North Riverside: Harlem & Cermak--Bike Crash This Morning?

As I was getting ready for work around 5:30 this morning, WBBM-AM radio was announcing a car-bike crash at Harlem/Cermak with "a mangled bicycle" at the scene. If anyone lives out that way, do you have any further news?  Is the cyclist OK?

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Permalink Reply by Duppie on April 3, 2013 at 4:15am

Sun-Times reports that the bicyclist died.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/19247649-418/report-bicyclist-st...

Thanks to StreetsBlog for their daily headlines, where I first saw this reported

Permalink Reply by Thunder Snow on April 3, 2013 at 4:48am

Thanks, Duppie & Crafty.  I had done a search of the Tribune & Google News and found nothing.  My worst fears are confirmed with the report of the fatality. RIP, unnamed cyclist.

Permalink Reply by Mando on April 3, 2013 at 6:55am

Something really needs to be done about this intersection. I have lived in the area my entire life and you always hear (at least once a year) of someone getting killed. The bus stops need to be removed, improved (brightness) street lights at night and strict enforcement of pedestrians and cyclists to use the pedestrian crossing sections by the traffic lights.

Permalink Reply by Mando on April 3, 2013 at 7:35am

This happened just south of the Harlem and Cermak intersection at 23rd and Harlem. The best thing the city of North Riverside/Berwyn could do to help prevent this from happening is improving the street lights. That section is just very dark at night. If this happened at 3:25 am, the lack of light was probably a major factor in the cause of the accident. In the video you can see where the accident happened, you can see the bike and a lot of debris (probably groceries); likely the cyclist had just left the 24hr Jewell and was crossing over to Berwyn when he was struck by the car. This is horrible and like I said ever since I was in H.S. you would hear of someone getting hit by a bus or a car in that section of Harlem.

Permalink Reply by We all have an inner Beast... on April 4, 2013 at 6:27am

I feel for the family of the cyclist. R.I.P.

 

So, the accident happened at 4 am....I just have a few questions.....was the bicyclist running lights (flashing/blinking, steady, etc), was the cyclist cutting through traffic without using hand/arm signals? Was the cyclist wearing reflective safety vest or belt, or any reflective clothing?

I couldn't see the video, but were the items strewn on the ground in a basket/pannier? front or back? Were they obstructing the cyclist view?

These are all things that we should be thinking about as 2nd nature, especially as cyclists.

I don't care if your bike is painted white with white rims and tires. We sometimes blend in with the passing background (even me, with all of my flasing lights...I end up being "lost" in the background of certain areas that have a bunch of window displays with neon or blinking lights).

Also, as most of you know, we are almost invisible to people in cars, unless we are showing movement (at night, when this happened, reflectors/lights/etc).

We have to be cognizant of all of this, because we can not even rely on the general public to check their side view mirrors before opening their car doors. How can we expect them to be aware of a cyclist, while they are driving (and usually talking or texting on their cell)?

 

Again, I am sorry for this cyclist and his family.

 

 

Respectfully,

 

Manny

Permalink Reply by Duppie on April 4, 2013 at 6:54am

A bicyclist/pedestrian does get killed, and without waiting the details we conclude that enforcement of crosswalk use need to be increased.

Nice job of putting the blame directly at pedestrians and cyclists. Maybe you should ask whether he was wearing a helmet too and blame him if he wasn't.

How about enforcing drivers not blowing red lights, drivers not exceeding the speed limit, and drivers not using their cell-phone while driving. You think any of those could have prevented the unnecessary death of this human being?

Mando said:

Something really needs to be done about this intersection. I have lived in the area my entire life and you always hear (at least once a year) of someone getting killed. The bus stops need to be removed, improved (brightness) street lights at night and strict enforcement of pedestrians and cyclists to use the pedestrian crossing sections by the traffic lights.

Permalink Reply by Mando on April 4, 2013 at 11:03am

Did you even read what I said? Or did you just rant to try to get a fight started? In my opinion AND because I LIVE in the area AND both ride my bike and drive through there every day I said the MAIN culprit is the lighting because it’s really dark there at 3-4 in the morning. The city needs to fix this.

 

I also said it was terrible this poor man was killed. However just because I ride a bike I’m not going to act like a bike fan-boy and say that bike riders are saints. He DID need to use the intersection and drivers do NEED to be careful when they drive through there and they should do all the things you mentioned drivers should do.

 

See I can acknowledge the good ideas you have. Can you acknowledge that bike riders should be more careful on the streets? That they should follow the rules of the road just like any other vehicle? Apparently not. Anytime a bike rider blows through a red light or breaks the rules of the road it gives us (bike riders) a bad name.

 

I’ll make it simple for you: everyone involved (the city, the car driver and the bike rider) share the reason as to why this happened. It is terrible the bike rider died and that is a HUGE reason why the suggestions I made would be useful in preventing more accidents. His death should not be in vain.



Duppie 13.5185km said:

A bicyclist/pedestrian does get killed, and without waiting the details we conclude that enforcement of crosswalk use need to be increased.

Nice job of putting the blame directly at pedestrians and cyclists. Maybe you should ask whether he was wearing a helmet too and blame him if he wasn't.

How about enforcing drivers not blowing red lights, drivers not exceeding the speed limit, and drivers not using their cell-phone while driving. You think any of those could have prevented the unnecessary death of this human being?

Mando said:

Something really needs to be done about this intersection. I have lived in the area my entire life and you always hear (at least once a year) of someone getting killed. The bus stops need to be removed, improved (brightness) street lights at night and strict enforcement of pedestrians and cyclists to use the pedestrian crossing sections by the traffic lights.

Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on April 4, 2013 at 11:20am

You totally undermine your credibility when you spout nonsense like this. 

Mando said:

...

Anytime a bike rider blows through a red light or breaks the rules of the road it gives us (bike riders) a bad name.

...

Permalink Reply by Mando on April 4, 2013 at 1:20pm

Then be my guest and blow through red lights, let me know how my credibility holds up vs. 3000 lbs. traveling at 40 mph.



Tony Adams 6.6 mi said:

You totally undermine your credibility when you spout nonsense like this. 

Mando said:

...

Anytime a bike rider blows through a red light or breaks the rules of the road it gives us (bike riders) a bad name.

...

Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on April 5, 2013 at 7:10am

This leap to a faulty conclusion isn't helping your case. Why would you conclude from my statement that I would have any desire to get hit by a car? If there is traffic that has the green and I'm at or approaching a red light, I'm going to yield the right of way every time. 

Mando said:

Then be my guest and blow through red lights, let me know how my credibility holds up vs. 3000 lbs. traveling at 40 mph.



Tony Adams 6.6 mi said:

You totally undermine your credibility when you spout nonsense like this. 

Mando said:

...

Anytime a bike rider blows through a red light or breaks the rules of the road it gives us (bike riders) a bad name.

...

Permalink Reply by We all have an inner Beast... on April 5, 2013 at 7:38am

I overheard a gentleman, yesterday on my way home, say to his walking companion "That is the first bicyclist that I have seen come to a complete stop and get off of his bike at a stoplight today."

He continued to say " That is a really sad statement."

Then he turned to me, as they crossed in the crosswalk infront of me, and said " Thank you, son, for doing what is right and obeying the law."

I said, "You're welcome, Sir." and waited for the green light.

I didn't realize it then, but a few blocks further, I felt really good. Something that I do all the time (trying to be a good example to my son, and anyone else) was finally noticed. I was a little bit prouder.

Don't get me wrong, I am always proud of what I do (good or bad).

How many cyclists doing-the-right-thing will it take to change a person's perception of cyclists, when all they see is the ones doing the wrong things?

I know that it will only take a few, if it's the other way around.

Just putting in my $.25-worth.

 

 

Respectfully,

 

Manny

Permalink Reply by Mando on April 5, 2013 at 10:17am

I made a huge mistake because here I am arguing with you about my “credibility”. Credibility regarding what? Who knows and who cares. What your petty, splitting-hairs argument is doing is deviating from the original reason I posted anything in the first place and that is “Why this man died like this and how can this be prevented from happening again”.

Look man I'm sorry if “I'm harshing your mellow with all my rules” and with my “credibility” aside, my suggestions as to how to fix the issue are sound. The suggestions I posted will improve things, not degrade them. If this comes at the cost of people in bikes following the rules of the road so be it. If this comes at the cost of adding brighter street lights or a traffic signal at the place where this happened, so be it.

The point is something should be done to help prevent stuff like this from happening again on that section of Harlem Ave. I'm tired of hearing about people getting killed in my neighborhood. So go ahead and pointlessly argue and question my so called “credibility” all you want, I on the other hand will see what I can do to bring some awareness to this problem so it does not happen again.



Tony Adams 6.6 mi said:

This leap to a faulty conclusion isn't helping your case. Why would you conclude from my statement that I would have any desire to get hit by a car? If there is traffic that has the green and I'm at or approaching a red light, I'm going to yield the right of way every time. 

Mando said:

Then be my guest and blow through red lights, let me know how my credibility holds up vs. 3000 lbs. traveling at 40 mph.


Tony Adams 6.6 mi said:

You totally undermine your credibility when you spout nonsense like this. 

Mando said:

...

Anytime a bike rider blows through a red light or breaks the rules of the road it gives us (bike riders) a bad name.

...

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