ChiWhoBike #58
I really feel like everyone should have a bike. It makes the city better. It makes you better. It’s a way of getting out there and exercising, and I really feel like it’s something that as Americans we should invest more into, outside of cars. It’s one thing that is really good on the environment and really good to do as a human. So I really feel like local, state and federal governments should invest more into bike lanes and less into cars. I love cars, I’m a big car person, but we don’t need the infrastructure that is so car centric right now. We’ve seen what it forms, and it’s a lot of really dead areas of parking lots and spaces that aren’t safe to pedestrians. And so I definitely encourage people to explore and learn about and encourage their representatives to advocate for more safe bike lanes, pedestrian walkways, and things of that nature.
I’ve nicknamed my bike Silver Bullet ‘cause that’s kind of a culmination of how I view myself on my bike. I’m a pretty speedy if not aggressive bike rider, which has been something that has kind of developed over the course of me riding my bike around Chicago my whole life. I bought this bike in college, and it’s my second of this model. I’ve had it almost a decade now, it’s been really reliable. I’ve taken it all over the country, done RAGBRAI with it and made extensive modifications - this tray, the fenders, stickers, grip tape every year. It is my pride and joy. I have two cars but I honestly prize my bike over both of them.
I definitely dislike the lack of bike lanes on the South Side, and the lack of empathy some drivers give to bikers. It’s definitely something that as a driver, someone that drives a lot, that loves cars and also loves biking, I get a good appreciation of both and understand that the biker is always gonna be the person that’s in more danger than the person in the car. So seeing people that drive or park their cars in the bike lane, I really, really don’t like that. I really don’t like that it really puts bikers in danger, having to go around a car in a bike lane or having to, you know, kind of move out of their way if they’re getting too far into a bike lane or not giving enough room.
