Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about safety

On hot days it's worth detouring to the Lakefront Trail for cooler temps. Fortunately, bike/ped trail separation has been completed along much of the shore, including the congested stretch between North and Fullerton. Photo: John Greenfield

Hot Weather Biking Tips for This Scorching Weekend

By John Greenfield | Jun 29, 2018 | 3 Comments

It’s going to be in the mid-nineties this afternoon and tomorrow, but there’s a Critical Mass Ride tonight, with a proposed route memorializing longtime participant Karl Szwet, meeting at 5:30 p.m. at Daley Plaza, 50 W. Washington, departing a little after 6. And Saturday is the fabulous Tour de Fat, the major fundraiser for West […]

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“I Can’t Go Everywhere that I Thought I Could Go”

By Sahra Sulaiman | May 2, 2018

When Black and Brown cyclists need safety from more than traffic

A cab driver crashed onto the Lakefront Trail in summer 2010. Photo: Ciscel

Reckless Drivers Are a Bigger Worry for Chicago Trail Users Than Homicidal Ones

By John Greenfield | Nov 8, 2017 | 20 Comments

Local authorities should do everything they can to prevent all types of traffic violence.

The driver of this SUV struck and killed Neallie Junior Saxon III without even slowing down. Photo: WPLG

We Know SUV Design Kills Pedestrians, But We Still Let Carmakers Sell Them

By Angie Schmitt | Oct 19, 2017

The same design features that kill and maim pedestrians are what automakers rely on to appeal to consumers.

This graphic from NHTSA tells you how many people were killed in motor vehicle collisions last year, but says very little about the systemic causes of America's abysmal traffic safety record.

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America Hasn’t Seen a Spike in Traffic Deaths This Bad in 50 Years

By Angie Schmitt | Oct 11, 2017

America's traffic safety record is going from bad to worse -- and federal transportation officials aren't speaking up about it.

Slow Roll's Bike Ride for Peace, hosted last July in partnership with BUILD Chicago. Photo: Daniel Perez, BUILD Chicago

More Talking Points From the Slow Roll Chicago Discussion of Vision Zero and Racial Justice

By John Greenfield | Sep 11, 2017 | 10 Comments

Cofounder Oboi Reed elaborates on Vision Zero rollout issues, and argues that if Black and Brown residents advocate for safer street designs, their aldermen will support them.

Ghost bike memorial for Anastasia Kondrasheva at Addison and Damen. Photo: John Greenfield

How Four Fatal Truck-Bike Crashes Helped Bring About Lifesaving Legislation

By John Greenfield | Aug 17, 2017 | 2 Comments

The new Chicago law requiring vehicle side guards and safety mirrors will help prevent future tragedies.

Bike riders line up at the light at Dearborn/Madison. Cutting in line is known as "shoaling." Photo: John Greenfield

Bad Biking Behavior, and the Best Ways to Prevent It

By John Greenfield | Aug 3, 2017 | 26 Comments

Better infrastructure and education "carrots," rather than enforcement "sticks," are key.

More than 112,500 people were killed in speeding-related crashes from 2005 to 2014 . Image: NTSB

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NTSB: Speed Kills, and We’re Not Doing Enough to Stop It

By Stephen Miller | Jul 27, 2017

More than 112,500 people lost their lives in speed-related crashes from 2005 to 2014, accounting for 31 percent of all traffic deaths in America over that period. In a draft report released earlier this week, the National Transportation Safety Board says excessive speed is a deadly problem in our nation's transportation system -- one that federal and state officials aren't doing enough to address.

Are Reckless Driving and Biking Morally Equivalent? An Ethicist Weighs In

By John Greenfield | Jul 6, 2017 | 41 Comments

Cars have exponentially more potential for death and destruction than bikes, but all road users are capable of harming others. How should these facts influence government policy, as well as personal conduct?

In cities like Copenhagen, with bicycle-friendly street design, mobility education, and traffic laws, few people wear helmets, but bike fatality rates are much lower than in U.S. cities. Photo: Wikipedia

A Bike Helmet Manifesto in Four Paragraphs

By John Greenfield | Mar 1, 2017 | 88 Comments

If lots of people are wearing bike helmets for moderate-paced commuting in your town, that’s probably a symptom of the fact that it’s a dangerous place to ride.

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