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Active Trans Urges IDOT to Track Doorings

imageBetween 2005 and 2009, the Illinois Department of Transportation tracked an average of 3,500 bicycle-vehicle crashes per year. As a result of those collisions, more than 3,300 cyclists were injured and as many as 27 were killed each year. While those numbers are astonishing, what’s even more shocking is that they do not include the type of collision that’s arguably the most common to on-street cyclists: doorings.

According to a recent article in the Chicago Tribune, the IDOT has stated that it does not track these dangerous collisions because the vehicles involved aren’t moving and because it simply has not received many requests to do so. Bicycle advocacy groups are working hard to change this.

After IDOT denied its request that law enforcement officials report dooring incidences, last month the Active Transportation Alliance began mobilizing its members to urge the IDOT to begin tracking doorings.

What’s fueling the need for numbers? As Ethan Spotts, Director of Marketing for Active Trans, explained during a recent My Fox Chicago segment, the problem is that, without statistics, bicycle advocacy groups are unable to prove that dooring is an issue and, as a result, cannot apply for grants to fund safety campaigns. With statistics in hand, Active Trans will be able to create awareness among drivers and bicyclists alike to ensure that a safer street environment exists for all.

Read more about Active Transportation Alliance’s efforts here and learn how to contact the IDOT here.

Posted by camie@PeoplePoweredMovement.org on April 06, 2011
Tags: illinois department of transportation, illinois, dooring, active transportation alliance
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