STOP for pedestrians in crosswalks

Have you heard the news? Drivers approaching a crosswalk with pedestrians present must now stop for them, and no longer merely “yield”. You haven’t heard that news? That’s not surprising; most people haven’t.

These cab drivers on Monroe Street near the Art Institute apparently have not heard about the new law.
(Photo: Bike Walk Lincoln Park)

Here’s the wording of the Pedestrians' Right-of-way at Crosswalks law as it currently applies in the entire state of Illinois since July 22, 2010:

"When traffic control signals are not in place or not in operation the driver of a vehicle shall stop and yield the right‑of‑way to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within a crosswalk when the pedestrian is upon the half of the roadway upon which the vehicle is traveling, or when the pedestrian is approaching so closely from the opposite half of the roadway as to be in danger."

The difference is that “the driver of a vehicle shall yield the right-of-way” was changed to “the driver of a vehicle shall stop and yield the right-of-way” (emphasis added).

First, what’s the difference between merely yielding and stopping-and-yielding for a pedestrian? The text of the law does not define it. Interpretations vary, but this is what we believe. Before, it was acceptable for a driver to swerve around pedestrian crossing at a crosswalk, and as long as the vehicle did not hit the pedestrian, they were abiding by the law. Near hits were OK.

Under the new law, we believe that when a pedestrian is in the crosswalk, the driver must come to a complete stop before reaching the crosswalk (not in the middle of it!) to allow the pedestrian to cross safely.

That is, under the new law, the driver should respond to the presence of a pedestrian in a crosswalk as if a stop sign appeared magically. Wouldn’t that be fantastic, if a pedestrian could hit a button and make a hologram of a stop sign appear? Ahhh, we can dream, can’t we?

Back to reality.

A good piece about the issue published in Medill Reports Chicago includes video of pedestrians crossing Clark Street at St. James Place (2500 North) in Lincoln Park. It’s a great illustration of how common it is for cars fail to stop for pedestrians in crosswalks.

The new law was passed in July 2010, and there was a little media coverage about it, but not much since. There has been no PR campaign to spread the word to Illinois drivers, as far as we know. Locally, the Chicago Police Department has regular “sting” operations with the goal of issuing citations, but no routine enforcement from day to day.

Importantly, some official agencies haven’t even updated their websites to reflect the new law, including the city of Chicago. On the city’s page describing their Crosswalk Enforcement Initiatives, they refer multiple times to the need for drivers to “yield” to pedestrians, and the word “stop” is never used. Here’s an example:

"The crosswalk awareness initiatives involve an off-duty, undercover police officer posing as a pedestrian crossing at a crosswalk.  If oncoming drivers don’t yield to the pedestrian—as required by law—the vehicle will be pulled over by a police spotter further down the street."

This website page should be updated to highlight and reinforce the existence of the new requirement to stop. Seemingly little details like this matter. If the city’s website doesn’t yet reflect the change, we question how much effort has been made to educate police officers who are supposed to be enforcing the current laws. Publishing old information is a failed opportunity to notify members of the media and the public about the new law.

Finally, the signs that drivers see on Chicago’s streets haven’t been replaced or upgraded. Most crosswalks’ bright yellow pedestrian signs are silent on the “yield” vs. “stop” issue. Those that do weigh in are still the old signs that tell drivers to “yield”.

Signs tell drivers to Yield Here To Pedestrians on Stockton Drive.
(Photo: Bike Walk Lincoln Park)

Signs that reflect the new law are available for purchase, and are in use elsewhere. Here's one in Champaign, Illinois:

Stop Here For Pedestrians sign at a crosswalk in Champaign, Illinois.
(Photo: Bike Walk Lincoln Park)

Is changing website wording and street signs really a priority, you ask, when the city has so many other problems it must tackle? We say that it is, because it’s a matter of public safety. 

The grim statistics according to the latest CDOT Pedestrian Crash Analysis  (PDF) is that in 2009, in the city of Chicago alone, there were 1,993 pedestrian/vehicle crashes that resulted in injuries from lacerations or bruises to death. That’s 5 or 6 crashes in Chicago every day of the year.

That’s way too much carnage, and every step that helps solve the problem is important.

We’re working toward solutions in the 43^rd ward and beyond, and we invite you to join in by contacting us at bikewalklincolnpark@gmail.com

Two Ways To Experience Lake Shore Drive

Which would YOU rather choose?

Triathletes take the lane one Sunday morning of each year.
(Photo: Bike Walk Lincoln Park)

Cars rule Lake Shore Drive nearly every other day.
(Photo: Bike Walk Lincoln Park)

North Avenue Beach bike racks new and old

New configuration of usable bike racks, thanks to the city's Bicycle Program:

(Photo: BikeWalkLincolnPark)

Unusable bike rack, thanks to Mother Nature:

(Photo: BikeWalkLincolnPark)

Chicago's dangerous crosswalks

We were very saddened to read earlier this week about the death of Coral Kier, 86 years old, of Lake View, after having been struck by a taxicab while she was crossing Sheridan Road. According to the Chicago Tribune article linked here, she was in the crosswalk on Sheridan Road at about 11:00 am on Monday morning, August 22, when a taxi driver who was turning left (south) onto Sheridan from westbound Briar Place struck her. She died less than 24 hours later.

We are all vulnerable as pedestrians in Chicago. Anyone who has walked on our sidewalks and in our intersections has troublesome stories about being honked at, yelled at, or cut off by motorists overeager to make a turn. Our senior citizens, many of whom walk slowly and have slower reaction times, are among the most vulnerable. A pothole in the sidewalk that a younger person can easily step over can be a big hurdle for someone with a walker or cane. In winter, an unshoveled sidewalk may mean that a senior citizen has to avoid venturing outside altogether.

Older pedestrians face enormous hurdles navigating Chicago's streets. (Photo: BikeWalkLincolnPark)

We traveled to the Lake View intersection where the incident occurred to see whether the street is accommodating to pedestrians. Frankly, it was not bad by Chicago's standards. There were curb cuts so that pedestrians could avoid stepping off and onto curbs. The crosswalk paint was visible. There were traffic lights for the cars, and pedestrian lights signalling Walk or Don't Walk. There were even bright signs on numerous corners notifying drivers that senior citizens may be present. The only thing it could use is a countdown timer.

Intersection of Sheridan Road and Briar Place, facing east. (Photo: BikeWalkLincolnPark)

So how could the taxi driver nevertheless hit a pedestrian in a crosswalk in broad daylight? Briar Place is a  one-lane, one-way side street that is only one block long before it reaches the intersection with Sheridan. Perhaps the light had turned yellow as he was approaching and he was rushing to complete the turn before the red light? Maybe he was distracted by his smart phone or radio dial and looked away completely while he was driving? It seems safe to assume that excessive speed was a factor; otherwise, wouldn't he have been able to stop before he hit her?

Sign alerting drivers of the presence of senior citizens on Sheridan Road. (Photo: BikeWalkLincolnPark)

The taxi driver was issued two tickets after the incident. It's astounding that a driver who hits an elderly woman with a metal object weighing about 4,000 pounds is simply issued two tickets and sent on his way. Is there no difference between being guilty of something like failure to renew one's license plates, say, and causing someone physical injuries that lead to their death? When this is the normal pattern, the message to drivers is this: As long as you can afford to pay a few hundred dollars in fines, you can feel free to drive distracted and at excessive speeds, and even cause people to die.

Forget about Rahm's first 100 days: What's next?

Rahm Emanuel took the oath of office on May 16, 2011 and this week, the media outlets are all talking about his first 100 days as mayor. We say forget about that; he already has. The mayor held his news conference addressing the topic on Day #99. Clearly he's already BTDT. So let's all move on, shall we?

Mayor Emanuel has promised big things for Chicagoans in the realm of biking and walking for his first year in office, and given his track record so far, we're confident these things will indeed happen. He outlined the specifics in his transition plan (PDF - check out sections 18 and 25 for the meaty bits).

Here are the four things we're most excited to see happen between now and May 16, 2012:

Walkable, bikeable Wells Street on a summer evening. (Photo: BikeWalkLincolnPark)

1/ Encouraging the human scale of Chicago's neighborhoods

The plan says the city will use street design, public education, and enforcement of traffic laws to help tame our streets. We're hoping this means widening sidewalks for pedestrians, repainting crosswalks, and ticketing cars that speed through our quiet side streets.

The MB Financial Bank Bike the Drive event in May 2011 allowed thousands of people to enjoy a car-free Lake Shore Drive. (Photo: Bike Walk Lincoln Park)

2/ Car-free street events!

Certain streets will be temporarily closed to motorized traffic, and open to walkers, bicyclists, tricyclists, strolling violinists and anyone else without a motor attached to them. These are typically held on Sunday mornings in other cities and have been wildly popular. Think Bike the Drive, except out in the neighborhoods, held more often, and no fee to participate!

The B-Cycle stand at Buckingham Fountain has bikes ready to ride. (Photo: BikeWalkLincolnPark)

3/ A big bike-share program

The plan specifies it will have thousands of bikes, and we're assuming dozens of drop-off/pickup locations. You may have a few B-Cycle or Bike and Roll stands around already, but they're currently clustered near the lakefront, and geared to tourists. We're hoping Chicago's program develops like those in other cities, where it's so inexpensive to have an annual membership and there are so many stands available, even locals with their own bikes use the shared bikes regularly.

A bicyclist enjoys the protected bike lane on Kinzie. (Photo Credit: Chicago Bicycle Program)

4/ Another 24.5 miles of protected bike lanes!

Protected bike lanes run along the curb, and have a buffered area that separates the bicyclists from parked cars or moving traffic lanes. In June, Chicago got our first protected bike lane on Kinzie Street, just north of the Merchandise Mart. It's nice, but at half a mile, it's not enough. And it's not in Lincoln Park! We need protected bike lanes in our neighborhoods, where families, senior citizens and other intrepid-but-sane Chicagoans would like to bike, but need more protection than a four-inch-wide strip of paint. The mayor's plan says there will be 25 miles installed in his first year.

Good start, Mayor Emanuel, and here's to the next 265 days. Actually, 2012 is a leap year, so you get an extra day: Use it wisely.

Let's hear your ideas for pedestrians!

Walking around Chicago is both a pleasure and a hazard. 

In Lincoln Park alone, we have scores of destinations that are easily reached on foot, and our sidewalks are crowded with people walking. Our neighborhood is rated among the most walkable in the city! And indeed, we’re fortunate to already have a lot of infrastructure in place, like sidewalks along every street, and marked crosswalks at intersections, many with countdown timers.

But crosswalks are too often faded and set too far apart. Turning cars and speeding taxis menace those on foot.  In the neighborhoods, refuge islands on wide streets are rare. Pedestrians are the most vulnerable users of the street, and it still feels very dangerous out there, way too often.

Lincoln Park pedestrians crossing Clark Street at Menomonee/1700 North. (Photo: BikeWalkLincolnPark)

The Chicago Department of Transportation recently released this study of pedestrian accidents in the city, and it contained sad bits of data, like there are an average of 8 pedestrian-vehicle crashes in the city every day. You can read full coverage of the CDOT study in the Chicago Tribune’s “Getting Around” column by Jon Hilkevitch.

Someone should do something about it, you say? Well, the problem is being worked on as we speak, and you still have time to participate. CDOT is putting together Chicago's first Pedestrian Plan, which will be a comprehensive analysis of the pedestrian experience in our city, and a plan for improving it.

The organizers have already held listening sessions in the neighborhoods, and next week on August 24, there will be a workshop open to the public at the Harold Washington Library, from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm.

This won’t be a boring slideshow that you can snooze through. According to a confirmation e-mail from the consulting firm that will run the meeting, it will begin with remarks by Gabe Klein, CDOT’s new commissioner and wunderkind from DC. Then, participants will be briefly trained, assigned to a team, sent out into the Loop to assess a specified location from the view of a pedestrian, and asked to report back their findings. (Mental note:  Wear comfortable shoes.)

Busy pedestrian crosswalk in the Loop at Clark and Madison. (Photo: BikeWalkLincolPark)

We’re told there's still plenty of room for you to attend. Email rsvp@chicagopedestrianplan.org to register, and you’ll receive an email response confirming your participation (although it may take a day or two, so send your RSVP now).

If you can’t make it in person, you can still submit an online comment card with your suggestions for improving Chicago’s walkability. Check out some of the ideas already submitted here.

We see there are comments from many neighborhoods, but NONE from Lincoln Park yet! Let’s step it up and represent! Some of the suggestions are to add more signage, lighting and benches. Someone from Jefferson Park suggested replacing portions of curbside parking with space for a planted tree, especially when sidewalks are very narrow. A person in Albany Park asked for more pedestrian bridges across the river.

We’ll be at the workshop – will we see you there?

First bike lane in the Loop!

Lincoln Parkers who commute by bike to downtown jobs may have witnessed bicycling history in the making this week: The very first bike lane within the Loop was installed on Madison Street from Michigan Avenue to Wells Street. 

The same number of lanes remain for motorized vehicles, but the lanes have been narrowed. The bike lane is on the right of the moving lanes, but to the left of the bus/right turn lane.

The Chicago Loop's first bike lane begins at Madison Street and Michigan Avenue. (Photo: BikeWalkLincolnPark)

New bike lane on Madison Street, between Michigan Avenue and Wabash. (Photo: BikeWalkLincolnPark)

Of course we took it for a test ride. How does it rate?

THE GOOD

No risk of dooring because there are no parked cars on either side.

It's decently wide, and the stripes are shockingly bright and clear, especially against the new black asphalt underneath.

The narrowing of the remaining moving lanes will theoretically have the effect of slowing down motorized vehicles, making the street safer for all users. (However, a casual observation during lunch hour reflected that a good number of taxicab drivers were resisting the reality of their newly narrowed driving space, and speeding just as fast as always.)

This cyclist appeared quite comfortable in the new bike lane. (Photo: BikeWalkLincolnPark)

THE NOT SO GOOD

This one's huge: Cyclists in the new bike lane are exposed on both sides, effectively "wedged" between moving traffic on their left and buses/right turners on the other side. This configuration is definitely not as safe-feeling as a lane that runs on the curb, much less a protected lane like the one on Kinzie.

The bus/right turn lane will be very busy, as there are numerous bus routes on Madison, and many streets heading north, so there will be constant crisscrossing of vehicles behind and in front of cyclists.

Heavy motorized vehicle traffic surrounding the Madison Street bike lane at State Street. (Photo: BikeWalkLincolnPark)

Vehicles turning right crossing the new bike path. (Photo: BikeWalkLincolnPark)

Madison is only one way, the bike lane ends after half a mile at Wells, and then you're on your own again. Hopefully this is temporary, and additional lanes will be put in promptly all over the Loop. Given the width of streets in the central business district, there's certainly plenty of room.

The oft-cited goal of creating bike infrastructure that serves cyclists from 8 to 80 is not reached with these lanes. You would not bring your young child nor aging grandmother on this route, no matter how enthusiastic they are about cycling. Similarly, we're not sure this will feel safe enough for use by tourists who rent bikes. You may have noticed them proliferating lately, and this will only increase when the city implements its plan for a large-scale bike sharing program. 

So there are some pluses, some minuses. It's certainly better than what we had before, which was zilch. We'll be riding it regularly, will you?