Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Thunder Snow on March 13, 2015 at 11:30pm

http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/The-312/August-2012/The-...

"In 1963, the Tribune was stunned to discover a bike commuter in Chicago. And not just any bike commuter—a Loop lawyer, presumably rich enough to drive, who traveled all the way from Hyde Park before the advent of the lakefront path."

Njogu, here's a little background reading for you.  Good luck with your research.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Njogu Morgan on March 17, 2015 at 9:48pm

Thank you Thunder Snow.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by daWillinChi on March 18, 2015 at 3:16am

This is awesome!

Thank you Thunder Snow.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Nancy L. Fagin on March 20, 2015 at 7:10am

Back in the 1970s I worked first as a volunteer then as part time staff at the Chicago Academy of Scienes (2001 North Clark Street).  Many of the artist who were re-doing the dioramas road their bikes to work.  There were no bike racks, no bike lanes, no helmets.  No infrastructure.  

One story I remember was an artist hitting an open car door and essentially ripped the door off. (Myth, tall tale?)

And once I was biking home from work, going up hill on Odgen where it used to cross the Chicago River.  Ten little ten year olds came down the hill/bridge throwing rocks at me.  How does one catch ten ten year olds?

 We used to bring our bicycles in to the building, but no one thought about bike racks.

I do have some pictures, but from a road excursion outside of University of Illinois/Champaign-Urbana.  I was riding a Peugot that was too tall for me beside it had been hit by a truck and was always out of wack (technical term, I'm sure). I learnt very quickly that you don't have your boyfriend give/select a bike for you.

Nancy L. Fagin

Chicago

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Chitown_Mike on March 20, 2015 at 8:38am

This sounds like a really cool paper, good luck with it.  I wish I had more info other than what I did as a kid/teen on a bike.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Nancy L. Fagin on March 20, 2015 at 9:57am

There must be gobs of stuff under Jayne Byrne files.  Again, little infrastructure.  They put up a bicycle parking lot at Michigan Avenue at Grand Avenue - chain link fence with gravel (NW corner).  Foks lost interest and became just another empty lot.  

Also, early 80s.  I was biking westward on Grand and the crew of a utilities van (Com-ed?  ATT/Illinois Bell) started making obsence comments.  I slammed down my bike in front of them and wrote down the license plate and reported it to the utility.  A lawyer at the time told me "that there's such a back load of sexual harassement cases and under the Reagan administration, there wasn't much to do about it...."

I think staff training, and law suits etc. has really curbed alot of this kind of behavior.  

Women (and men) were quite exposed to riducle and ugliness; I think this is a major reason why many women will not ride, but prefer to stay locked up in their cars.

Nancy L. Fagin

Chicago

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Njogu Morgan on March 22, 2015 at 8:32pm

Thanks Nancy. I will look into the files. So sorry about your experience with the utilities crew.

• ▶ Reply