Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel making big push for bike paths
Jim Freeman, a bike-riding attorney in Chicago who represents pedestrians and cyclists in personal injury cases, sees enforcement as the biggest factor that will make biking safe, to keep cyclists from ignoring traffic laws while keeping cars out of bike lanes.
To alleviate the tension between bicyclists, pedestrians and drivers in Chicago, the Chicago Police Department needs to get aggressive with traffic enforcement, Freeman said. He’d like to see in Chicago what he has seen in Milwaukee — cyclists getting pulled over for running a red light.
Adolfo Hernandez, director of outreach and advocacy for Chicago’s Active Transportation Alliance, said he believed experience with protected bike paths and other bike-friendly street designs would win people over as the streets become safer and for everyone.