Last summer, Gov. Quinn signed a law for permanent "Share the Road" specialty license plates. The state will begin producing them when there are 1,500 reservations. We are currently more than 3/4 of the way there with 1,156 reservations!
If you own a car, this is the perfect way to show your bicycling pride as well as promote the "Share the Road" message! As a bonus, most of the additional fee for the plates will go to LIB for education of motorists and bicyclists.
Learn more about the plates and get the reservation form at http://www.bikelib.org/other-advocacy/license-plates/license-plate-....
As a part-time employee at LIB, I've been at many events such as Bike the Drive (where Julie was wonderfully kind to lend me her umbrella!). Those who have already signed up for the plates keep asking me when are they going to get their snazzy new plates. We just need 344 more! Please help us spread the word and consider signing up for a plate, if you have not already done so.
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I'd printed this form out twice and never completed it/sent it in with a check.
Thanks for the reminder; I finally did so this morning.
We applied for one for my wife's car a couple of months ago.
I think more people may apply if there was an FAQ section. Questions on my mind are:
There is a link to a faq section buried within the LIB site:
http://www.bikelib.org/other-advocacy/license-plates/history-and-de...
I was also worried about the same thing with our sticker expiring in August, but it seems that the plate will ship with a sticker that expires at the same time your normal sticker would.
Bike Bloke said:
We applied for one for my wife's car a couple of months ago.
I think more people may apply if there was an FAQ section. Questions on my mind are:
- What happens with the unexpired part of the existing IL State sticker? We replaced one at the end of July.
- Can you get lettering instead of numbers? If so, can you specify the letters/numbers, subject to availability? And if so what other rules may apply?
Can we design these plates to explode if they are mounted on a Chevy Suburban or Hummer?
Melanie, Thanks for posting the link to our FAQ.
Bike Bloke, Your sticker will expire the same month with the Share the Road plate as it has been. You will have to pay an one-time transfer fee, as is the case with transferring to any specialty plate.
At this time, you cannot receive vanity plates but we do expect that to change after we have hit the initial 1,500 order requirement.
If you have any other questions that the FAQ does not answer, please feel free to contact me at gina@bikelib.org or (708) 334-2244.
As for Thunder Snow's comment, you did bring a smile to my face. = )
-Gina
Gina Kenny
LCI# 2446
Program Manager
League of Illinois Bicyclists
gina@bikelib.org
(708) 334-2244
http://www.bikelib.org/
The League of Illinois Bicyclists is the statewide not-for-profit advocacy organization dedicated making Illinois a land of safe and enjoyable bicycling for all; promoting bicycle access, education and safety.
Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bikeLIB.
Jason,
I'm not sure what version/part of Illinois law you are looking at. We have an Illinois Bicycle Laws card that lists state laws related to cycling. You can view the card at http://www.bikelib.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/63805_Bike_Law_20.... I would also be happy to mail you a copy. I used to be a newspaper reporter and I can tell you that people are arrested for riding their bikes while intoxicated and I know someone who was actually ticketed for walking while intoxicated.
-Gina
Gina Kenny
LCI# 2446
Program Manager
League of Illinois Bicyclists
gina@bikelib.org
(708) 334-2244
http://www.bikelib.org/
The League of Illinois Bicyclists is the statewide not-for-profit advocacy organization dedicated making Illinois a land of safe and enjoyable bicycling for all; promoting bicycle access, education and safety.
Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bikeLIB.
I believe that while we have laws that basically outline "same rights/same rules" those rules are not always equally enforced and due to the lack and rarity of enforcement, cyclists drink and ride, blow the lights and stop signs, and violate other rules of the road more often and with more regularity than motorists do. Although there are plenty of motorists that violate the rules as well, there is also more of a consequence if a driver is caught doing so than if and when a cyclist is.
I reserved a plate because our car sits on the street the majority of the time and it is nice to let others know we are cyclists and that we support cycling and any infrastructure that helps cyclists. The car is our secondary transport for emergencies, for child care, or for transporting the bicycles on vacation.
Jason W said:
No I didn't, and won't be. It's not "same rights, same rules". Remember, according to Illinois law we are not vehicles (second class citizens), and are NOT subject to the same laws. i.e. we can drink and cycle, etc...
I think your pdf proves my point. There are laws that are specific to bikes, but not all car laws apply to bikes. It's not "same rights same rules". It's "some of the same rights, some of the same laws, and others that don't apply etc etc etc..."
Regarding DUI form the mouth of a lawyer and forum member:
http://www.mybikeadvocate.com/2010/09/time-out-on-drinking-and-bicy...
Jason,
Thank you for posting the link to the post on drinking and biking. The law may not say "bike = vehicle." But, the law does state "Traffic laws apply to persons riding bicycles. Bicyclists riding on a highway are granted all of the rights and are subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle with certain exceptions." [5/11-1502] I agree with Margo O'Hara, that regardless, it is not a good idea to ride while drunk.
I also still believe that promoting sharing the road and the "Same Rigts, Same Rules" idea will benefit cyclists, such as myself and that it will hopefully decrease the amount of times a motorist yells at me that I should be riding on the sidewalk. If you do not feel the same, you obviously have the right to your opinion and can decide for yourself regarding whether to reserve a plate.
-Gina
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