Chicago Accident Lawyer Blog
Written and Reviewed by Peter Zneimer
Wandering around Chicago, one will witness firsthand the micromobility revolution. In high traffic areas, everywhere you look in Chicago you will see people riding e-scooters, e-bikes and pedal bikes. The surge in micromobility is fueled by corresponding surge of on-demand bicycle and e-scooter networks such as Divvy, Lime and Spin flooding the city. Such services, hypothetically, offer young, solo riders an easy, cheap, and eco-friendly way to take way to take short trips. Over 4 million e- scooter trips have been recorded in Chicago since 2022.
Along with the benefits come with many safety risks. The rise of micromobility vehicles has been accompanied by emergency room visits by users of these vehicles. The e-scooter injury attorneys of Zneimer & Zneimer P.C. have experienced first hand the rise of e-scooter accidents with injuries by the number of call we are getting. Anyone driving a car or walking around Chicago has most likely had a close call with a Divvy bike or a Lime, Spin, Divvy E-scooter. One of the major problems with micromobility is the limited number of protected bike lanes in Chicago. Most of the so called bike-ways are at best, a painted bike lane that runs parallel to the parked car lane. At worst, the bike-way is simply a street with a bike painted on it. This state of affairs leads to micromobility commuters being exposed to getting hit by a motor vehicle. Damen Ave. and Lincoln Ave. are examples of bike-ways with painted on bike lanes that offer minimal protections. Damen Ave. in particular goes from wider bike lanes, to narrower bike lanes to bike lanes so narrow they barely afford room for a bike and car to fit on the road.
The recent advent of e-bikes and e-scooters have also added to the general chaos in that they have the capability of going much faster than pedal bikes. Some e-bikes reach speeds of 30 mph plus. When riding a bike along Chicago’s Lakefront Front trail it is always startling when someone zips past you on e-bike that more resembles a motorcycle traveling at motorcycle speeds. The only difference being that the e-bike is slightly smaller and is electric. One wonders, is it safe to have these e-bikes maneuvering through pedestrians? Were bike paths which were meant for families and little kids compatible with high speed electric bikes? Questions must also be raised about bike lanes painted on roadways. Were they meant for e-bikes and e-scooters going speeds approaching 30 mph? Add to that people often ride at night when when it it is especially hard to see e-scooter riders and e-bike riders in the dark, especially when the riders are wearing dark clothes.
Even more confusion arises when there are no bike lanes on a roadway. Chicago ordinances state that e-bike, pedal bike and e-scooter riders also permitted users of streets without bike lanes. It is obliviously crazy dangerous to ride down Western Ave., Fullerton Ave. or Peterson Ave. or any other busy street that doesn’t have bike lanes on an e-bike, e-scooter or bike but people still do it. Its positively insane to do it at night, but people do that too. The micromobility riders are supposed to ride as far to right as possible when there is no designated bike lane but that often means the micomobility commuters have to ride in the moving lane of traffic. Additionally, some riders choose ride right in the middle of the lane as if they were a car. I personally, on one occasion, followed a young woman riding an e-scooter in a pink skirt while I was driving east bound on Lake Street on my way to court. She rode right in the middle of the lane east bound no different than if she were driving a car, bus or truck. It didn’t seem particularly safe to me but some people are just especially brave.
Though micromobility has risks and dangers there are precautions that can be taken to mitigate some of the dangers:
- Wear Protective Gear: Helmets might not be stylish, but they can be vital in protecting a rider from head injuries
- Obey Traffic Laws: Red lights and stop signs are not optional, and sidewalks are for walking.
- Be Visible: Black maybe fashionable. However bright colors and reflective gear can make you more visible to motorists.
- Don’t Speed: Speed can make a rider harder to see and if there is a accident at high speed the injuries are likely to be more severe.
- Be Careful: Always stay aware of your surroundings and always ride defensively.
- Don’t talk on the cell phone: This one seems obvious but people still do it.
If you have been injured in a e-bike, e-scooter or bike accident call the experienced bike accident lawyers of Zneimer & Zneimer P.C. for a free consultation to see how we can help you. We are conveniently located at 4141 N. Western Ave. in Chicago, IL.