Bicyclists Overreact to Dick Mell Thinking Aloud

By Chuck Sudo in News on Oct 31, 2011 1:52PM

33rd Ward Ald. Dick Mell's question to Transportation Commissioner Gabe Klein on the feasibility of licensing bicyclists has taken on a life of its own since Mell spoke the words last week. CBS Chicago, in a classic media pile-on, headlines the reaction from cyclists to Mell's query "Bicyclists Blast Proposal To License Riders."

It wasn't a proposal. Let us reiterate from our post last week:

This is more a case of Mell simply thinking aloud, especially as Klein moves to install over 100 more miles of protected bike lanes in the next four years to fulfill Mayor Rahm Emanuel's pledge to make Chicago the most bike-friendly city in America.

Mell, Klein and Active Transportation Alliance executive director Ron Burke all agreed the best deterrent to reckless cycling is to enforce the rules already on the books. That means cyclists move in the direction of traffic, stop at intersections, and follow the rules of the road. Unfortunately, Illinois doesn't have laws in effect like "slow stops" for bicyclists and a fair amount of law enforcement officials view ticketing bicyclists as a waste of their time. Bicyclists are held to the same rules of the road as motorists and the sooner everyone understands that, the quicker we can all reach a common ground on sharing the road.