You
can also view this issue at www.biketraffic.org/biketraffic/BT120103/
or download the PDF at www.biketraffic.org/biketraffic/BT120103.pdf.
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You're not a member? Good
god, not so loud. Someone might hear. After all, everyone's fed up with traffic
jams, tired of being afraid on the streets of their own neighborhoods, sick of
dirty air, and done with spending the vacation money on a new transmission. So
they've all joined the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation and are making a difference
(and getting discounts on maps, at bike shops, and events to boot). So carefully
now, slip off with this issue of Bike Traffic (another member benefit) and call
us or join at www.biketraffic.org.
That was close, but it's gonna be okay. |
| Bike Town
Bash March 8! At the A. Finkl Steel Factory, featuring the Bike Town Bash
Photo Contest, fab auctions, delectible edibles, cool drinks, music to jump to
and everyone looking like they're going home with someone more glamorous than
you, but even you look like that, so no wallflowering. Get your info and your
tickets from biketraffic.org/bash, or call Pamela
at 312/427-3325x24. Deadline for the March Ō03 Bike Traffic is February 8. DonÕt make me come back there. |
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Get our FREE Bike to Work Guide!
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I once knew a guy whose eyebrows grew straight up!! |
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Chicagoland
Bicycle Federation At 650 S. Clark: Randy
Neufeld Pamela
Brookstein Steve
Buchtel Dave
Glowacz Cathy
Haibach Nick
Jackson Eve
Jennings Matt
Maloney Anne
Nepokroeff Neile
Rissmiller Randy
Warren David
Callahan Alex
Wilson At
Chicago Department Mark
Counselman John
Greenfield T.C.
O'Rourke |
Keep bicyclists' issues in front of you, even when behind the wheel
By Steve Buchtel
Bicycle advocacy ain't just for bike riders, anymore.
Just
in time, too: Most of our members are not bike riders most of the time. Ninety
percent of Chicagoland Bicycle Federation's members own at least one car. Considering
how car use influences and supports many of life's major choices, that ratio is
unlikely to drop much, despite our decision to raise membership fees for car owners
to $5000. (Just kidding.)Still, everything members want the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation to do is made more difficult by transportation and development decisions that advance car use at the expense of bike use. By a car industry that advocates aggressive driving in its advertising. By automobile and road lobbyists fighting to devour the already meager portion of transportation funding that pays for bike projects. And on and on....
Yet you drive. And we drive. Most of you, most of us, at least at times feel that car use is necessary. But for us to be able to sleep at night, it's also necessary to admit that despite the benefits to us while inside the car, everything outside the car pays, and pays deeply. Our once clean skies pay, our once safe streets pay, our once open spaces pay, our once healthy children pay, our once friendly community pays.
As an organization of bike advocates, many, many who own/use cars, we have a responsibility to our region to use cars in a way that acknowledges these costs. And begins to minimize them.
We have an obligation to take the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation's Driver's Pledge.
Our Driver's Pledge grew out of the Neighborhood Pace Car Program story in the November 2002 Bike Traffic. The pledge offers not only a means to transform driver behavior, but also a way for concerned bike riders who own cars to participate in Chicagoland Bicycle Federation's mission, even when behind the wheel.
There are five components to the pledge:
1. I will drive less, putting less traffic on the roads in my community. Without this component, the other pledges are smoke with no fire. We'll look at all the transportation options available to us. Plan our car trips ahead of time to minimize milk (beer/video/diaper/whatever) runs. Reductions in car trips can be found in virtually all living/working arrangements, suburban or urban.
2. I will drive the speed limit, maybe slower, never faster. No driver is immune to an upward-creeping speedometer needle, unless he/she is making a concerted, conscious effort. We as bike advocates interested in safer streets must make this effort. How do you feel about speeders when you're standing in front of your home? We will show the same respect for other neighborhoods that we wish drivers would show for ours.
3. I will stop at stop signs, never in the crosswalk. No driver is innocent of rolling through a stop sign. Other drivers won't notice a roll-through, probably. But every bike rider sees injury or death in a car rolling through a stop sign. Our driving should never threaten other road users.
4. I will treat bike riders and other road users - including other drivers - with courtesy and respect. As bike riders, we know what changes we need in driver behavior to enable more people to ride bikes more places more often. Those changes will start with us.
5. I will treat drivers with courtesy and respect when I'm riding a bike. Our streets are public spaces, shared between travel modes, cultures, ages, sexes. We'll help foster civility among all groups. And we'll sleep better at night.
You can sign the pledge on the enclosed card and send it in. Or you can sign the pledge at biketraffic.org. Members who take the pledge get a window sticker that says "I drive like I bike/walk/live here" (see at top).
Don't let your car hold back your community from becoming a better place to bike, a nicer place to live. Use it less. Ride more. Drive like you want change. Always smile. Take the pledge.
Wheels of Democracy
CBF board member elected to the state house
By Steve Buchtel
She's won races before. But only because she was faster.
In November 2002, former Cat. 2 bike racer and Chicagoland Bicycle Federation board member Elaine Nekritz won the race for State Representive (57th) because of the platform she stood on, not the pedals. In Springfield for freshmen orientation, Elaine spoke to us by mobile phone on her way to one of numerous conferences in early December (she wasn't driving).
BT: What did you do for a living before you ran for office?
EN: I'm a lawyer, but I haven't practiced in 10 years. I've spent most of my time in community advocacy. I was the Democratic committeeman in Northfield, served on the National Council of Jewish Women working on social justice and women's issues, separation of church and state, other issues. I also chaired the Northbrook community relations committee. Just prior to running, I worked in Rep. Schoenberg's legislative office, and that was a good way to get my feet wet in state politics.
BT: Clearly, you ran for state office for a number of important reasons. Did bicycling also inform your decision to run?
EN: Well, in order to run I pretty much had to give up training and racing bikes. I decided that working for bicycling improvements was going to have to satisfy me. So bicycling played a significant part in my consideration.
BT: Will you organize a Bicycle Caucus at the state house like U.S. representatives have done?
EN: It's actually on my list of objectives. There are a number of legislators who ride bikes, like Lee Daniels (R-Elmhurst), plenty of others to bring together over biking issues.
BT: Will you ride a bike in Springfield?
EN: I plan on keeping a bike there. Another freshman legislator and I will be roommates, and we just put down a security deposit on an apartment today. It's within walking distance of our offices, but for other errands around town I will absolutely use the bike.
The Executive Director of Personal PAC rides, and he and I are planning to ride to Springfield [from the Chicago area], maybe next spring.
BT: Reversing the effects of Boub vs. Wayne I know is on your agenda. What other bike-related issues will you tackle?
EN: Providing safe bicycle and pedestrian routes was part of my platform in my campaign, so I'm committed to work on that issue. I need to do some more research, but I'm intrigued with other states' Safe Routes to School initiatives. I think the state can do more to promote healthy lifestyles.
BT: Will you stay on the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation's board of directors?
EN: As long as you'll have me.
BT: Do your political ambitions stop at state representative?
EN: I don't know. Never say never, but there's a lot of work at the state level that needs to be done. And I think that politics at the state level is more relevent to people's day-to-day lives, and I enjoy making an impact there.
BT: Thanks for finding time to speak with me.
EN: Oh, you're welcome.
Remember Boub?
Battle lines redrawn in fight to restore cyclists' rights
By Randy Neufeld
New
year, new leadership in Springfield, new opportunities to do something about Boub
v. Wayne, the 1998 court case now infamous in bicycle circles. Boub created a
liability disincentive for towns and counties to build bike lanes and bike routes.
Because of Boub the only way local government is liable for maintaining its roads
for bicyclists is if it paints stripes or puts up signs. Since Boub many communities
have chosen not to make safety improvements to streets for risk management purposes.
(Read the background on our web site, biketraffic.org/justice.html)
The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation and the League of Illinois Bicyclists have made gallant attempts to fix this problem in the state legislature. Many of you have contacted your representatives. So far we have been unsuccessful because we haven't found a compromise that both local government and trial lawyers will accept.
Sen. John Cullerton (D, Chicago) says, "I hope to use my position on the Senate Judiciary Committee to bring together all sides to find meaningful protection for bicyclists. Illinois should not be the only state with this barrier to safer bicycling." The legislative session starts soon. Get ready to make two new friends: your state representative and senator.
Path Watch
CBF vigilance, CDOT commitment keeps south Lakefront Path open
How
many bicyclists in early December benefited from Chicagoland Bicycle Federation
Program Director Randy Warren's activism to keep the south lakefront open to cycling
during S. Lakeshore Drive's reconstruction?"Every one of them," says Randy. He's made weekly reconnaissance trips to 71st St. to hold the Chicago Department of Transportation to its promise: that Rte. 41 reconstruction would not close the lakefront bike route. "Sometimes I pass a dozen people riding on really cold days. The south lakefront's an important route. That's why CDOT committed to the lakefront route staying open."
Overall, Randy's been impressed with CDOT's effort to steer bicyclists around and through construction zones. But still the project needs bicyclists' oversight. To CDOT's credit, the project's director, Chris Wuellner, has been responsive to Randy's alerts, sometimes laying asphalt to create a temporary bike path within days of Randy's phone call, as was the case at 31st Street bridge in early December (see photos).
Randy enjoys the watchdog role, but would rather it be a pack activity. When you ride the south lakefront and discover a situation inconvenient, confusing, or dangerous to bicyclists, tell Randy at 312/427-3325x21 or randyw@biketraffic.org.
Cyclist Roundup
At UIC, Circle Cycle Club won't just spin its wheels
By Christopher Gagnon
On August 5, 2002, University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) students and several Chicago community cyclists heeded the call of Chicagoland Bicycle Federation Student Marketing Coordinator Alex Wilson and launched UIC's only official student organization dedicated to bicycling: the Circle Cycle Club.
UIC's original name, "Chicago Circle Campus," inspired the new organization's name. Organizers reinterpreted the reference to the campus' proximity to the Circle Interchange to one that evokes images of whirling wheels and rotating chain rings.
The club hit the ground rolling at student activity fairs on both the east and west campuses this fall, recruiting members and debuting its mission: to make UIC a bicycle-friendly campus, and to promote bicycling as a fun, healthy, and environmentally sound means of transportation, recreation, and fitness.
Circle Cycle Club membership is open to UIC students, faculty, staff, and the greater Chicago community. The club doesn't collect dues, relying instead on fundraising and available campus funds to finance activities. The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation provided a generous amount of startup funding, essential to the rapid and successful organization of the club.
In just four short months, the Circle Cycle Club has become an active and dynamic new presence on the Chicago bicycling scene. The club has sponsored varied activities, including neighborhood tours that encourage students to explore Chicago, a commuter challenge to persuade students to bike to campus, and partnering with Bike Winter to sponsor workshops and a wildly successful scavenger hunt ride.
In the coming year, the Circle Cycle Club will explore involvement in racing and touring, in addition to fun-rides and other recreational activities. However, club organizers hope to learn from the saga of two previous UIC cycling organizations that have come and gone since the late 1970s, victims of a campus administration that enacted policies and facility changes hostile to biking. The successful future of the club relies heavily on campus advocacy and on sustained campaigns to improve existing campusbicycling facilities and create new ones.
The Circle Cycle Club's activities are open to everyone, and always free of charge. If you would like to know more about the Circle Cycle Club and keep abreast of activities and events, visit the club's website at www.bike.to/uic.
Share Prices Falling
i-go makes it a biker's market
By Steve Buchtel
Each
car in a car-sharing program replaces six single-owned cars on the street says
Kathy Summers, i-go's vice-president of marketing.One of them might as well be yours. i-go, Chicago's car sharing service, is lopping $25 off the $125 one-time enrollment fee for members of the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation.
Since i-go members began sharing two cars in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood, the program has grown modestly. Edgewater now hosts two i-go lots, Wicker Park and Logan Square each have one i-go lot, and two i-go lots opened in Hyde Park over the last year. Each lot offers two cars for use. Hyde Park is by far i-go's fastest growing market with 40 members, said Summers. More locations in Hyde Park should open over the next year, and a South Loop lot is planned.
Summers says using i-go is simple. "i-go users make a reservation by phone or on the web, minutes or days before they need the car. Then they walk to the car and go." i-go gives users a gas card, which gets billed to the program. i-go also insures and maintains the cars, and pays all registration and city parking fees. For longer trips, i-go users get a corporate discount at Enterprise Rent-a-Car.
i-go users are extremely satisfied with the arrangement, says Summers. Yet the program isn't growing as fast as the Center for Neighborhood Technology, i-go's parent organization, had hoped. She explains that in Chicago, putting cars close enough to the most densely populated areas - large apartment and condo buildings - that would really allow i-go to take off is a problem. "We never realized how unwilling people were to walk a few blocks," she says. In the city, supermarkets and city lots have offered parking space for i-go's cars. Ideally, Summers wants cars available in residential building garages, but hasn't yet found success.
Still, the program's federal clean air funding and its members' support are enough to allow i-go to make a go at car sharing in Chicago. The benefits of a successful car-sharing program - primarily fewer cars on the street - are worth it. And what's a few blocks journey to an i-go lot when you have a bike?
Using an i-go car costs $4.50/hr plus $.50/mile. Summers says the average i-go trip is three hours, covering 20 miles. An average i-go user makes five such trips a month. Getting your discount is easy: write or type in "CBF" in the box on the i-go application form asking who referred you. Apply on-line at i-go-cars.org, or call i-go at 773/278-4800x227.
The Packers Are the Greatest Football Team
Maybe ever
By Neille Rissmiller
Looking for an alternative to the Bears? All NFL teams look the same to you?
You might wonder how someone who grew up in Los Angeles and landed in Chicago could consider herself a Green Bay Packers fan. You might even wonder why I'm writing about a professional football team in Bike Traffic.
It's not just what they do on the field, but off the field. These Packers are riding bikes. Kids' bikes. I'm not joking.
According to the December, 2002 edition of Mother Jones, it's a Packer tradition to ride kids bikes between the locker room and practice field. Each day during training camp, young girls and boys line up at the locker room door to offer their bikes as transportation to the practice field, one block away. Depending on the size of the player, the kid will either jump on back or run along side.
Green Bay practices, which are open to the public, end with players mounting the same bikes and sometimes hanging out with the kids. In the off-season, according to the Packers web site, the team hosts a "Winners Wear Helmets" program, where third graders come to Lambeau Field to learn about bicycle safety. More than 500 bicycle helmets are given to children from low-income families and players speak about the importance of wearing helmets on bicycles and on the football field.
No, I don't wear cheese on my head. But, what a cool tradition - bike-friendly football players. Who knows, someday you might find this 32-year-old "kid" waiting outside the locker room waiting for Gilbert Brown to give me a ride on my 14" Specialized.
"ET" Won't Be There
But in terms of relevancy, the Soles and Spokes Awards give Oscar a beat-down
By Melissa Smiley
So you think you never win anything? Stop complaining and seize this opportunity to publicize and learn about great bicycle and pedestrian projects and programs in our region. The Chicago Area Transportation Study (CATS) is seeking nominations for the 2003 Soles and Spokes Awards for Excellence. The deadline for nominations is January 24, 2003.
We're not just talking about multi-million dollar bridges and paths. Any project that increases the convenience, safety and popularity of walking and cycling in northeastern Illinois is eligible. Nominations can include:
„ Facilities, such as bike lanes, sidewalks, bike parking and pedestrian friendly intersections
„ Promotions, such as walk-to-school, bike-to-work and access to transit efforts
„ Development projects accessible by transit, foot or bike
„ Traditional road and transit projects that include walking and biking improvements
Anyone can nominate a project, including the agencies working on it and residents familiar with it. No project is too small, and it doesn't even have to be finished! Whether you are a scrappy not-for-profit working to get more people on bikes or a municipality trying to increase local cycling and walking, your actions are worthy of recognition. Visit www.catsmpo.com/bikeped for details on the extremely easy nomination process and examples of past nominations.
Prizes and bragging rights will be awarded February 25, 2003, following a workshop on pedestrian friendly intersection design. CATS is also partnering with Pace to conduct a "Pedestrian Design 101" workshop on February 24, 2003 in Oak Brook - at a location accessible by Pace, of course! Michael Ronkin, pedestrian and bicycle program manager for the Oregon Department of Transportation, will join us on both days to share pedestrian design tips he could not squeeze into his June workshop. If you missed him before, you don't want to miss him again. Questions about the workshop or the Awards for Excellence can be directed to Melissa Smiley at (312) 793-0119 or msmiley@catsmpo.com.
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But wait, there's more! CATS is developing the Soles and Spokes Plan, our first pedestrian and bicycle plan for northeastern Illinois. The plan will highlight best practices, coordinate information and make policy recommendations. It will also be a resource used by communities and other agencies to increase the competition for the 2005 Soles and Spokes Awards for Excellence! The next plan steering group meeting is December 11 at 9:30am. The first public involvement workshop will be in mid-January. To learn more, visit www.solesandspokes.com or contact Gin Kilgore at 312.793.0451 or gkilgore@catsmpo.com.
Wheel-fare to Work Program
Cheap bikes for sale, for empowerment at Working Bikes Cooperative
By Lisa Phillips
Maybe you've seen the little flyers around town:
"GIANT HUMANITARIAN BIKE SALE EVERY SATURDAY!"
"What is this? A police auction?" you wonder. "Stolen bikes?" Head to the flyer's Pilsen address on a Saturday afternoon, and you'll discover Working Bikes Cooperative is legit. Every Saturday, Chicagolanders sift through hundreds of used bikes, everything from classic Triumph cruisers to Chicago-made Schwinn "Mixte" styles (full disclosure: I purchased both models there recently), for anywhere from $10-100 each.
"Ok, cheap used bikes," you say. "But what makes a bike garage sale humanitarian?"
The answer? Purpose. "Working Bikes is not as much a business as an idea," says organizer Lee Ravenscroft. It is a cooperative idea: people working toward a common good. Working Bikes fixes and sells used bikes cheaply in Chicago. They also ship hundreds of bikes and parts off to impoverished countries about twice a year. All of it is done by unpaid volunteers, in rent-free locations.
Working Bikes Cooperative (WBC) opened in 2000, when Ravenscroft realized that the hundreds of used, abused, but otherwise functional bicycles rusting in Chicago's alleys hold the potential to improve lives. Chicagoans who need reliable, healthful and low-cost transportation can use them to get around. And in impoverished or "developing" countries in particular, a bike can be the key to a job, help haul daily goods, or provide vital links with neighboring towns.
Ravenscroft began to rescue bikes of any size, shape and condition from alleys, dumpsters, and junk lots, fixing what bikes could be fixed, stripping what couldn't. WBC models itself after well-established organizations like Boston-area Bikes Not Bombs. Volunteers help pack and send "working" bikes and parts to their partner organizations - Peaceworks in Nicaragua (the second poorest country in the hemisphere), and the Ghana Computer Literacy & Distance Education (GhaCLAD) - twice a year.
Not all WBC bikes are found. Donated bikes "of any style, shape, or condition" are welcome according to WBC's website, workingbikes.org. WBC accepts bikes at Ravenscroft's Oak Park home, a basement in Pilsen, and at RRB bike shop in Evanston.
Ravenscroft and volunteers also visit a Goose Island recycling center regularly to buy up bikes for $3-5 each, "often directly from the guys that cruise the alleys," says Ravenscroft. The crew strips most bikes onsite for parts; parts ship overseas more cheaply than whole bikes. But 30-40 bikes make it back whole to WBC sales locations weekly; enough bikes that WBC opened a second sales location this fall at 923 S. Western Ave.
The funds from the Saturday bike sales lets Working Bikes avoid charging bike donors for the overseas shipping costs, as some aid organizations must. The bikes go to an NGO such as Peaceworks, who then sells them for fair market value, anywhere from $10-$100. "Unfortunately," explains Ravenscroft," a $20 bike can be half a person's monthly salary, if they happen to have a job. But a $5 bike can at least provide transportation." WBC's sales surplus of $6000 at the end of 2001 helped fund various aid projects in Nicaragua.
About 500 bikes have been donated so far. Masaya, Nicaragua was the recipient of a recent shipment. "In the smaller villages, bikes are often creatively modified into cargo vehicles," says Ravenscroft. The bikes shipped are not always in complete working order, but WBC tries to attach spare parts. "If people are not going to use them here, the idea is to intercept them so they're not recycled into SUVs!" Ravenscroft adds, laughing.
WBC is always looking for organizations to receive bikes in other countries, or to help collect bike donations locally. Ten to twenty volunteers show up on Saturdays at WBC's locations to fix bikes and help customers find a "new-to-them" set of wheels. Prices are low because, as Ravenscroft admits, most WBC bikes need $50-$140 worth of repairs and parts to get them rolling.
Working Bikes Cooperative appreciates all the donations, time, and business you can give. Current store locations are 1409 West Cullerton at Loomis (basement), and 927 S. Western (near Taylor St.), open 10 AM-4 PM on Saturdays; donations are accepted from 10 AM-1 PM. For donation or volunteer information, call Lee Ravenscroft, 708/466-6054 or look up workingbikes.org.
While it's plain
that the "Toy Figurines - Drama" category is a lock, there are still
plenty of awards left to win at the Bike Town Bash Photo Contest, March 8. biketraffic.org/bash
says it all, or call 312/427-3325 and talk to Pamela.
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Not as tacky as an e-card. Even in the midst of economic collapse, you can still give something thoughtful and fun: an electronic gift subscription to Bike Traffic! Go to the Bike Traffic subscription page. Enter the name and e-mail address of the person you like (but not enough to spend money on) and they'll get three (3!) free ($0!) monthly issues e-mailed to them. We promise no pics of fluffy kittens or old people without their teeth. Although the editor's kid makes it in from time to time. |
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Bike Traffic is published by the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, a nonprofit, volunteer advocacy organization that is improving the quality of life in Northeastern Illinois by making cycling safer, more convenient, and more fun. All material that isn't copyrighted may be reprinted. Advertising rates available on request. Managing Editor Editors Layout
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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
