The League of Illinois
Quoted message said:Bicyclist has been fighting this for five years and so for has not been able to have it
overturned.
Technically, this can't be 'overturned.' Rather, the LIB and Chicagoland bike Fed have been trying
to get legislators to pass a law that would state that bicycles are indeed intended users of
Illinois roads, unless excluded for some reason (interstates, etc.).
There are a couple of bills in Springfield right now to address this. Unfortunately, Illinois
municipalities have been convinced by their legal departments that they'll have to pay through the
nose if their Boub loophole is removed and they've all been lobbying HARD against the bill. I have
heard, but have not been able to verify, that the normally bike-friendly city of Chicago is one of
the major players fighting the bill.
Apparently, there's a compromise in the works that would NOT say that bicyclists are intended users,
but that they're protected against 'willful and wanton' behavior by municipalities. I guess it's
something, but it's still not enough.
True example: missing manhole cover in Chicago near my office.
1)Fall in hole with SUV, Motorcycle, or on foot: SUE CITY for negligence.
2)Fall in with bike, NO LEGAL RECOURSE.
3)With compromise bill: NO LEGAL RECOURSE.
4)With compromise bill and enough detective work to find out that I phoned the city 4 times in one
week asking them to replace the manhole cover: MAYBE some legal recourse.
Best info on this issue is at www.biketraffic.org.
Sj
P.S. Don't be discouraged by the Illinois experience. There's no reason to accept dangerous
conditions for bicyclists. We all need to stand up for our rights and stop flinching every time
the powers that be say 'boo!'
