Bike Fatalities

Note: This post includes images from the aftermath of a fatal bike crash that may be disturbing.

A nearby West Town address found in Levin's Rogers Park apartment indicates he may have chosen Ashland as a direct route from home, although it's a bike-hostile one.

And a few blocks away, CDOT is installing a Neighborhood Greenway on Long Avenue, where drivers recently injured and killed teens on bikes.

But while the event raised awareness of the urgent need to make streets safer for all users, it also was an example of what's beautiful about riding bikes.

As a longtime bicycle courier, and one of Chicago's most adventurous bike riders and writers, George Christensen did extensive cycling trips in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America. These included biking the length of three continents and one subcontinent, India. Starting in 2001, he eloquently documented his travels on his well-read blog, George the Cyclist.

Vargas, 18, was struck and critically injured on 2/23/24 at Grace/Long, just 1/8 mile north of where a driver killed Josh Anleu, 16, on a bike on 10/24/23 at Waveland/Long.

The lack of bike facilities on the 4-lane highway, and the driver's high-front-end pickup truck, were likely factors in the crash.

City and state officials, as well as Bike Lane Uprising's Christina Whitehouse, stressed the need to create safe streets.

His case was one of three Chicagoland bike fatalities reported by local news outlets this week.