ChiWhoBike #25
I do Jimmy John’s bike delivery, so I’ve put lots of miles on this thing. Some days it’s safe, other days drivers really don’t like me. So many times they just swerve into a parking space, no signal, slow down right in front of me, and I barely have any time to react.
A lot of times it’s an issue of just not noticing, but there are definitely some drivers who are really aggressive for no reason. Like I’m a biker, I’m not going that fast - you can wait a second, pass me, and move on with your day. And that takes like a second. It is also like our city is pretty car centered, and not super friendly towards bikes, but it is definitely better than some places. We do have at least some infrastructure for bikes, but there’s also so much room for improvement.
But just hop on a bike, go on a small side street and just bike around the neighborhood. With Femmes and Thems, it was awesome riding through neighborhoods on the South side. People were a lot more friendly, just sitting on the stoop, and we waved at each other. You get to see people a lot more easily on a bike, instead of in a car. Give it a try. Get on a bike.
