Recent tragedies call attention to the clash between cycling and car culture

Vehicle crashes involving cyclists jumped by 8% in one year, according to Illinois Department of Transportation data for 2021 and 2022.

It’s a trend that shows more work is needed to keep bicyclists safe, advocates say, particularly given four major collisions in the suburbs recently.

In Batavia, Emily White, a mother of five, was fatally hit May 23 while cycling across Route 31 at the Les Arends Forest Preserve. Eight days later, a 14-year-old boy was critically injured crossing Route 31 at Union Avenue in downtown Batavia.

“It’s been devastating for our community as a whole,” Batavia Alderman Leah Leman said. For White’s close circle of family, friends and neighbors, “it’s been really, really painful.”

On June 1, a Schaumburg cyclist suffered critical injuries in a Hoffman Estates crash, and on June 2, a hit-and-run driver fatally struck Deerfield school board member Maureen Wener as she biked in Highland Park.

Check out the numbers in today’s Daily Herald