Maybe a difference of five or even 10 miles per hour might not sound like a lot to someone, but when you look at the data, it makes a significant difference in the likelihood of injuries and fatalities…
MBJ, we’re being killed. Lower the speed limit in Chicago.
Lowering the speed limit isn’t going lower the amount of cars stopped in the bike lane, opening car doors in front of bikers, or turning in front of bikers. What we truly NEED is more people just all around paying attention to what they’re doing while in a car. It may be anecdotal, but all the bike crashes I’ve seen or heard of have been with cars going well below 30 mph, if they’re not stopped or stopping. I’m all for medians separating bike lanes and car lanes, but I’ll be real here, building infrastructure costs money. Lowering the speed limit increases ticket revenue.
Speed is the number one factor in the deadliness of a crash. It’s true that speed alone isn’t what makes cars so dangerous to cyclists and pedestrians, but it is very important. Also, while riding a bike having cars whizzing past at 40+ MPH a few feet from you is unpleasant and scary. This discourages people riding, and causes fewer bikes on the road, which means car drivers think about them less and you get more “she came out of nowhere!” statements from drivers.
Good point, we could also use cameras mounted on CTA buses to photgraph motorists parked illegally in the bike lane. These photos could be used to fine the owner of the vehicle and proceeds could fund expansion of safety infrastructure.