Driving in Chicago? Slow down!

Hi this is Leslie Harris, and you may have heard about a proposal regarding speed cameras.

Right now, speed cameras in Chicago are ticketing drivers if they drive 6 miles an hour or more over the speed limit. Some people have been trying to change that, but it was announced today that the city council voted the repeal down.

Many people are accusing Mayor Lori Lightfoot of only doing this to make more money for the city. She might be, but there’s another side to this.

I have a friend who lives in the city, and she is an avid cyclist. She loves writing her bicycle, and loves taking her 11-year-old daughter on bike rides with her. Of course, she is concerned about her safety, as well as the safety of her daughter. She sent me a chart that shows that the difference between being hit at 6 mph over and 10 mph over could mean life or death for a cyclist, even at speeds as low as 20 mph!

She also brought up the fact that we would never dream of raising the speed limit in a school zone, and that cyclists should be afforded the same safety as school kids, especially as some of those people on bicycles are kids.

So remember if you’re driving in the city of Chicago, (or anywhere else for that matter) slow down and keep an eye out for bikes.