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Candidates Profess Pro-Bike Principles
by Jeff Balch

Putting a different spin on the term "election cycle" candidates for Illinois statewide office spoke on May 11 to a group of nearly one hundred bike enthusiasts at a forum organized by CBF and affiliated groups. Five candidates–running for Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, or Secretary of State–appeared or sent surrogates. All eight major-party candidates for these four offices received invitations, along with a batch of questions concerning how they would use elective office to improve bicycling and walking in Illinois.

Congressman Rod Blagojevich (Democratic nominee for Governor) sent Democratic State Representative John Fritchey. Rep. Fritchey spoke of Blagojevich's "energetic" support for pro-bicycle policies. "It's not just a matter of pleasing a constituent group," Fritchey said. "It makes sense–in terms of reducing congestion and [achieving] many other benefits." Fritchey praised Mayor Daley's bicycle plan as "one of the best

initiatives in the country" and lauded the recently-developed bikes-on-CTA plan, describing both as examples of pro-bike policy packages that Blagojevich would seek to build on. In response to questions, Fritchey described a hostile legislative environment in which "more than one pro-bike bill [after passage by the Illinois House] dies a slow painful death in the Senate," and he expressed the hope that Blagojevich, as governor, would have a chance to work with a majority- Democrat legislature.

Current Attorney General Jim Ryan (Republican nominee for Governor) did not appear or send a surrogate.

Former State Treasurer Patrick Quinn (Democratic nominee for Lt. Governor) decried a series of Republican administrations that "don't have the spirit with respect to change," and singled out the Department of Transportation as "need[ing] new leadership, leadership that makes sure there's not a disincentive to create bike lanes" and other accommodations for non-motorists. "If you're gonna get reform in the coming years," Quinn declared, "don't choose the party in power." Quinn mentioned his walk last year from the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan, during which he observed some of the challenges facing alternative users of the roadways. Responding to questions, Quinn said "government can take a leadership role in pushing an ethic of efficiency and conservation," and added that under his leadership, "the Citizen's Utility Board successfully pushed the state [in that direction]."

State Senator Carl Hawkinson (Republican nominee for Lt. Governor) did not appear or send a surrogate.

"As Attorney General, I will have the responsibility to enforce laws," said State Senator Lisa Madigan (Democratic nominee), "but I will also have opportunities to advocate," describing her vision of an activist Attorney General's office. "I want to make sure that sprawl doesn't devastate certain communities," Madigan said, adding that she acted as the "lead sponsor of a bill to reinstate bicyclists as 'intended users' [of ordinary roads]." Like the other Democratic candidates, Madigan spoke of the change that could come with an end to Republican control of the governorship and the state Senate, quipping that "next year we might not have Pate Phillip as guard dog of the (Senate) Rules Committee." On a personal level, Madigan commented that she feels "terrified" when she rides her bicycle on Chicago streets, unlike her boyfriend "who rides everywhere–and without a helmet." In response to questions, Madigan outlined her vision of streets that offer "a combination" of dedicated bike lanes and mixed-use roadway, that provide clear signage for all users, and that remain free of unlicensed motorists.

Du Page County State's Attorney Joe Birkett (Republican nominee for Attorney General) did not appear or send a surrogate.

Winnebago County Board Chairman Kristine Cohn (Republican nominee for Secretary of State) opened by observing that "there are highway engineers who are bikers–and we should recruit 'em." Cohn commented directly on the matter of the Grand Illinois Trail, saying that "we should make sure the paths really connect. And above all, we should understand that it makes good business sense to accommodate bicyclists." She explained that bicycling, for her personally, "is about conversation with my family," but that "I'm committed to working with you, the [more frequent] riders." She pledged to do her part to "crack down on unlicensed drivers" and specified that she would better train the Secretary of State's police in bicycle accident investigation.

Current Secretary of State Jesse White (running for re-election) sent staff member David Drucker. Mr. Drucker began his comments by outlining Secretary White's "strong opposition to pressuring government employees for campaign donations," and his strong support for computerization of driver's licensing facilities and revision of vehicle plates and stickers. Responding to a questioner who challenged the policy of recurrent license renewal with no road test, Drucker said that "[additional testing] is something we can look at," but added that "licensing facilities are already inundated." Responding to another questioner, Drucker pledged his office's participation in the Inter- Agency Bikeways Council.

(A Few) Members Welcome New Directors
Shun New Bylaws
by Eric Holeman

At the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation’s annual meeting May 11, attending members approved the nominations of new members to the Board of Directors, but expressed concern over efforts to change the federation’s bylaws.

Federation president Dave Seglin introduced the new board nominees, and asked for the vote from the the approximately two dozen Federation members who stayed after the candidates forum. The nominees received unanimous approval, and included former Illinois Department of Transportation Bicycle Coordinator Craig Williams, who now works on bicycle projects for consulting firm Edwards & Kelsey.

Seglin next introduced proposed changes to the Federation’s bylaws which would, among other things, give the board members the ability to elect additional board members without the need of approval of membership at an annual meeting (see April 2002 Bike Traffic.)

Seglin, speaking in support of the changes to the bylaws, described difficulties in attracting sufficient numbers of members to vote at annual meetings. He described CBF as "staff-driven", and said that the proposed new bylaws would allow CBF to function more like other effective nonprofit advocacy organizations.

A number of attending members expressed concern about the changes, and lively discussion followed.

Eventually, a member pointed out that changing the bylaws required a quorum of members. Since not enough members were in attendance to constitute a quorum, the changes were tabled, and the meeting was adjourned.

Your Tax Dollars at Work (by Bike)

To public libraries, electrifying the South, and saving the elderly from starvation, you can add to that short list of Things Most Folks Agree the Government Did Well the outstanding Pedestrian and Bicycling Information Center (PBIC).

The last round of federal transportation funding authorizations created the PBIC in 1998 with Enhancement funding, that portion of the budget that builds bike paths and restores train stations, among other things. The University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center in cooperation with the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals runs the center under contract for the U.S. Department of Transportation.

PBIC maintains a handful of websites, including walkinginfo.org and bicyclinginfo.org. On either, the accessibility of the information as much as the quantity will, if you’ve ever searched for anything useful on the web, stun you for a moment.

Don’t worry, it’ll pass. Then you’ll dive right in, and your kids won’t see you for three days. Here’s just a teaser of bicyclinginfo.org offerings:

• Bikeability community checklist
• National bike advocacy news & issues
• Browsable bicycling image library
• Crash statistics
• Education and enforcement info
• State Bike Coordinator Search
• A primer on community organizing
• Health & fitness info

The web-less can call the PBIC at 919/962-2203. Chicagoland Bicycle Federation’s Randy Neufeld sits on PBIC’s national advisory board.

WCBMA Reformed, Reinvigorated
Bike messengers rediscover power in unity
By Guenevere Nyderek

First of all, I'd like to gratefully acknowledge the generous support we have received from the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, which gave us permission to use their conference space on alternate Tuesdays for our meetings, and to John Greenfield who volunteers his time to be at our meetings. Thank you.

Existing in fits and spurts over the past five or six years, the Windy City Bike Messengers Association is an independent association of Chicago bicycle messengers. We wish to create a forum where messengers can discuss the problems and concerns of our industry, and where creative solutions develop democratically

Chicago boasts one of the largest messenger communities in America. And yet, in spite of (or perhaps because of) our sheer numbers, our community is among the least organized. We want to rectify this.

In April, we held a benefit show to raise money for the WCBMA and for messengers who have recently been seriously injured. (Most of us do not have any insurance.) In the next few months, we’ll host a messenger barbecue & picnic; lead the third annual Memorial Day messenger camping trip; and organize a messenger film festival, among other things. We welcome all bike-friendly folk to our events.

Inspired by the example of messengers in San Francisco, Denver, Washington D.C., and New York, we started a Messenger Emergency Response Team. We’re helping messengers get certified in first aid and CPR; certified messengers will wear a special patch on their bags. We almost always arrive first to any emergency down town, and should any sort of catastrophe happen, we want to be ready to help.

Please feel free to attend any of our meetings.

"Bicyclists have rights!"
With a shake of a fist, the Mayor kicks off Chicago Bike Month

Six hundred cyclists, some with the bluest legs you’ve ever seen, gathered on the morning of May 17 for the Chicago Bike Month Rally at Daley Center. Mayor Daley kicked off the presentations by pledging the efforts of the Chicago Police Department to gain more respect for bicyclists from Chicago’s drivers. Then he stamped his ownership on the moment by looking out at the crowd, and shaking his fits he growled "Because bicyclists have rights!" A tremendous cheer rose from the crowd, and then he dove from the stage into our waiting arms, and we passed him around above our heads, chanting his name...not really, but we would have.

After the Mayor roused the rabble, Lee Hillman, the CEO of Bally’s Total Fitness, pledged free showers at city and suburban locations for bike commuters, and free spin classes for the duration of Bike Month. Police Superintendent Terry Hillyard briefly restated the Mayor’s pledge of his forces to make bicycling safer. And as the clouds thickened and the cold wind blew, Randy Neufeld took the podium, and–no doubt emboldened by the Mayor’s clenched fist–led the crowd in song. Here’s a sample, to the tune of "Away with Rum by Gum" (don’t know that old Temperence standard? Download our version as an mp3 at biketraffic.org):

Chorus:
Way faster, way smarter, way funner than cars
Way funner by far
Way funner than cars
Way faster, way smarter way funner than cars
Riding my beautiful bicycle

Some folks drive their cars thinking biking’s too slow
They step on the pedal and just want to go
But traffic’s backed up to the county of Kane
As I’m whizzing on by in my little bike lane

The clouds parted, and rays of sunlight fell upon the upturned heads of the assembly. Can I get a witness?

Gas Taxes and the Public Good
By Payton Chung

"The summer driving season" is once again upon us, and with its arrival come the inevitable complaint that gas prices, and thus gas taxes, are too high. Politicians respond by pointing out that gas taxes can’t be cut– otherwise, the sorry state of our road network would deteriorate faster, as most gas tax revenue is dedicated to ever-popular road construction and maintenance programs.

Problem is, thinking of gas taxes as a "user fee" which pays for road construction and maintenance digs the appropriate transportation movement into a hole. If bicyclists and transit riders and pedestrians don’t pay gas taxes, what right do we have to the road? And if drivers pay gas taxes, why should they have to pay congestion fees and tolls?

Perhaps re-framing the gas tax would help. Instead of recouping driving’s direct cost to the government–building and maintaining millions of miles of roads–gas taxes also help to recoup its indirect costs to government and, by extension, to society at large. Drivers use an inordinate amount of public resources: publicly owned space on the ground, airshed and other natural resources, and dollars for the maintenance of infrastructure.

General tax revenue has long provided publicly owned space for the common good, from common pastures to today’s parks. Streets that provide basic access have long been paid for out of general revenue, since only land with road access can be economically productive, and since all people should have the right to movement. However, the tentacles of automobile domination have stolen millions of acres of prime real estate from the tax rolls– highways, arterial roads, expressways–largely for the purpose of providing transportation which could easily be accomplished with less infrastructure-intensive modes.

Bicyclists and pedestrians, for example, take up a modicum of public space–and further, don’t demand much of the public spaces they’re provided. Neither mode wears down pavement quickly, neither mode creates much noise or air or water pollution. And as many shop-keepers will attest, heavy foot traffic is even better for commerce than heavy automobile traffic. Governments would do well to ensure free passage for pedestrians and bicyclists within cities.

Cars and trucks, on the other hand, don’t contribute much more to the city economically or socially — but they place far greater demands on the city’s public infrastructure. Their weight ruins roads in short order, their girth displaces productive human uses (as when parking lots replace homes and shops), their exhaust ruins the air. The road space squandered on "the non-movement of vehicles"–or, better yet, rendered unuseable by double parkers –are an economic waste for the city. They serve few people at a very great cost; they are, as William H. Whyte said, "a huge reservoir of space yet untapped by imagination."

A Rat’s Belly Measures Man’s Folly
Would thou eat or be a fool?
Edited by Nathan Tolzmann

[The following is excerpted from a speech given by Helmut Groendenberger to the Dorcas Circle of St. Gretchen’s in February of the year 1928. Groendenberger had just completed a successful term as the "Rat King" of 1927 and was about to embark on a wildly popular lecture tour. Most people are familiar with his endearing "hearth chats," but until now only scholars, and of course that original group of 11 Dorcas, had the privilege to experience Groendenberger’s fiercely human spirit in its unrefined form. Now you too can bear witness to the genius and charisma of the "Rat King" against whom all others are measured.–NT]

Thank you, fine women of the Dorcas Circle, for the immensely satisfying opportunity to speak before you this afternoon. Thanks are also in order for the wonderful kitchen staff that so ably accommodated my dietary concerns. The aspic indeed looked appetizing and I greatly regret my inability to digest rendered suet.

I have had little experience in speaking about the work of Adolph’s Rat Brigade [ed. note: as this speech was given prior to the outbreak of the 2nd Great War the Rat Patrol was still known by it’s original name] to those other than fellow Ratsmen. That said, please be patient with me as I find a voice for the passion which characterizes the A.R.B.

Flesh rots! Iron rusts! The twine breaks and the dogs are loose! What are you doing? The day is at hand when you too will be forced to live by your wits, by your cunning. You. What is your name? [woman answers, "Mrs. Harold Scranton"] Mrs. Harold Scranton how long do you think the contents of your ash can would support you? Don’t answer. What if I were to tell you that not only could you survive indefinitely, but that you could thrive?

The wheels of industry may grind to a halt, but the bowels of refuse continue to belch out their rich mulch. Let us fertilize the gardens of our lives with the quenching drool of commerce. Let the industrialists manufacture their goods from the raw goods of Mother Nature. I will take their refined oil, smelted iron, pasteurized milk and create a product they could never imagine: Ratopia!

Some of you may find these ideas a bit difficult upon first encountering them. I truly do understand why you want The New. There is a thrill, a novelty in goods that have been created and then deposited in your hands. You have power over them. They were made for you. Or were they? I propose that The New subverts you to the role of servant under a master named Progress. I hear your questioning grumbles. My ideas are not wholly accepted even among the Ratsmen. I sympathize with your apprehension, but I must stress this: I am right.

Forgive me Mrs. Harold Scranton, but I will further utilize you as an example (with your permission of course). Dear, How much do you budget for Mr. Scranton’s morning sup? [Mrs. Scranton’s reply is inaudible on the source tape] Outrageous! Mrs. Groendenberger is able to fill my belly for a mere nothing. That’s right. Nothing. While you are at your market spending and spending the Missus and I are in the alley behind your guest quarters sifting through the day’s discards. Just when you believe all the nutrition has been squeezed from that sausage casing I step in and uncover a flavor yet unknown. You have consumed the style of the thing: I the substance. French stockings: anathema to me. Corrupt that fine silk, relinquish it to the ash can and it may be of some use to me. I have only contempt for your finery. Frippery cannot elevate you, but I believe it may bury you. I shall adorn myself with your discarded follies and foil your foolishness. It matters not the article's manufacturer, but instead its savior.

Once again, thank you all for your hospitality. I do hope that my talk has been at least somewhat enlightening. I would also like to cordially invite you all to the A.R.B.’s Spring Biennial. This year’s theme will be: "The Safety Bicycle: A coward’s mount." Thank you and good afternoon.

Copyright 2002, Chicagoland Bicycle Federation
650 S. Clark, Ste. 300, Chicago, Ill. 60605
Ph: 312/427-3325  Fax: 312/427-4907 E-mail: cbf@biketraffic.org