Chicago looking to up efforts to stop blockage of bike lanes

CHICAGO (AP) - Chicago's bicyclists are fighting back against motorists who drive, stop or park their vehicles in designated bike lanes.

Bicyclists are posting photos of offending automobiles on the website Bike Lane Uprising, the Chicago Tribune reported. More than 1,800 obstructions in Chicago were reported to the website from Sept. 1 through June 29. Contributors to the database remain anonymous, according to the website.

Chicago police are now looking for ways to use the website to clear the lanes.

It's illegal to park, idle or drive in the more than 200 miles (322 kilometers) of dedicated bike lanes in the city. Violators can be issued $150 tickets and are at risk of having their vehicle towed.

More than 2,000 tickets have been handed out so far this year, generating about $132,400, said Chicago Finance Department spokeswoman Kristen Cabanban.

Officials have met with people from Bike Lane Uprising, and are exploring ways to use the site's data in enforcement efforts, Cabanban said.

Michael Keating, an attorney who specializes in bicycle accidents in Chicago, said the most common accidents he sees involve factors like ride-sharing vehicles stopping in a bike lane, causing a bicyclist to get injured by traffic or a car door opening.

"If we were to solve just that one issue, from that we could stop a whole series of related actions that occur that often lead to bicyclists being injured," Keating said.

A 2012 Department of Transportation bicycle crash analysis showed that between 2005 and 2010 there were nearly 9,000 injury crashes involving bicyclists, with 32 bicyclist fatalities.

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Information from: Chicago Tribune, http://www.chicagotribune.com