DNAInfo Chicago reports on new data showing the relative safety of bikeshare operations in Chicago.
According to Alex Parker, "data released by the Chicago Department of Transportation shows only 18 cyclists have been in accidents since the [Divvy] program's inception in June 2013."
It's not hard to detect some skepticism by Parker at the news of the report: "Divvy users have logged more than 3.2 million rides in the last 2½ years, and the small number of injuries suffered by riders may surprise skeptics, particularly because helmets aren't required or even included with the rentals. But the Divvy data lines up with national statistics showing bike-sharing cyclists are generally safe, or at least lucky."
Divvy, according to Parker's take, will require some work to overcome the PR damage resulting from "widely shared videos showing Divvy cyclists riding on busy roadways like the Dan Ryan Expressway and Lake Shore Drive."
Parker also details the sterling safety record of bikeshare in New York City as well as the rising number of deaths among all bike riders in Chicago. The 18 reported incidents for Divvy riders, however, provide a laundry list of the threats faced by bikers when left to fend for themselves on streets designed for much larger automobiles. A pothole, a bus, a taxi, and a car door make the list.
Read the full story: Are Divvy Riders Safer Than Other Cyclists? Data Says Yes
More Evidence That Bikeshare Systems Are the Safest Way to Bike
Another study from a reputable think-tank offers evidence that bikeshare is the safest way to bike.
How to Make Bikeshare More Popular
While bikeshare is popular with planners and local officials all over the country, in some cities it still hasn't proven popular with people. One author has some thoughts on how bikeshare can begin to attract larger numbers.
Guerilla urbanists are building DIY bus stop benches in Chicago
The new benches are not officially sanctioned or permitted, but the residents who placed them hope they will be the start of a network of DIY benches across the city.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
Nation's most wind-powered state turns to coal as data centers increase energy demand
For the first time in decades, Iowa has increased its generation of coal power.
Boston has spent millions making the Green Line more accessible — and there’s no end in sight
While the city has invested millions into expanding and adding platforms to the Green Line to make it more accessible, new train cars set to arrive next year will be too tall for disabled passengers to board without raising the current platforms.
Idaho may see an 18% drop in federal surface transit funding — the largest estimated cut in the US
Transit systems in rural communities are much more reliant on federal funding to provide their services.
How ‘post-disaster gentrification’ alters neighborhoods after natural calamities
After hurricanes, fires or other calamities, the original residents of a community are often replaced by younger, wealthier residents.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Wisconsin Rapids
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello