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Legislation would protect pedestrians,
bicyclists
In 2008 we focus on legislation that would hold drivers
accountable for crashes that kill or seriously hurt pedestrians
and bicyclists to make our streets safer vulnerable users.
The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation is working in partnership with
the League of Illinois Bicyclists and allied elected officials to
support the following bills:
In Illinois
H.B. 4861 — Vulnerable Users Bill
A pedestrian or bicyclist is killed nearly every week in Chicagoland.
Each of these deaths is a personal tragedy for the victim’s
family, and far too often the drivers involved receive little or
no punishment. The Vulnerable Users bill would create stiffer penalties
for drivers who kill or seriously injure vulnerable users of the
roadways, including bicyclists, pedestrians, children and senior
citizens.
The Vulnerable Users bill proposes that drivers who kill a bicyclist
or pedestrian due to careless driving would be issued a minimum
fine of $12,500, face up to a year in jail and be subject to revocation
or suspension of their driver’s licenses.
While the Vulnerable Users bill alone can’t prevent future
tragic crashes, it is a step toward acknowledging the true horror
and violence that accompany these deaths.
Rep. Luis Arroyo (D-3rd) sponsored the bill in the House, and Sen.
William Delgado (D-2nd), and Rep. Maria “Toni” Berrios
(D-39th) are also expected to sponsor this bill.
H.B. 4757 — Transportation Enhancement and Safe Routes
to School Transparency Act
The Transportation Enhancement and Safe Routes to School Transparency
Act will guarantee fairness and transparency in funding decisions
when the Illinois Department of Transportation uses Transportation
Enhancements or Safe Routes to School funds. With its passage, the
State will be under proper scrutiny to use these federal dollars
more effectively.
The Transportation Enhancements program has been the main funding
source for bicycle trails since 1991. Safe Routes to School was
created in 2005 to help children safely walk and bike to school.
The State, through IDOT, administers these federal transportation
programs in Illinois.
Serious problems with the current process include: a secretive selection
process that does not involve the public; partial project funding;
excessive recessions of funds; and random, unpredictable grant cycles,
which make it difficult for local agencies to plan for funding.
One result of the State’s mishandling of these funds has been
the declining number of new trails in Illinois.
The Transportation Enhancement and Safe Routes to School Transparency
Act would guarantee fairness and transparency in funding projects,
ensuring that the best and most effective projects receive federal
funding.
This bill was sponsored by Representative Elaine Nekritz (D-57th).
In Chicago
2008 Chicago Bicycle Safety Ordinance
In accordance with the City’s Bike 2015 Plan, a new ordinance
seeks to make the road safer for bicyclists by increasing fines
for traffic violations that endanger bicyclists, clarifying instances
where bicyclists have the right-of-way and making Chicago traffic
rules more consistent with Illinois traffic laws. (Yes, this is
the ordinance you heard about in the news when Daley referenced
a “Chicago way salute.”)
The 2008 Bicycle Safety Ordinance encompasses several provisions:
setting three feet as the minimum safe distance to pass a bicyclist,
prohibiting opening a door into moving traffic, increasing the fines
for parking in bike lanes or marked shared lanes, clarifying that
left-turning motorists must yield to oncoming bicyclists, and prohibiting
motorists from turning right in front of a bicyclist.
Violation of the above rules will result in a minimum fine of $150.
When a violation leads to a bicycle crash, the minimum fine would
be $500.
Additionally, the ordinance makes it easier for police to issue
tickets and for prosecutors to bring charges when motorists hit
bicyclists.
The 2008 Bicycle Safety Ordinance is sponsored by Mayor Richard
M. Daley and developed by the Chicago Department of Transportation.
Your phone calls to your representatives count! Sign up to receive
updated news and action alerts by contacting advocacy@biketraffic.org.
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