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This Man Wants to Install YOUR Bike Rack! John Greenfield and the CDOT Bike Rack Program have dozens of shiny new racks ready to install RIGHT NOW at the site of your choosing. THEY COST YOU NOTHING, and beautify any establishment. Request one! Request a dozen! Fill out the
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Comin' Out Party
Wauconda win welcomes Safe Routes to the 'burbs
By Steven J. Boime

Rack up a win for Wauconda school children! That's "rack", as in the bike racks that will soon be restored to Wauconda's grade, middle and high schools. Rack up a win for their parents, the school administration, village officials and the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation as well. This time, everyone shares in the spoils.

Wauconda hit the news in August when bicycle racks disappeared from its grade school without notice. Concerned parent Jose Pineiro learned that Wauconda Community Unit School District #118 had implemented a ban on bicycles at the school without any public input or discussion. The decision was based on a car/bike crash that occurred near the high school in the spring.

With the new ban added to existing bans at the middle and high schools, no student beyond the fourth grade could ride a bike to a public school in Wauconda. Outraged that the decision was made without any parent input, Pineiro began a campaign to rally other parents against the ban. He also called Dave Glowacz.

Glowacz, Chicagoland Bicycle Federation's Director of Education, contacted the school district's superintendent, Dr. John Barbini, and offered the Federation's services in conducting a Safe Routes to School program at no charge to the community. The school board accepted the offer and established a Safe Routes task force, charged with investigating the safety of bicyclists around and on school grounds and recommending ways to lift the ban without creating significant liability for the school district. More than 30 people served on the task force, including school administrators and principals, Village of Wauconda staff, two school board members, a village trustee, the police chief, a number of parents and Glowacz and me representing the Federation.

The mood before the first meeting was contentious. Officials seemed wary. Parents feared that the process would legitimize the ban rather than find ways to lift it. Still, everyone kept an open mind and Superintendent Barbini worked hard to build a spirit of trust and cooperation early in the meeting.

Once at the table, everyone quickly agreed that traffic safety around the schools was much more than a bicycle problem. The real issue was the brief, but intense amount of car traffic during the morning drop-off and afternoon pickup times at the schools. Jose Pineiro presented a video he shot of cars double parked, kids jumping out of cars that are still moving, cars stopped in no parking zones and a host of other problems, including some near-misses involving students and parents' cars.

The Federation developed a set of parent and student questionnaires to measure how students currently travel to and from school, how they would prefer to travel and impediments to walking or biking. Volunteers conducted traffic counts at various points around the three schools, and the school's transportation director videotaped traffic from the perspective of a bus driver. Additionally, the district's risk management consultant performed his own on-the-scene review.

All of the data clearly showed that many kids, especially in the lower grades, want to walk and bike to school, but both students and parents are very concerned about traffic, especially around the schools. The research also revealed that many parents either don't understand or aren't following existing pick-up/drop-off policies, and that signage along the various streets is inconsistent and sometimes unclear.

Based on its findings, the task force recommended to the school board the following changes:

• Changing traffic flow through the school parking lots and drop-off areas



• Requiring kids to walk their bikes upon reaching school property



• Using cones and flashing lights to help direct drivers safely



• Educating parents and students



• Adding a crossing guard at a key intersection



• New signage and stepped up traffic enforcement efforts as manpower allows.

Just as Critical Mass rides provide monthly freedom on city streets for cyclists worldwide, the fourth annual Break the Gridlock (BTG) conference on October 18 advanced the movement to overcome car dependency in Chicago. Known for its leadership in helping to defeat a City of Chicago proposal that would have raised off-street parking standards for residences and businesses, BTG is a coalition of Chicago grassroots initiatives designed to promote alternatives to driving. Clearly, this is not an easy task, but the conference's speeches, campaign reports and awards ceremony showed that the dominance of cars in our lives is facing resistance.

About 100 people filled the main room of the Pulaski Park Field house in Chicago to indulge themselves in sandwiches from Chicago's bicycle-themed Handlebar Bar & Grill before listening to opening remarks from the pint-sized, but fiery Gin Kilgore of the Center for Neighborhood Technology. Then it was on to a fast-paced reporting out on Break the Gridlock's eight campaigns. Updates ranged from efforts to ban car alarms in the city (Alarmingly Useless) to converting the Bloomingdale freight railroad embankment on the north side of Chicago into a public trail.

Lieutenant Governor Patrick Quinn followed with the keynote, which tapped into the lessons he learned about grassroots organizing when he started the Citizens Utility Board 20 years ago. Quinn, the first in line of succession to Governor Rod Blagojevich, outlined two techniques that people can use to impart change in state government: the Administrative Petition, which allows citizens to petition the state to adopt rules that can result in the formation of citizen groups to oversee state agencies; and the Advisory Referendum, which gives citizens the opportunity to put a question of public policy on election ballots.

Quinn also touched on the importance of getting Safe Routes to School programs in front of the state legislature before wrapping up his talk with a bike anecdote. Recently, Secretary Tom Ridge of the Department of Homeland Security touted mountain bikes as the best way to get around in the event of a power outage, such as the recent one on the East Coast. Quinn agreed that Ridge is onto something.

A lighthearted "Ruby Slippers" awards ceremony added levity to the afternoon as awards with a "Wizard of Oz" theme were handed out to individuals and organizations that have made contributions toward reducing the region's car dependency.

Ted White, a San Francisco filmmaker, wrapped up the conference with excerpts from several of his videos, including "Return of the Scorcher." Ted 's films show the power of people on bikes and on foot, while exploring ways that activists can work with planners and traffic engineers to make cities more people friendly.

While the unstructured nature of Critical Mass keeps the focus on fun monthly rides on Chicago's streets, Break the Gridlock shows how the power of regular citizens can change the way people look at the world around them.

For more information on Break the Gridlock, visit www.breakthegridlock.org.

Kanoon Magnet Elementary School on Chicago's southwest side is offering students something better than hyperactive cartoons when class lets out for the day. Starting December 5, Kanoon parents can enroll their boys in the city's first Kids on Bikes in Chicago program.

On Fridays for an hour-and-a-half after school, the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation's Carlos Cuarta will teach boys from grades 5-8 bike fitting, bike handling skills, bike maintenance, helmet use, and traffic & sidewalk skills. Some instruction, such as bike handling skills, requires a set of wheels. "But we'll have activities for every boy, with or without a bike," assures Carlos. The school will make helmets available for $5.00.

"I think it will be fun, you know," Carlos says. "I don't want kids to say, 'Ah, not more school.' I want to help start their weekend with something exciting." The school will exclude girls for now because girls currently have more after-school programs available, explains Carlos. "But this will probably change after the initial program."

Kids on Bikes in Chicago grew from a common experience Carlos had over the summer working as a Bicycling Ambassdor. "You meet a lot of people as an Ambassador," says Carlos. While working at a student health fair on the South Side, Carlos fell into converation with a faculty member from Kanoon Magnet. "She said a lot of bike crashes happened around the school, and we shared opinions about kids and bike safety." He kept her number, and when the Federation hired him this fall to reach out to the Hispanic community, he gave her a call.

The program pulls material from Chicagoland Bicycle Federation's Safe Routes to School and the Bicycling Ambassadors to show kids how to keep and get the most out of a bike. Nationally recognized University of Illinois-Chicago pediatrician Dr. Alejandro Clavier will give parents a bi-lingual presentation on the problems of obesity in childhood. The seven-week program culminates with mapping a neighborhood route and going for a ride, preferably with parents in tow. "I want the parents involved so when we want to expand our program in the community, they'll be receptive," Carlos explains.

Carlos plans to learn from Kids on Bikes at Kanoon Magnet Elementary and expand it to other South Side schools. "Developing a bicycle culture on the South Side, in Hispanic communities, is exciting to me." For more information, e-mail Carlos or call at 312/427-3325x25.

As the mayor recalled it, he was egged into riding his first century by his little brother. He was eating dinner one night when his brother came to the table in "a whirl of excitement," because "he had just completed a 'century.'"

He figured he could match the younger man's feat, but in case he failed, he kept his plans secret. On a cool, bright June morning, he told his wife that "he'd be away on business until evening." The day's only business involved riding a bike to Waukegan, a little over 50 miles away. The route he chose ran through Evanston, Wheeling, Half-Day, Libertyville, and Gurnee.

In three-and-a-half hours he was having lunch in the restaurant of the Waukegan Hotel. He returned home in nine and a half hours having pedaled one hundred and three miles. By the end of the cycling season he completed seventeen more centuries.

The cyclist was Carter H. Harrison. His father, Carter H. Harrison, Sr., had served five terms as Chicago mayor. Unfortunately, Harrison Sr. was assassinated during the closing days of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.

Some three years later, Democrats drafted his namesake son to run for the same office. The bicycle craze peaked in 1897 when Harrison Jr. kicked off his campaign. Harrison enjoyed name recognition but found himself in a tough three-way race. He needed to appeal to younger voters. Since his wife's twin brothers owned the St. Nicholas Manufacturing Company, makers of the trendy Hibbard bicycle, he decided to play up his cycling feats during the election campaign.

Campaign posters featured a picture of Harrison on a "hot" Hibbard featuring scorcher handlebars and direct drive. In the photograph he's dressed in a heavy wool sweater and cap, with tweed knee-britches and knee socks. Harrison's eighteen century rides, verified by the Century Road Club, entitled him to a club badge with 18 century pendant bars dangling below, each bar engraved with the date of the ride. His badge is prominently displayed.

"Not the champion cyclist, but the cyclists' champion" read Harrison's campaign slogan. In addition to his campaign posters, his in-laws' bicycle company printed and distributed thousands of additional posters showing him on his bike with the caption, "He rides a Hibbard."

Harrison promised to legislate an eight-hour work day, enforce the civil service law, employ union labor, lower telephone bills, extend electric street lighting, elevate the tracks and extend personal liberty. That platform could win today, and in 1897 it conspired with Harrison's courting of young voters to land him in office. Like his father, Harrison would serve five terms.

Did Harrison really do 18 centuries that summer? No one will ever know. We do know that it wouldn't be the last time a politician used staged publicity pictures to good advantage, borrowed corporate money to finance a campaign, or rode a national craze into office.

Safe Routes to School

When you drive, you're still a bicycle advocate. Or you could be. Click the sign above to take the pledge. Or read about the Driver's Pledge in the December 2002/January 2003 Bike Traffic.



The Canadian pop singing group Spruce Girls? In your dreams, Nanook: just a cold-weather biking layering demonstration, brought to you by Chicagoland Bicycle Federation. See it LIVE and pick up other winter riding tips at Mayor Daley's Holiday Sports Fest, 1:30-2 pm on December 27-29 at McCoprmick Place. More info at bikewinter.org.

Can't make the seminars? We'll be out there with our on-bike safety course all weekend. Stop by and show us you got the goods to be a safe bike rider!

Park One. Actually, park a bunch: Bank One has picked up the tab for 208 bike racks for Chicago. Installation of the racks, which feature a special Bank One medallion, began in mid-November. More on Bank One's commitment to Chicago biking at bikeonechicago.com.

Construction season.DuPage County is upgrading culverts on the Illinois Prairie Path-Elgin branch, and suggests trail users take local streets around the construction including Powis Road, Dunham Road, Smith Road, Prince Crossing Road, and Nagel Court. Eight culverts will be replaced, closing short sections of the path for 1-2 weeks at a time. Now's a great time to buy the 4th Edition Chicagoland Bicycle Map, which shows clearly Chicagoland's local road network, at biketraffic.org or your local bike shop.

Grandpa had it easy.Walking two miles uphill in the snow is nothing compared to having to brave the dirt paths that run along many arterials to get to school. Now it's official: the U.S. EPA's report "Travel and Environmental Implications of School Siting" shows the error of building schools in remote locations cordoned off by busy roads, worsening traffic congestion, air pollution, and even school transportation budgets. Get your copy today.


Hey hey, we're the monkeys...CDOT planner Keith Privett pointed us to an archive of kitschy bike safety films from the '50s and '60s. The scene above is from "One Got Fat," circa 1963. Edward Horton of Rocky and Bullwinkle's Fractured Fairy Tales narrates. A hoo-hoo-hoot.




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
Steve Buchtel

Editors
Randy Neufeld
Dan Korman
David Callahan

Layout
Steve Buchtel

Copyright 2003, Chicagoland Bicycle Federation
650 S. Clark, Ste. 300, Chicago, Ill. 60605
Ph: 312/427-3325  Fax: 312/427-4907 E-mail: cbf@biketraffic.org