Category: Bike Law Illinois
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Our Streets Can Help Keep Us Healthy (and Sane)
During COVID-19, some streets should be closed to motor vehicles but remain open for walking, running and biking. We all need some space. In these strange times when a unique virus has shuttered my city, Chicago, and many others around the world, one of the more precious commodities is space, particularly outdoor space. Yesterday, Chicago…
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Mandatory bicycle helmet laws are a terrible idea
The safety solution is more people on bikes, not fewer. A federal government agency is making a controversial recommendation to all 50 states that all bicyclists be required to wear helmets. Mandatory bicycle helmet laws are a terrible idea. Cycling as a form of recreation and transportation offers a myriad of benefits to the individual and the…
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Amsterdam: Not Cycling Paradise
Don’t look to Amsterdam for the future of better biking in the United States. As the train crossed from Belgium into the Netherlands my excitement grew. I sat forward to get a better look out of the window at the country side. Then I saw them, beautiful, clean, pale red ribbons stretching through the low…
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Dutch Reach Coming to Illinois
Chicago has become one of the nation’s top cycling cities, but along with more has come an increase in dooring crashes. A Chicago news channel has covered the issue and interviewed attorney Brendan Kevenides, Bike Law’s legal resource in Illinois. Brendan explained the growing risk to cyclists and how the “Dutch Reach” can help. The…
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The Liability for Failing to Maintain a Bike Path
How much protection do Illinois municipalities have from liability for failing to maintain a dangerous bicycle path? In a decision handed down last week, the Illinois Supreme Court held that cities and towns in our state have quite a lot of protection. However, overturning a 1996 decision by the Illinois appellate court, the Supreme Court…
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New Illinois Passing Law
Illinois has just passed one of the most comprehensive laws in the country specifying when a driver may legally pass a bicyclist in a designated no-passing zone. Governor Bruce Rauner signed the law, formally known as HB 1784, on August 25th. It goes into effect January 1, 2018. The law adds clarity of Section 11-703 of the…
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New Illinois E-Bike Law Clarifies Specific Use, but Hurdles Remain
The new Illinois e-bike law regarding electric assist bicycles was clarified earlier this month when Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner signed a bill outlining their use on roads and paths. The new law, however, leaves the door open for municipalities throughout the state to restrict their use in some places where traditional bicycles are allowed. The…
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A Change in IL Jury Instructions for Bicycle Cases
Controversy is percolating here in Chicago over the ethics of being a jerk on the road. The specific question pondered is, “Are Reckless Driving and Biking Morally Equivalent?” This debate emerged – as most do these days – from a post on social media. It then crossed the evolutionary threshold into thoughtful journalistic query thanks…
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Video: Cyclist Injured. Cop Lets Driver Go. Driver Celebrates.
Video proves driver is at fault, but Chicago police couldn’t care less. 9/16/16 UPDATE: The driver has contacted our office and appears to be cooperating. Now we intend to follow up with respect to the responding officer’s actions. Thanks to everyone for their help identifying this driver. *** At 5:13 pm on September 12, 2016, a…
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Jury: Bicyclist not an “Obstruction”
Cyclist hit, cyclist injured, cyclist ticketed. Police wrong. Jury right! He had just been launched skyward by the front end of a pickup truck. Now the police were giving him a ticket. Jason was riding his road bike in the travel lane of North River Road in Libertyville, Illinois with his father-in-law and two friends when an…
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The Nation’s First Bike Share Fatality
The last few weeks of my job as a bike crash lawyer have been a mixture of both exhausting tragedy and a feeling of true purpose. It’s been a brutal start to the summer for cyclists. From New York to Michigan to San Fransisco and everywhere in between we’ve seen a level of carnage unmatched…
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Fair Compensation For Bicyclist Who Ran A Red Light?
When I first met Richard a nurse was assisting him with the delicate task of using the hospital bathroom. He had just had surgery on his broken right leg, now wrapped in a heavy plaster cast. Defecation and its attendant tasks were proving a challenge. He needed help. The rest of his body was a…
