By Annalise Zorn
From the school parking lot, with bike racks filled to capacity, to the backs of chairs draped with messenger bags and helmets, evidence all around Lane suggests that 2013 is the year of the bicycle in Chicago. For many, riding has gone from being a means of getting around, to a way of life.
“Chicago is a big biking community,” said Maximilian Obasiolu, Div. 666.
He describes bicycling as part social, part practical and part athletic, with the “cool tricks” some riders learn to perform.
It is not only students who are part of this trend. Some teachers bike to school as well.
“Part of the reason I’ll ride is to get [to Lane] faster.” said Ken Lewis, AP Human Geography teacher. “I bike everyday that I can. The first two months of school there were only two days that I drove.”
Other enthusiasts view biking as a way to socialize, not just as a form of transportation.
“My friends and I, during the summer, hang out on our bikes and go to the beach and downtown,” said Danesia Valladarez, Div. 677. “It’s really fun.”
Fixed gear bikes, called “fixies,” are bicycles that have a single gear that is attached directly to the back wheel. This makes them lighter and easier to ride, but they are considered to be more dangerous since most do not have brakes, and stop only when the rider applies backwards pressure on the pedals. Along with Chrome brand messenger bags, fixies have become particularly popular among the student biking population.
Though most riders prefer to take the bus when the snow starts to fall, there will be at least half a dozen bikes in the racks by the parking lot even on nasty winter days.
These determined riders as well as more occasional cyclists have benefited from Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s determination. He proposed in a 2011 news conference, to make Chicago the most bike-friendly city in the United States. The city’s network of designated bike lanes now extends over 200 miles according to the city’s Transportation Department website. In 2013, the city launched the Divvy bike sharing program that includes 4,000 rental bikes at 400 stations.
Biking is environmentally friendly and good exercise, but it can also be dangerous to ride along such busy roads as Addison Street and Western Avenue near Lane. Chicago Police Department figures published in the Sun Times in 2012 showed there were 1,757 bike crashes in the city in 2011, an increase of 38 percent from 2001. Of these crashes, 1,296 resulted in injuries, and seven resulted in fatalities.
Colin Boyle, Div. 658, had to go to the hospital after getting into an accident on his ride to school in September. It happened at the busy six-corner intersection of Diversey Parkway, Damen Avenue and Clybourn Avenue.
“Neither of us saw each other until it was too late,” Boyle said. “The bumper hit my front rim, and my hand swung back to hit the car. I broke my hand and cut my leg up from the accident, as well as my bike’s front wheel being bent up.”
An ambulance took him to a hospital where he received treatment for his broken hand. Since the incident, he has biked a few times, but a lot more cautiously.
While many of Lane’s students do not experience anything as serious as a trip to the hospital, most bikers can tell stories about close calls: a car door opening unexpectedly, or a driver cutting them off. Many say that is why they consider it important to wear a helmet and obey the rules of the road.
“Some [bikers] have yet to accept the fact that they share the same responsibilities as drivers,” Boyle said.
More and more students have decided to ditch cars and the CTA for biking. Many expect the trend to grow.
“It’s so versatile and accessible, the only way is up,” Obasiolu said.
