The negligent driver who killed Steve Bender on his bike was merely cited for failure to reduce speed. His family wants tougher state laws.
On the afternoon of Wednesday, May 29, 2024, in beautiful late-spring weather, Steve Bender, 73, bicycled east from his home in the Chicago suburb of Tinley Park. According to his wife Mary, he was riding an orange Orbea road bike and wearing a bright blue jersey, making him easy to see. They were planning to celebrate their 52nd wedding anniversary the next month.
January 11, 2026
Today’s Headlines for Friday, January 9
• Crain's picks up Nik Hunder's op-ed on speeding bus service, previously run on Streetsblog
January 9, 2026
Tragically, two more CDOT records of 2025 pedestrian deaths on Chicago surface streets bring the total number of fatalities to 28
Streetsblog Chicago's Fatality Tracker series seeks to document all deadly pedestrian and bicycle crashes on surface streets within the city of Chicago. Our goal is to draw attention to the need for policy and infrastructure changes to help prevent these kind of tragedies.
January 8, 2026
Today’s Headlines for Thursday, January 8
• "Trailer bill tweaking some parts of state’s transit bill could surface when General Assembly reconvenes, legislative leaders said Wednesday" (Herald)
January 8, 2026
Today’s Headlines for Wednesday, January 7
• Driver fatally struck pedestrian Tuesday around 5:55 PM at intersection of 8-lane roads with no sidewalks in Schererville, NW Indiana (ABC)
January 7, 2026
Round 5 of the dueling Archer Avenue rallies, plus ex-alder George Cardenas enters the chat with a windshield POV
I've reported on most of the Monday evening dueling anti- and pro- Archer Avenue traffic safety project rallies over the past month or so. But I took a break from showing up on Monday, December 29, when the fourth of the competing demonstration sessions took place, in front of Ald. Julia Ramirez's 12th Ward office, 3868 S. Archer Ave.
January 6, 2026
Today’s Headlines for Tuesday, January 6
• Ryan Riccio, 33, who delivered for Snap Courier, "passed away suddenly" on 12/22. A 7/22 Sun-Times article on working in the heat: "Riccio enjoys his job."
January 6, 2026
We’ve got receipts: Emails show Ald. Ramirez gave NBC full info on Archer project, dueling rallies. Why didn’t that make it into lopsided TV report?
There has already been some really bad reporting on the Archer Avenue traffic safety project in Brighton Park. Looking at you, CBS Chicago's Jermont Terry.
January 5, 2026
Drop it like it’s hot! A train + bike pilgrimage to Whiting, IN for the New Year’s Eve Pierogi Drop
This post isn't completely within Streetsblog Chicago's wheelhouse, but I thought many of our readers would enjoy it, so I wrote it up over the weekend for fun.
January 5, 2026
Today’s Headlines for Monday, January 5
• "CTA State And Lake Station Closes For Reconstruction After 130 Years Of Service" (Chicago YIMBY)
January 5, 2026