City Council Committee Proposes Stiff Fines For Biking On Sidewalk

By Chuck Sudo in News on Sep 10, 2013 4:40PM

A City Council committee advanced a proposal to quadruple the fine for biking on sidewalks Monday, part of an effort to reduce collisions between cyclists and pedestrians.

The Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Committee agreed to raise the fine for biking on sidewalks to $200 at the behest of Ald. Harry Osterman (48th), who has been trying to reduce the tensions between cyclists and pedestrians in his ward. Osterman noted that bicyclists use the sidewalks on Sheridan Road north of the Lakefront as an unofficial extension of the route, a practice that has been going on for years.

“People get off the bike path and go north. A lot of them are…taking the appropriate bike routes on Kenmore and Winthrop. But there are still some that take that turn and ride on the sidewalks. That’s where you have seniors walking down the street. It’s a significant problem. Very dense buildings with an elderly population,” Osterman said.

Osterman’s predecessor, Mary Ann Smith, and 49th Ward Ald. Joe Moore once tried to declare Sheridan Road between Ardmore and Devon a “bicycle forfeiture zone” for cyclists caught riding on the sidewalk. Under the plan, cyclists could get their bikes back if they could prove to an administrative hearing officer that they weren’t riding on the sidewalk. The plan went nowhere and Smith eventually agreed to an ordinance fining bicyclists $50 for riding on the sidewalk.

All cyclists 12 and older are required to bike on the streets under the City’s Municipal Code. We’re actually down with the proposal to hike the fine to $200 and, based on our own observations, the city could make a good chunk of change by fining Divvy Bikes users for riding on the sidewalk.

The proposal to raise the fines follows a move by the Emanuel administration to crack down on motorists involved in doorings and bicyclists who ignore the rules of the road by hitting their pocketbooks with steep fines.