U of I to Update Its Award Winning Network of Bike Lanes

The University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana is the only university campus in Illinois that is recognized by the League of American Bicyclists as a bike friendly campus. Even with this great distinction, the University of Illinois is not content with just maintaining the status quo. The University of Illinois has recently revealed its plans to update its network of bike lanes to integrate with the cities of Champaign and Urbana. Both Champaign and Urbana are both in the midst of updating their respective bike initiatives. Termed the 2013 Campus Bike Plan, the University of Illinois estimates that the cost of improving the biking infrastructure on campus will be roughly $4 million.

The University of Illinois has reached out to the student population to survey the opinions, queries, and issues voiced by the growing number of cyclists. The Facilities and Services department is spearheading the planned changes and although the funding for the project is still unknown, the Illinois Bicycle Lawyers at Keating Law Offices are optimistic that improvements to the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana's biking infrastructure will be implemented in the very near future.

If you have any questions about this post or an issue involving Illinois personal injury law, please do not hesitate to contact Illinois Bicycle Lawyer, Mike Keating, by calling him at (312) 208-7702 or emailing him at MKeating@KeatingLegal.com. The attorneys at Keating Law Offices also have extensive experience representing clients from all over the State of Illinois. The Illinois Bicycle Lawyers at Keating Law Offices recently successfully settled a case for a Champaign bicyclist who was injured in a bicycle crash.  

Champaign, IL Seeks "Bike Friendly" Designation

The city of Champaign is looking to join its sister city, Urbana, as one of the few cities in Illinois designated as a "bicycle friendly community" by the League of American Bicyclists. According to the Daily Illini, the city will be submitting their application to the League for the February deadline, which is listed for the 26th.

The Bicycle Friendly Community Program was established for the purposes of instituting standardized measurements in comparing the efficacy of an individual city's bike advocacy. The five categories upon which the League tests an applicant city's bike friendliness is colloquially termed the "Five E's:" Engineering, Education, Encouragement, Enforcement, and Evaluation.

In order to qualify for the application, the city has undergone a series of changes with regards to both its infrastructure and its motorist-cyclist culture. Just in the past few years, Champaign has installed roughly 9 miles of painted bike lanes. In addition to the city's efforts, businesses in the city have proactively pursued receiving bike friendly business designations with three of Illinois's ten bike friendly businesses being in Champaign (the most of any city in Illinois). The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is Illinois's only bike friendly university.

The Illinois Bicycle Lawyers at Keating Law Offices applaud both the cities of Champaign and Urbana for actively seeking to increase their bike advocacy efforts and for seeking to make cycling safer and more accessible for newcomers and veterans alike. Even though our firm is based in Chicago, we are licensed and available to handle cases throughout Illinois. Just a month ago, Keating Law Offices successfully settled a case on behalf of a Champaign cyclist who had been injured in a Champaign bicycle accident.

If you have any questions regarding this post or an issue involving Illinois personal injury law, please contact Illinois Bicycle Lawyer Mike Keating by calling him at 312-208-7022 or emailing him at MKeating@KeatingLegal.com.

Keating Law Offices Settles Case for Champaign, IL Bicyclist

The Illinois Bicycle Lawyers at Keating Law Offices have settled a case on behalf of a Champaign, Illinois bicyclist who was injured in an entirely preventable bicycle accident. On August 9, 2011, the bicyclist was commuting home by bike on Church Street in Champaign when he was rear-ended as he was stopped at a red light. At the time of the accident it was still light outside, the bicyclist was wearing a yellow reflective vest, and he had two flashing taillights on his bicycle. The impact of the motorist crashing into the bicycle caused the bicyclist to be thrown forward and for the bike to be knocked under him.

As if this preventable collision was not bizarre enough, the motorist admitted to police at the scene that he struck the bicyclist because he did not see the bicyclist even though the bicyclist could not have been more visible. The situation then only became more complicated when the insurance company for the motorist admitted that the collision was the motorist's fault, but refused to compensate the bicyclist for his injuries because it claimed the injuries were not severe nor related to the collision.

After facing the non-cooperative insurance company, the bicyclist contacted Keating Law Offices for counsel. The firm immediately got to work on the case. The attorneys were able to show that, prior to the collision, the bicyclist was in  great shape and rode his bike pain-free approximately 10,000 miles a year prior to the crash. This fact, combined with reports from the bicyclist's doctor, proved that the injuries were related to the collision. The key to the success of this case, and so many cases like it, was the firm's willingness and ability to track down key details that, when put together, combined to make the case. Ultimately, the bicyclist was adequately compensated for his medical expenses, lost wages, loss of a normal life, and pain and suffering during his recovery.

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. 

As evidenced by this case, the firm is licensed and available to handle cases throughout Illinois. All e-mails and phone calls are returned promptly. All initial consultations are confidential and free.