As Chicago bike use rises, so do fatalities
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Chicago saw 2.6 fatal bicycle crashes on average for every million residents from 2017 to 2021, per data from the League of American Bicyclists via National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- That's up 19% from the same average for 2012-2016.
Why it matters: Bicycle use spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving many cities scrambling to install new bike lanes and adopt other measures to keep riders safe while encouraging cycling, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick reports.
- Biking is linked to better air quality, lighter traffic and better health for city residents.
- And it's National Bike Month.
Zoom out: Chicago bike fatality averages fall just under the nation's 2.7 per million average for 2017-2021.
- New Orleans (9.9), Tucson (8.9) and Jacksonville (7.9) had the country's highest rates of fatal accidents per million residents.
Driving the news: Bike-share use has expanded nationwide and in Chicago, where Divvy saw a record high of more than 6.3 million bike and scooter trips last year. That's a 60% increase over 2019 levels, per the city's Department of Transportation.
- This year, ridership is up nearly 40% year over year.
Zoom in: In bike safety circles, "low-stress" bikeways (protected lanes, off-street trails or lanes on quieter streets) are seen as the key to increasing bike safety and participation.
- Today about half of Chicagoans live within a half-mile of a "low-stress" bikeway.
The intrigue: Chicago, like many other U.S. cities, is also dealing with a boom in e-bikes used by residents, tourists and delivery workers.
- It's still not clear whether they belong in bike lanes with slower, traditional two-wheelers, or among the cars and trucks, where Vespa-style scooters travel.
What's next: This spring the city released an updated plan aiming to add 150 miles of bikeway in "the next few years" — 85% of which would be "low-stress."
- The city estimates that once complete, 70% of residents will live within a half-mile of a low-stress place to bike.
- This month the city is also promoting free bike safety lessons.