Mindful Metropolis June 2010 : Page 25
BiKe Commuters, CortlanD at ashlanD unDer metra. photo By Chris Brunn ogy in Wicker Park (CNT.com)—and a na- tional company Zipcar (ZipCar.com). Despite the stereotype of militant, reck- less bikers, abundant on the city’s north and near-northwest sides, O’Hara says that bik- ing is more commonplace among all Chica- goans, and in other U.S. cities too. “You don’t have to be a crazy, spandex- wearing, militant hipster on a fi xed-gear bike. Biking is becoming mainstream,” she says. “People are biking to work for diff er- ent reasons. For some, it’s the quickest way. For some it’s economical. And for others it’s about their health.” Chicago celebrities have joined the bik- ing ranks too. Mayor Richard Daley has been known to pedal around his home neighborhood of Bridgeport; Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster sometimes bikes to Wrigley Field, which off ers a free bike valet service on Clark St., just north of the ballpark. (I checked my Redline Cyclocross there before catching a game in mid-May, and saw new Cubs owner Tom Ricketts arriving together with several dozen bikers.) Several books about biking in Chicago have hit the scene in recent months. Jason Roth- stein’s Carless in Chicago: Live and Th rive in Chicago Without Owning a Car (Lake Clare- mont Press, 2010) is a user-friendly guide to realizing the fi nancial benefi ts and the health benefi ts of biking, walking or taking the CTA. Carless in Chicago off ers helpful maps and useful everyday information for explor- ing the Windy City in a sustainable man- ner. And Chicago two-wheeled enthusiast John Greenfi eld’s book Bars Across America: Drinking and Biking from Coast to Coast, is a light-hearted, inspiring read. Greg Borzo, author of Th e Chicago “L” and local editor of the North America-wide Mo- mentum magazine, writes about Carless in Chicago: “Rothstein coolly lays out some real benefi ts of selling your car: more cash and better health; more free time and less stress; a cleaner environment and a more human- scale city. Th e sound and sensible points do not call for sacrifi ce or suff ering, and are convincing, especially considering that they come from a self-confessed car-lover. Th is book will change the way you think about cars. It might even change your life.” Great books about biking in Chicago help the movement, and so does the local chap- ter of Critical Mass (ChicagoCriticalMass. org). Bikers meet at Daley Plaza at 5:30pm on the last Friday of every month and travel in a pack through neighborhoods. O’Hara says that Critical Mass provides safety in numbers. More people biking in the city in- creases the chance that the automobile driv- er next to you is a cyclist, or knows a cyclist. Metra commuter trains began allowing bikes within the last decade, though not dur- ing peak rush hours and not during certain events such as the annual Taste of Chicago. As part of a pilot project this year, the Metra will allow as many as fi ve bikes per train car, and eliminating those blackout days could be the next step. In addition, Chicago bus- ses are equipped to carry two bikes each, on their front bumper, for no extra cost. Recent political events such as the eco- nomic recession, the energy crisis, Ameri- ca’s obesity epidemic and the threats of peak oil and global climate change have boosted Active Trans’ agendas because they all point to the same solution—leaving your car at home. O’Hara says that these problems in the daily news grant the organization legiti- macy by giving it something to latch onto. Th is summer Active Trans will also launch a Crash Support Eff ort, including a telephone hotline available to bikers and pedestrians who have suff ered an accident— that is, once they’ve already called 911 to deal with an eminent emergency. Th e Crash Support Eff ort will respond to callers within 24 hours, help them through insurance is- sues and outline the next steps for anyone injured. Th e organization also off ers a crash support group for traumatized victims who might be afraid to bike again in the city and who might be frightened by the sound of a car approaching from behind. take back our streets But when asked for her proudest moment at Active Trans, O’Hara bypassed Bike the Drive and Bike to Work Week, and instead named House Bill 43, which just passed the Illinois Senate and, once signed, will force drivers to come to complete stops at cross- walks. O’Hara says that Active Trans mobi- lized key state senators in DuPage County to push this legislation. Twelve other states already have a crosswalk law, and Illinois would become the second in the Midwest to mindfulmetropolis.com 25
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