2 Upcoming Events To Get You Thinking About Bike Safety This Spring

By Rachel Cromidas in News on May 17, 2017 4:35PM

Spring is probably the best time to take up bike commuting in Chicago—the weather is warm, but not so warm that you arrive at your destination a sweaty mess, the sun is out longer, and it just feels nice to be outside for one of the prettiest times of year, instead of packed into a traffic-jammed CTA bus. But if you don't make your safety a priority, it can be a major problem. Thankfully, there are two upcoming events meant to get cyclists thinking about their safety on the road:

The first is Wednesday night, when hundreds of cyclists around the world, including in Chicago, are slated to gather for the Ride of Silence, an annual ride that honors cyclists who have been killed on the road.

"The goal is to raise awareness that we are here, and to ask that we all share the road," according to organizers. The Chicago route will pass several ghost bikes, those white spray-painted memorials to fallen cyclists that appear around the city where cyclists have been killed by vehicles.

Riders are meeting at 6:00 p.m. and departing at 6:30 p.m. for the ride from Daley Plaza.

One of the first steps to riding safely involves making sure you have a good helmet. To help you with that, Swedish Covenant Hospital on the far North Side is giving away 1,000 bike helmets next month, as part of an effort to promote bike safety as cycling season heats up. The giveaway is part of the hospital's June 10 Summer Social, and organizers say the first 1,000 attendees will get a free helmet.

Reps from Chicago's Bike Ambassadors program will also be on hand to perform helmet fittings during the event at the Galter LifeCenter at 5115 N. Francisco Ave.