Blaine Klingenberg

In 2016, Chicago garnered the number one spot in Bicycling Magazine’s 50 Best Bikes Cities. The same year there were six bike fatalities. It seemed like Ghost Bikes memorials were being installed every other week, leaving many in the cycling community wondering just how bike-friendly Chicago streets actually were. One of the six lives lost was Bakersfield, California native Blaine “Beezy” Klingenberg, who was 29 years old.

Recently, for the second time, someone took away the flowers, candles, messages, drawings, and white-painted bike wheel that were placed at Oak and Michigan as a tribute to bike courier Blaine Klingenberg, who was fatally struck by a bus driver at the intersection on June 15. His friends and members of the cycling community say they want to install a permanent memorial nearby that won’t be at risk of being removed again.

This weekend’s Cuttin Crew Classic racing series will be held in honor of fallen courier Blaine “Beezy” Klingenberg, 29, fatally struck by a double-decker tour bus driver at Oak and Michigan on June 15. And this Saturday there will be a group ride from the finish line to Milwaukee and Racine, where a Ghost Bike memorial will be installed as a tribute to art student Lisa Kuivinen, 20, struck and killed by a flatbed truck driver at the intersection on August 16.

[This article was produced in partnership with the Chicago Reader.]

[The Chicago Reader recently launched a new weekly transportation column written by Streetsblog Chicago editor John Greenfield. This partnership allows Streetsblog to extend the reach of our livable streets advocacy. We syndicate a portion of the column on the day it comes out online; you can read the remainder on the Reader’s website or in print. The paper hits the streets on Thursdays.]

About 200 people on bikes filled the streets of Chicago today to honor fallen bike courier Blaine "Beezy" Klingenberg during RYB Fest. The bike ride and barbecue was described by organizers as "a day of remembrance and celebration, and to remind all that bicyclists should also be viewed as equals when riding on the road.”

There have been far too many bicycle crashes with injuries or fatalities in northeast Illinois in recent months, especially during the past three weeks. With all of the tragic news, one bright spot has been that recent events have inspired bike riders from different walks of life to unite to honor fallen cyclists and survivors of traffic violence.

Family and friends, and the Chicago bike courier community, are mourning the death of Blaine Klingenberg, 29, who was fatally struck on his bike by a tour bus driver Wednesday evening at Oak Street and Michigan Avenue.

I know from personal experience that nothing beats a dip in Lake Michigan after a hard day of bicycle delivery work in hot weather. It appears that on Wednesday evening, bike courier Blaine Klingenberg, 29, was on his way to enjoy that simple pleasure at Oak Street Beach with friends. Tragically, he instead lost his life in a crash with a double-decker tour bus, making him the first bike fatality of 2016.