicago Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner, said in a press release that making the streets of Chicago safer for bikers will benefit all residents whether or not they ride a bike. The DOT issues a Bike Crash Report every year that analyzes crashes and where the city can improve safety measures.

Despite these measures, cyclist safety still remains a serious concern in Chicago. According to the 2014 Bike Crash Report, between 2005 and 2010, there were almost 9,000 crashes in which a cyclist was injured, with 32 fatalities. “Perhaps the most important point to be made,” states the report, “is that with proper street design and behavior amongst road users, the overwhelming majority of bicycle crashes are preventable.”

In response, and in an attempt to curb these preventable fatalities, in 2012 the DOT introduced a two-year agenda known as Chicago Forward, to improve all forms of public transportation in the city. The agenda was introduced after city DOT research found that the number of bicycle commuters had increased 150 percent since the turn of the Millennium. That amounts to 15,000 cyclists riding on any given day in the Chicago area.

Chicago Forward is not only about safety measures for cyclists in the city, however. An example of non-safety-driven initiatives meant to improve transportation in the Chicago area for cyclists are bus bike racks. The first bike racks appeared on public buses in the Chicago area back in 2000 in the city of Geneva, according to the Chicago Tribune. Today, several buses in the Chicago area have such bike racks on buses to not only make it easier for bikers to traverse long distances, but to encourage people to take public transportation rather than personal vehicles.

If you were involved in a bicycle accident and were not at fault, you may be eligible for compensation. Do not go through it alone. Contact an experienced Chicago bike accident attorney today at the law offices of Salvi & Maher, LLP