Chicago Accident Lawyer Blog
Written and reviewed by Peter Zneimer, Zneimer & Zneimer P.C.
According to the Chicago Department of Transportation, bicycling grew more in Chicago than any other large American city in the last five years. According to this study, biking is up 119% between the fall of 2019 and the spring of 2023. Other studies have that neighborhood trips have increased substantially during this time period. The bicycle accident lawyers of Zneimer & Zneimer P.C. have also noted a large increase of clients who were injured while biking.
Though the city has been investing millions of dollars on protected bike lanes and painted bike lanes, riding a bike in Chicago remains treacherous. Though drivers in Chicago have grown more accustomed to the presence of bikers on the roadways, drivers need to always be vigilant at all times. On the north side of Chicago in Lincoln Square, for example, the City has recently created painted bike lanes along Lincoln Ave., along Damen Ave. and along Lawrence Ave. These bike lanes that are just painted on may be beneficial to some degree since they make drivers more aware of the potential presence of bikers, in reality, they offer little protection. From a drivers perspective, one has to be super careful making a turn into or coming out of any parking lot that cuts across a bike lane. We are accustomed to only look for cars but now as drivers, we must watch for bikes which are as visible as cars. That is why it is so important for bikers to have lights on their bikes and to wear bright clothing. Another particularly dangerous situation is when a driver is approaching an intersection with the intention of making a right turn. The driver needs to look back into their mirrors and try to turn their heads to see if any bike are coming in the bike lane before crossing the bike lane. The potential for collision with a bike is high because of the large blind spot on that side of the car. Night time is an extremely hazardous time for bicyclists. Without lights and bright, reflective clothing, bikers can be barely visible in the dark. On many occasions I personally have driven up upon bikers dressed in all black with no lights on their bikes and not seeing them until I was very close.
From a bicyclists perspective, it is essential to assume that a driver does not see you. When approaching an intersection, assume that the car to your left will make a right turn in front of you. One of the most common bike accidents is the dooring accident. Unfortunately, most of Chicago’s painted on bike lanes such as on Lincoln Ave., Lawrence Ave. and Damen Ave, run parallel to a parked car lane. When a driver opens the door on these streets, the door of the car opens directly into the path of any bikers in the bike lane. The bike accident lawyers of Zneimer & Zneimer P.C. know from experience this is a common cause of bike crashes. Of course it is important for people in parked cars to look for bikes before opening the car door. It is equally important for bikers to keep a sharp lookout for opening car doors.
Of course the safest bike lanes are the protected bike lanes. In 2023, the city of Chicago completed 27 miles of new and upgraded protected bike lanes. The problem with protected bike lanes is they typically take away street parking and hurt small businesses that depend customers that use that parking. On Clark Street protected bike lanes were installed, taking away parking spaces which made many small business owners on Clark unhappy.