Chicago Is Unsafe For Cyclists, Report Shows: It 'Reflects How We're All Feeling,' Advocates Say
Chicago Is Unsafe For Cyclists, Report Shows: It 'Reflects How We're All Feeling,' Advocates Say
Chicago was ranked third worst out of 163 big cities for bikeability in 2023, according to a report by PeopleForBikes.
What do you all think about this title? I worry speaking about the issue like this will dissuade curious riders. A big part of bike safety has to do with having others out riding as well. Looking at the source of the claim, I see way more highway orientated cities with vastly wider streets rated higher than us where I've tried to ride and been put in way more dangerous situations than I can even imagine here in Chicago.
How is this possible? Chicago is great for commuter cycling. Bike lanes everywhere, very flat, grid + radial streets, and a bike-friendly city government for the past decade. I was in DC recently and there's no way you can tell me DC is more bikeable than Chicago.
Edit after reading: Because the report was AI-generated, and the algo penalizes bike lanes on streets with a 30mph or higher speed limit.
We have long way to go but we aren't nearly as bad as this makes it sound.
The fact Philly scored better is actually kind of astounding(4th place large city), I used to live in Philly and that was the city that scared me off a bike, it wasn't until I moved out here that I felt safe enough to ride in the city. Kind of hate that Block Club is giving this report the time of day.
Contact your alderperson about this if possible. I'm convinced most city streets should have a speed limit of 20 rather than 30. You can especially notice this near stop signs where people fail to stop because they're trying to go 30 between signs. The slower traffic goes the less likely you are to experience injury. But this survey seems to overweigh this fact and undervalue our system that I think is pretty decent comparatively but still needs way more enhancement.