Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by John Greenfield on June 16, 2016 at 1:57pm

Marilyn Katz, the head of MK Communication, ran a pretty awful op-ed about the case in the Tribune:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-bicyclist-...

Here's my response:

http://chi.streetsblog.org/2016/06/16/marilyn-katz-uses-recent-trag...

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Permalink Reply by Mike Keating on June 16, 2016 at 2:26pm

Interesting that the Tribune ran this op-ed. Authored by a PR specialist. About a crash involving a Chicago institution. There was no mention of the fact that a tour bus operator is supposed to be a trained professional operating a vehicle that is subject to heightened city, state and federal standards.

A cynical person might think that this was all part of an early effort to frame the story from a certain perspective. 

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Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on June 16, 2016 at 4:08pm

Not totally clear on what solution she's proposing. Ban us from the streets and wrap us up in bubble wrap? 

When she says she is a "hesitant cyclist", she sounds like she has bike handling challenges. Maybe she's projecting that lack of control onto others? Her descriptions paint pictures of cyclists that can't control their bikes, running into open car doors and weaving into traffic on a whim. She doesn't seem to realize that most cyclists are aware, cautious and in control when riding.

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Permalink Reply by SixtyTwoPercent on June 19, 2016 at 1:39am

I read this piece as well and couldn't believe the timing and insensitivity. Who writes something like this, regardless of your position on the matter? 

My sense is that she feels entitled and beyond reproach. Funny thing is, many cyclists are successful and I hope will not forget her comments when/if they have the opportunity to work with Ms. Katz or her firm. 

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Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on June 21, 2016 at 5:25am

It's a complicated intersection that seems to create conflicts. A CPD officer I know who has worked in that district for about 10 years says he has responded to MANY crashes at that intersection.

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Permalink Reply by Captain Swizzlestick on June 16, 2016 at 2:37pm

Wow, what a small-minded stereotype she is. I mean, we all know that only dirty hippies and hipster-douches ride bikes (without a helmet of course). And only fat rednecks (texting while driving of course) drive cars. No but srsly, I've been bike touring for ~24 years so I've seen and been involved in my fair share of crashes. And on my daily bike commute from Rogers Park to downtown I do see a lot of unsafe cycling and unaware driving. I hate it so much because it gives us all a bad rep. Those few ding-dongs who seem to think things like stop signs and traffic signals don't apply to them. I want to carry pamphlets titled: "So you bought a bike, now what?" with me and hand them out as necessary (I'm looking at you too Lakefront Lance, pulling a time-trial during rush hour). In the end it doesn't really matter whose fault it is. When a cyclist goes knuckle-up against a motor vehicle, the vehicle will always win. You may be in the right but with broken bones or worse, does it really matter? It's up to us to keep ourselves safe. Now if the traffic cops could keep the drivers in line too then we'd be in business!

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Permalink Reply by John Greenfield on June 18, 2016 at 12:00pm

Latest post about Wednesday's crash on Streetsblog: http://chi.streetsblog.org/2016/06/18/please-stop-using-blaine-klin...

CDOT has traffic cam footage of the crash that killed bike courier Blaine Klingenberg, which will hopefully shed light on what really caused the collision. In the meantime, news outlets continues to use the tragedy as an excuse to lecture bicyclists about safety.

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Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on June 18, 2016 at 12:03pm

Thanks for sharing the article. I really appreciate your thorough and thoughtful follow up on the crash. 

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Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on June 20, 2016 at 7:52am

+1  Thank you!

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Permalink Reply by David Barish on June 21, 2016 at 5:01am

John, I read  your blog and it made me re read the original stories and the later stories along with my own comment on this thread. We all await the release of the CDOT footage to see what really happened. We don't know who, if anybody, is at fault. We do know the intersection itself may be part of the problem and may put well intended users in harm's way. That seems to be the only thing we can extrapolate now. After the footage is released and if that leads us to find a party who is more culpable than others I suspect one or the other group will stoke the fire. For now the opinions about cyclist's behavior are premature as are calls to condemn the driver.Right now we have tragedy and sadness with some questions about what can be done to make sure these things do not happen in the future. To do otherwise is to take a tragedy and make it fit your agenda. Although that may qualify you to run for President it will not help solve the riddle of making the streets safer for  all of  us. 

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Permalink Reply by John Greenfield on June 22, 2016 at 3:50am

Update: It turns out my source was incorrect and CDOT does not have traffic cam footage of the crash. However, there is a city-owned camera at the intersection; I am working on gaining access to any footage from the camera.

"For now the opinions about cyclist's behavior are premature as are calls to condemn the driver. Right now we have tragedy and sadness with some questions about what can be done to make sure these things do not happen in the future. To do otherwise is to take a tragedy and make it fit your agenda."

I think you need to reread my Streetsblog posts. For starters, in our coverage of this case, I have already written about what can be done to prevent crashes like this in the future: Better enforcement, slower speed limits, more safety education, and safer street design.

Moreover, it is not "taking a tragedy and making it fit my agenda" to simply point out that, contrary to what was stated in the police report and most news reports on the crash, some witnesses say the bus driver ran a red, contributing to the crash. Likewise, it would be irresponsible of me not to point out the fact that Chicago Trolley drivers have been involved in two fatal crashes on Michigan Avenue within seven months, which no other news outlets have mentioned.

If Streetsblog, and a few other entities like Chicagoist and the Active Transportation Alliance, weren't responding to the problematic way this tragedy has generally been reported by the police and the press, we'd be left with the usual narrative: the assumption that when a driver kills a bicyclist, it's probably the cyclist's fault.

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Permalink Reply by David Barish on June 24, 2016 at 3:28am

John- I think my prose was misleading. I was speaking universally and not about you. Re reading my hastily posted note I can see  where it could be read otherwise and I apologize. If anything, I meant to say that re reading your blog made   me think and reevaluate what I had previously written.  You have strained to advise  that we cannot  make  any conclusions because we did not, and still do not, have information as to exactly what happened.    The "you" that I wrote most  certainly should have been  a "one".  Thank "you" for objectively reporting on these important issues. 

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