Chicago Police Department

West Coast cities have made non-payment a fineable offense, rather than a misdemeanor. Chicago criminal justice reform advocates say we should do that here as well, because being short a couple of dollars for a CTA train or bus ride shouldn't result in a criminal record.

A Chicago Tribune investigation indicates that police are much more likely to ticket people in African-American communities for bike infractions than they are to issue citations to lawbreaking cyclists in mostly white areas. This isn't just illegal and unjust. It also discourages cycling in black neighborhoods.

After a bike crash was inadvertently captured by a news crew, police ticketed the cyclist for blowing a red. But closer examination shows the cabbie may have disregarded his signal as well.

The CPD argues the cyclist was at fault, claiming that she ran her stop sign. However, her attorney says the truth about the crash has yet to be determined, and the CPD's refusal to accept responsibility is yet another example of our city's larger problem of police accountability.

According to the Chicago Police, an officer who struck and injured a 29-year-old female cyclist yesterday while running a traffic signal had activated the squad car’s emergency lights. But a witnesses says neither the car’s lights nor its sirens were on when the officer passed through the intersection, knocking the woman off her bike.

[The Chicago Reader recently launched a new weekly transportation column written by Streetsblog Chicago editor John Greenfield. This partnership will allow Streetsblog to extend the reach of our livable streets advocacy. We’ll be syndicating 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.]

Last summer, a Chicago Park District spokeswoman told me that, according to the park district code, it’s legal to commute on the Bloomingdale Trail at all times of day. But in the wake of the mugging of a cyclist on the greenway last Friday night, the agency seems to have flip-flopped on the issue – a spokeswoman implied that the 2.7-mile facility is closed between 11 p.m. and 6 p.m. However, if it was open 24/7, that would improve safety because there would more “eyes on the trail.”

The Bloomingdale Trail, aka The 606, is a 2.7-mile walking and cycling corridor that connects many destinations across the Near Northwest Side and intersects with several key bike routes. Some 80,000 residents live within a half mile of the path. As such, it’s a no-brainer that people should be allowed use it for commuting 24/7, just like on Lakefront Trail.

Have you ever been hassled by Chicago police officers while bicycling on the Lakefront Trail after parks officially close at 11 PM? You're not alone. Sebastian Huydts, who bicycles for most of his transportation needs, has been stopped twice this year -- most recently on May 13, at about 11:15 p.m. "They actually told me to stop with a bright light and asked why I was there," Huydts recently told Streetsblog. The police insisted that the park is closed after 11 p.m., telling Huydts "that you cannot use the path after that time, and that it wasn't safe anyways."