On the evening of May 29, 2013, 26-year-old Bobby Cann was bicycling north on Larrabee from his job at Groupon, heading home to catch a Blackhawks game. Meanwhile, 28-year-old Ryne San Hamel was driving southeast on Clybourn. He’d been drinking in Wrigleyville after watching the Cubs defeat the Sox.
These bike lanes, which are separated from traffic by wide concrete curbs that provide extra protection for riders, double as a memorial for the fallen cyclist. Friends and coworkers said Cann was always encouraging others to bike, and to do it safely.
The state claimed the reason for the prohibition was a need for more proof that protected lanes are safe. But former city transportation commissioner Gabe Klein says the ban was motivated by “political and personality issues.” (For full disclosure, Klein is currently a board member with the parent organization for Streetsblog Chicago, which I edit.)
“The state traffic engineers had balked because ‘they had jurisdiction’ and ‘this was unproven,'” Klein explains in his new book Start-Up City, which includes stories from his tenure at CDOT.
“I understand politics as you do,” Klein replied. “But if this is truly about safety, then we should be able to quickly fix this misunderstanding.”
—Former Chicago transportation commissioner Gabe Klein
