police

During an action to force northbound drivers to stop running red lights during the walk signal at Balbo/DLSD, police manually changed the signal to accommodate motorists, making pedestrians wait longer.

It turns out there are fewer cops on the lakefront than one might have expected, but almost all of them are concentrated on the North Side.

Should police officers ticket cyclists for riding without lights and, If so, what's the best way to do it?

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.

[This piece also runs in Checkerboard City, John's column in Newcity magazine, which hits the street in print on Wednesday evenings.]

It goes without saying that it's bad when motorists park or stand their vehicles in crosswalks or bike lanes. Obviously, the former makes it harder for pedestrians to safely cross the street. The latter forces cyclists to merge into moving traffic to get around the obstacle, which can be dangerous for less experienced riders. It can also partially obstruct the travel lane, creating a hazard for other drivers.

Crash data, more so than any other regularly collected and readily reported public data sets, shine a bright light upon the most dangerous parts of our city's streets. Crash reports tell authorities who was injured, where, and under what circumstances, and the Illinois Department of Transportation collects the same information from all police departments statewide. IDOT uses these reports "for a number of vital purposes, including crash analysis, roadway engineering improvements, safety program design, and ultimately, preventing death/injury on Illinois roadways."