Illinois to begin tracking doorings (finally - you guys probably helped make this happen)

Originally posted on Steven Can Plan.

 

Governor Quinn made a rule change today requiring Illinois police departments to record dooring-type bicycle crashes on the SR-1050 motorist crash reporting form, according to Jon Hilkevitch of the Chicago Tribune. The announcement will be made tomorrow.


Apparently, Gov. Quinn read the Chicago Tribune's article on March 21st about how the Illinois Department of Transportation could not and would not collect information on dooring crashes. I first wrote about this data deficiency on March 11.

For now, responding police officers will have to write DOORING next to the bicyclist's name on the crash reporting form (the Chicago Police method was to write DOORING on a second piece of paper and record this data internally - IDOT would not accept the second page). The Tribune article explains that IDOT already ordered a bunch of new forms and won't make a new order until 2013 at which time the form will have a checkbox making this process much simpler.

I would like to thank Governor Quinn, writer Jon Hilkevitch, the Active Transportation Alliance, and all who contacted IDOT asking for their reporting standards to be changed to record dooring crashes. This means that next year you'll see bike crash maps with a ton more dots - those of doorings, unless we continue educating ourselves, family and friends about riding AWAY from the door zone.

Santa Monica Door Lane / Bike Lane
Ride out of the door zone. Illustration by Gary Kavanagh.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on April 24, 2011 at 2:30pm

This is amazing news!

 

Good job to all who took the time to fight for this important change.

Permalink Reply by Mike Zumwalt on April 24, 2011 at 2:52pm
I hope there aren't a ton more dots.
Permalink Reply by Steven Vance on April 24, 2011 at 2:54pm
Stay away from the doors and there won't be. 

Mike Zumwalt said:
I hope there aren't a ton more dots.
Permalink Reply by Ash L. on April 24, 2011 at 4:11pm
Thank you Steven and everyone else that worked so hard on this. I'm not used to lodging a complaint and then seeing action in a respectable amount of time. I had better not get too used to it.
Permalink Reply by Steven Vance on April 24, 2011 at 4:18pm
I think you should check out this blog, The power of the letter. If you know what to say and who to say it to, things get a little easier. 

Ash L. said:
Thank you Steven and everyone else that worked so hard on this. I'm not used to lodging a complaint and then seeing action in a respectable amount of time. I had better not get too used to it.
Permalink Reply by Active Transportation Alliance on April 25, 2011 at 2:06am

We're very excited about this, thanks so much to Gov. Quinn for pushing and to everyone who called, emailed and wrote IDOT requesting the change.

 

This effort was part of our legislative agenda for 2011. We're glad that we didn't have to try and push it through the General Assembly.

 

Thanks again to everyone who contacted IDOT!

 

Sincerely,

Ethan Spotts, Marketing & Communication, Active Trans

Permalink Reply by J M on April 25, 2011 at 6:00am
Great news!
Permalink Reply by Gin on April 25, 2011 at 6:58am
Let's hear it for focus and follow through.

Steven Vance said:
I think you should check out this blog, The power of the letter. If you know what to say and who to say it to, things get a little easier. 

Ash L. said:
Thank you Steven and everyone else that worked so hard on this. I'm not used to lodging a complaint and then seeing action in a respectable amount of time. I had better not get too used to it.
Permalink Reply by JR Clark on April 25, 2011 at 9:47am
FoxChicago's Craig Wall is looking for doored riders for a story. I think you have to contact him via twitter @Craigrwall or @foxchicago... or post here and I can pass along your contact info.
Thanks!
JR
Permalink Reply by Steven Vance on April 25, 2011 at 9:48am
I've never been doored. And I plan to keep it that way.
Permalink Reply by Active Transportation Alliance on April 25, 2011 at 10:49am

If anyone has, we do offer our Crash Support Group. The next meeting is actually on Wednesday.

 

http://www.activetrans.org/crashsupport/supportgroup


The Crash Support Group meets from 6:30-8 p.m. this Wednesday. It’s free, confidential and facilitated by a trained professional. This meeting is open to anyone who has been in a crash as a pedestrian or bicyclist.

 

Thanks,

Ethan, with Active Trans

Permalink Reply by Mike Zumwalt on April 25, 2011 at 1:57pm
That's a difficult task riding along Milwaukee in Wicker Park or Halsted in Lincoln Park/Boystown, Clark in Andersonville and don't get me going about Rogers Park's Sheridan road with NO bike lane and 45 mph drivers.

Steven Vance said:
Stay away from the doors and there won't be. 

Mike Zumwalt said:
I hope there aren't a ton more dots.

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