Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Bicycling Magazine Names Chicago 5th Best Bike City in America

Bicycling Magazine has issued a press release naming the 50 Best Bike Cities in America and has put Chicago as #5 on the list. Chicago trails only  Portland, Minneapolis, Boulder and Washington D.C. on the list. Bicycling Magazine pointed to Chicago's new bike-share program. Bicycling Magazine concluded that:
"Chicago experienced a significant boost from new bike-share programs, which have proved transformative in creating a stronger cycling culture and increasing the number of cyclists"
I respectfully disagree with Bicycling Magazine on this analysis. While the bike sharing program has been great  (it made bicycling more accessible and put more bikes on the road) it was only one part of Chicago's continued ascendency in best biking cities. To me the two factors that lead to a Chicago being such a strong city for bicycling is that 1) there is a strong culture of bicycling and 2) the City of Chicago itself has made a substantial commitment to making the city accessible by bike. These two factors combine to make a recipe for Chicago being so great for biking.

But as with many successes, there is a downside. The increase in the number of bicyclists on Chicago's roadways has also led to an increase in the number of injuries and fatalities from bicycling related accidents and collisions. The attorneys at Keating Law Offices have seen first hand the result of these accidents and crashes have on bicyclists and are committed to representing those injured in a bike accident or bike crash in Chicago or the surrounding suburbs.

If you have any questions regarding this post or an issue involving Illinois personal injury law, please contact Illinois Bicycle Attorney Mike Keating at 312-208-7702 or MKeating@KeatingLegal.com 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All e-mails and phone calls are returned promptly. All initial consultations are confidential and free.