Chicago Personal Injury Attorneys Applaud Bike Lane

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Chicago Personal Injury Attorneys Applaud Bike Lane

Written by Malman Law, reviewed by Steve J. Malman.

Our Chicago personal injury attorneys were excited to hear that Chicago’s first protected bicycle lane will be installed on Kinzie Street. According to the Chicago Tribune, a “special type of bike lane, called a cycle track, will be tested on Kinzie between Milwaukee Avenue and Wells Street, a half-

Chicago cyclists often have to bike defensively, being especially cautious of being “doored” by drivers of parked vehicles, say Chicago personal injury lawyers. While number of “dooring” personal injuries in Chicago have not been tracked until recently, they are a very real hazard of bicycling around the city. A dedicated cycle track will help eliminate “dooring” hazards.

“Cycle tracks separate bicyclists from motor vehicle traffic typically by using a divider such as a construction barrier, a concrete planter box or a raised median placed to the left of the bikes-only lane. (For this pilot project, flexible posts will be installed.) A sidewalk may exist to the right of the cycle track, but all motorized vehicles, whether moving or parked, are to the left of the barricade,” the Trib reports.

It was the hope of the Chicago Department of Transportation that the new lane would be completed by June 17, in time for Chicago’s “Bike to Work Day.”

Dedicated bike lanes in other cities, like New York City, have been met with enthusiasm and success. When people aren’t afraid to bicycle in their city, cyclists can enjoy it for what it should be – a leisure activity or sport – without worrying that they’ll need to contact a Chicago personal injury attorney.

In the interim, Chicago personal injury lawyers urge cyclists to use caution while biking in the city. That includes wearing the appropriate safety gear, ensuring that your bicycle is maintained properly, and being hyperaware of your surroundings and anticipating hazards such as “dooring.”

Unfortunately, cycling accidents do happen even when exercising extreme caution. If you or a family member have been injured through no fault of your own while bicycling, contact a Chicago personal injury lawyer right away. A qualified legal professional can help you collect compensation for pain and suffering, medical bills and lost wages so that you can work on recovering and enjoying safer bicycle travels in the future on dedicated cycle tracks like the Kinzie Street prototype.