Prairie Fever

As a cyclist, what should you do if you’re in a crash with a car on Chicago streets? My friend Jim Freeman knows. He’s a personal injury lawyer whose clients are primarily Chicago cyclists and pedestrians. Recently, he answered some of my questions about steps to take after a crash, bike safety, and local bike laws. Here’s what he had to say.

What are the steps a cyclist should take after a crash?

1. Call the police.

2. Get witness and driver information. Do not depend on the police to get information from witnesses. In almost every case that comes to me, the client will say, “There were lots of witnesses, but I didn’t get any information from them. It should be on the police report.” In most instances, I get the police report and there are no witnesses listed. In a case where the question of fault depends on your word against theirs, an independent witness makes all the difference. So be sure to get any witness’ phone numbers and addresses.

3. Seek medical attention. If there is even the slightest possibility of an injury, you should request an ambulance and go to the emergency room. Adrenaline runs high after a crash, so you might think you are fine; but often there are latent injuries that are not immediately apparent. From a legal standpoint, it’s a good idea to seek medical attention at the scene of the crash.

4. Preserve evidence and take pictures. Your bicycle, clothing, helmet, and anything else damaged in the crash is evidence and should be preserved. Do not swap parts from your damaged bicycle. Leave it in its present condition and take pictures of the damaged bicycle and any visible injuries.

In your experience, what are the most common reasons for car vs. bike crashes?

About a third of my bicycle cases are “doorings.” Another third of my bicycle cases are “left turns” in which a cyclist is cut off or struck by a vehicle approaching from the opposite direction attempting a left turn.

Regarding bike- and pedestrian-friendly laws, how does Chicago compare to other cities?

The State of Illinois has some of the nation’s worst laws for cyclists. Cyclists are given a second class status. We are permitted to use Illinois roadways, but we are relegated to hugging the right hand curb, and we must yield to auto traffic under most circumstances.

As a city, Chicago has gone a long way to promote cycling through infrastructure improvements and legislative improvements such as The Bicycle Safety Ordinance passed earlier this year. The Illinois Vehicle Code was clearly designed with only motorists in mind, not cyclists. The changes really need to come from Springfield to improve conditions for bicyclists statewide.

Some states have much more favorable laws such as the stop sign/yield, red light/stop laws, which more realistically consider the practical differences between cyclists and motorists.

What are the most important strategies for avoiding crashes on a bike?

Headlights. Illinois law requires bicycles to be equipped with a white headlight and a red rear reflector. For some reason, cyclists in Chicago think it is acceptable to forgo headlights for a red rear light. If you are only going to have one light it should be a white headlight—not a red rear blinky.

Lack of headlights kills more cases than all other factors combined. If a cyclist is involved in an accident with a motorist at night and the cyclist doesn’t have proper lighting equipment, the cyclist can expect to be blamed for the accident.

Keep your eyes open and ride defensively. Understand that many motorists haven’t learned to look for cyclists. Assume they don’t see you or anticipate your presence. Stay out of the “door zone” and look into rear view mirrors of parked cars as you ride by. If you see someone in the car assume they are about to open their door.

What’s your background in cycling and lawyering?

I grew up in a small town in downstate Illinois. Like all the neighborhood kids I had a number of bikes over the years. In grade school I acquired my first road bike and started to spend time taking day trips in the country. The first few years of my undergraduate education were spent in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri, so I took up recreational mountain biking. I moved to Chicago in 1996, which lead to my first urban cycling experience.

In 2002, when I moved to Logan Square, I discovered the joys of urban cycling and bicycle commuting, and I began to think of the bicycle as transportation rather than recreation. I became a religious year-round bicycle commuter and started racing. I also took a basic bicycle maintenance class, which marked the beginning of a more professional understanding of bicycle mechanics. In 2007, I took First Fixed, Second Overall in the Tour Da Chicago alleycat series, and I started teaching adult wheel building classes at West Town Bikes.

After graduating from law school, I worked for a plaintiffs’ firm, representing injured people for two years. Then I went to work for a defense firm where I worked for insurance companies defending people or corporations alleged to have caused injuries.  After four years of defense work, I left to start my own practice.

I originally thought I would have a diverse practice, but fairly quickly I started getting calls from injured cyclists. Now, I have a busy practice consisting of different personal injury cases, but the overwhelming majority of my work involves advocating on behalf of bicyclists and pedestrians.

Read Jim Freeman’s blogs: The Streets of Chicago and Chicago Bicycle Laws.

Chicago holds a central position on the migration route for millions of birds every spring and fall. About 250 bird species use the Mississippi Flyway, as it’s called, in the spring from mid-March to early June, and in autumn from late August to late October.

While passing through Chicago, migrant birds use the city’s ponds, parks, and natural areas as resting and feeding stops. Migratory birds can be seen throughout the city, but most often, they turn up near the lakeshore.

A couple of the best lakeshore spots for seeing the city’s avian visitors are Montrose Point and the Paul Douglas Nature Sanctuary in Jackson Park.

Montrose Point, located just east of Montrose Beach, contains a 150-yard stretch of shrubs and trees often called the Magic Hedge. The hedge is well-loved by warblers, thrushes, sparrows, purple martins, woodpeckers, and dozens of other types of birds.

Jackson Park’s Paul Douglas Nature Sanctuary (also called the Wooded Island) lures in scores of different species of migratory birds. The 16-acre island was created as part of the 1893 Columbian Exposition. While there, be sure to visit the lovely Osaka Garden.

For more info:
Chicago Region Birding Trail
City of Chicago birding resources

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Learn more about exploring natural areas in the Chicago region by checking out 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Chicago, recently available in a second edition.

While it’s true that West Beach is one of the more popular destinations at the Indiana Dunes, it’s also true that you lose the crowds rather easily once you escape to the 3.6 miles of hiking trails that loop through the area.

Located just 40 miles southeast of Chicago, West Beach is a perfect spot for a quick escape from the city. After you’re done climbing big dunes and scouting out water birds and unusual plants, you just might be compelled to pull out the picnic basket and change into your swim trunks (if the weather is warm enough, that is).

If you’re a first-time visitor to the dunes, you’ll soon learn that this park occupies a very unlikely piece of real estate. Who would have thought to put a good-sized national park smack dab in the middle of an area with the highest concentration of heavy industry in the nation? Well, in any case, I’m glad they did. And once you’re away from the beach, the nearby smokestacks tend to be forgotten.

Catch the hiking trail on the east side of the beach, and you’ll follow a long series of stairs and boardwalks that bring to mind the artwork of M.C. Escher. The stairs lead you to a series of high dunes topped with marram grass, jack pine, and cottonwood trees.

Coming off the dunes, the trail runs alongside a small lake fringed with cattails and blanketed with lily pads. Look for egrets, great blue herons, and kingfishers from the viewing deck alongside the trail.

Near where the trail crosses the park road, prickly pear cactuses grow in dense clusters; closer to the woods, milkweed plants and small sassafras trees push up through the sandy soil.

The final section of this trail climbs a dune ridge under a thick oak canopy. Small patches wetlands sit at the foot of some wooded ravines. Eventually, you’ll reach the top of the final dune for another spine-tingling view of the lake and the surrounding landscape. All that’s left now is running (or rolling) down the dune to the parking area below.

The National Park Service offers driving directions and a good map of the trail. During summer, the park charges an entrance fee for West Beach.

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Learn more about hiking in the Chicago region by checking out 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Chicago, recently published in a second edition.

Perhaps the best place in the Midwest to experience the crescendo of fall color is the Morton Arboretum in Lisle.

Right now at the arboretum, the sumacs and white ashes are showing reds and purples, shagbark hickory is putting on a golden-yellow display, while hints of oranges and reds are beginning to show in the tops of some of the sugar maples.

In the arboretum’s 100-acre prairie, prairie grasses show russets, purples, and yellows with late asters blooming for added color.

“It’s the crisp, cool air, sunny days, and shorter day lengths that triggered the color change,” says the Arboretum’s Ed Hedborn, botanist and “Color Scout.”

By this weekend, the kings of fall color-the maples-will likely arrive with their striking golds, reds, and oranges. Also stealing the spotlight are ginkgos, with megawatt yellow leaves so bright, you might think the trees are plugged into an electrical outlet. Sweet gums usually bring a dark red or purple, while corktrees, black maples and larches round out the palette.

In addition to the explosion of color, the month of October also brings activities for both kids and adults to the arboretum:

• Free wine tasting offered by Bonterra organic vineyards; through October on weekends from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
• The Fall Garden Marketplace offers an array of merchandise; through October on weekends.
• A Scarecrow Trail features nature-themed scarecrows designed by local Girl Scout troops; through October-8 a.m.-6 p.m. daily.
• A taffy apple bar; through October on weekends.

While at the arboretum, visitors can hike 16 miles of trails, bicycle nine miles of roads, or take a 50-minute, narrated tram tour. The arboretum also hosts a restaurant with a great view.

Admission to the arboretum is free for members; for nonmembers, admission is $9; children are $6.

I will be signing copies of the new edition of my book, 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Chicago, at the Arboretum’s Fall Garden Marketplace on Saturday, October 18, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

Fall provides the perfect excuse to explore local trails: moderate temperatures, migrating birds, and a dormant bug population make the explosion of color all that more enjoyable. Here in the Prairie State, early fall is also the time when you can hike through a sea of prairie grass that is 8 to 10 feet tall.

Here are several great fall hiking options in the Chicago area.

Chain O’ Lakes State Park
The rugged trails on the west side of the park contain dense woods, wetlands active with water birds, and some of the biggest hills in Lake County. In early fall, swaths of big bluestem prairie grass reach 8-to-10 feet in height. Named for its attractive mauve stalks, big bluestem is the dominant grass of tallgrass prairies-the type of prairie that originally existed throughout the northern three-quarters of Illinois.

Trails on the east side of the park meet up with the Fox River and Grass Lake, and allow fine views of the exquisite Fox River wetlands. Explore nearly 15 miles of trails at this park located in Lake County near the Wisconsin border.

Geneva Lake Shore Path
Given the exclusive atmosphere at Geneva Lake, many visitors are surprised to learn that there’s a public footpath circumnavigating the entire lake. While walking through people’s yards may feel intrusive at first, this feeling diminishes once you see the many pleasant walkways installed by homeowners. Along the way, you’ll encounter flower gardens, carefully landscaped lawns, boathouses, and little villages. In the fall, the hills and bluffs surrounding this silvery lake light up with color.

Consider starting at the Lake Geneva Library and taking a 10-mile walk to the village of Fontana. For the return trip, catch a tour boat back to your starting point. Geneva Lake is located about 10 miles north of Harvard, Ill. in Walworth County, Wis.

Marengo Ridge Conservation Area
If you enjoy hikes through hilly terrain crisscrossed with intermittent streams and blanketed with dense woods, you’ll be charmed by this 3-mile hike in southwestern McHenry County. Situated up on a ridge left by the last glacier, this wonderfully wooded landscape provides visitors with an unusually isolated atmosphere.

The park’s 15 species of conifers don’t offer much color-wise, but they do provide a rich fragrance rarely encountered in the Chicago region. The hillsides of oak, hickory, poplar, sumac, and ash trees guarantee an abundance of fall color. Consider pitching a tent in the park’s small campground.

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Learn more about hiking in the Chicago region by checking out 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Chicago, recently published in a second edition. A different version of this article first appeared in the September 2008 issue of Windy City Sports magazine.

Lincoln Park REI Grand Opening

Saturday, October 4, 11 a.m., book signing

Saturday, October 4, noon, presentation on Chicago-area hiking

I’ll be doing a booksigning and a presentation at the grand opening for the new REI store in Lincoln Park. The store is located at 1466 North Halsted Street, just south of West Blackhawk Street. During the weekend, there will be other speakers, as well as product giveaways at the store.

Morton Arboretum Fall Festival

Saturday, October 18, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Going on throughout the month of October, the Arboretum’s Fall Festival features an outdoor marketplace, wine tasting, theatre hikes, and various events for children. Drop in for a visit while I’m at the outdoor marketplace signing copies of my book, 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Chicago and answering questions about outdoor recreation in Chicagoland and Illinois.

Large, busy campgrounds have never appealed to me. Instead, I like to pitch my tent at places that are fairly quiet with a minimal number of other visitors. Good camping spots also should offer hiking trails to explore, picnicking grounds conducive to cooking out and napping, and rivers and lakes that give one’s mind opportunities to wander.

Here are a few places in northern Illinois that qualify as top-notch camping spots.

Apple River Canyon State Park
Located about 130 miles northwest of Chicago, this off-the-beaten-path campground offers one of the most beautiful settings in northern Illinois. The campsites are nicely spaced out; thick groves of oak and maple provide campers with plenty of shade and privacy. The Apple River flows through a series of limestone canyons within the park. The walls of the canyons are dotted with mosses, lichens, and small bushes that grow in the crevices. Hiking trails allow visitors to catch the views from atop the limestone bluffs, explore the deep ravines, and wander alongside the Apple River.

Sugar River Forest Preserve
Winnebago County in north central Illinois claims an impressive collection of scenic, well-maintained forest preserves. One of the best contains an attractive campground set within a dense grove of pine trees situated near the Sugar River. The surrounding terrain features prairie, wooded bluffs, and a perfect grassy picnic area beside the meandering river. This forest preserve also offers 5.5 miles of hiking trails, as well as a collection of riverside walk-in camping sites (a great avenue for those of us city dwellers who ache for solitude). Sugar River Forest Preserve is located about 100 miles northwest of Chicago.

Marengo Ridge Conservation Area
Situated up on a ridge left by the last glacier, this wonderfully wooded landscape provides visitors with an unusually isolated atmosphere about 60 miles northwest of Chicago. The pine tree-laden tenting campsites offer lots of privacy; about half of them require a short walk from the parking spot. The hiking trails at Marengo Ridge are reason enough to visit this remote little forest preserve–they run through hilly terrain crisscrossed with intermittent streams and blanketed with dense groves of oak, hickory, and conifers.

White Pines State Park
This charming 385-acre park invites visitors to explore the hilly terrain, traverse the many log footbridges over Pine and Spring Creeks, and trace the route of the creeks as they flow past moss- and vine-covered limestone cliffs. From the semi-open camping area, you’ll walk less than a mile for breakfast at the park’s log-cabin style lodge built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.

A bit larger than the other campgrounds listed here, White Pines wins the prize for the niftiest stuff to do in the immediate area. Nearby are the pleasant little towns of Oregon and Dixon along the Rock River. Also close are Castle Rock State Park, Lowden State Park containing the 50-foot concrete statue of a Native American on the river bluff, and the strange, shrine-like John Deere museum and historic site. White Pines is located about 90 miles west of Chicago.

None of the destinations listed above are known for being overly busy, even on weekends. All bets are off, however, on holiday weekends. The best approach is to call the park and ask what they expect for a particular weekend. If visiting during the week, expect plenty of solitude.

A good bicycle map is essential to cycling in the city. Such a map will point you to less-trafficked roads, roads with bike lanes, and roads with an ample shoulder for riding. It’ll also tip you off to cycling paths, and, in some cases, local bike shops.

While cycling around the city, the map I use the most is the free Chicago Bike Map. This map shows bike lanes and preferred routes for the entire city. It’s free and incredibly useful—what more could you want? The downside of this map is that it’s made from very low quality paper and starts to fall apart almost immediately.

Other local cycling maps:

Chicagoland Bicycle Map. Produced by the Active Transportation Alliance (formerly the Chicago Bicycle Federation), this map is now in its 4th edition. It shows the best cycling routes through a particular area; the routes are then rated according to ease of use. Since this map costs $7 (ATA members receive the map for free), I decided to push the envelop on geekiness and have the map laminated. (While lamination renders a map practically indestructible, it does make folding cumbersome.)

Illinois Official Bicycle Map: Chicago and Northeastern Illinois.This map, published by the Illinois Department of Transportation, takes a different approach compared to the ATA map. Instead of showing a preferred route through a particular area, it shows suitability of all roads within a given area. This map loses much detail, though, once you get into areas with densely situated streets. Another freebie, this map is one of a series of nine cycling maps produced by IDOT focusing on the entire state of Illinois.

Northwest Indiana Bike Map. Just released in the spring of 2008 by the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission, this map fills a much needed gap in local cycling resources. The single time I’ve used this map, it proved enormously useful. It looks and feels much like the ATA map in that it shows a minimum number of preferred routes through a particular area.

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In 2010 FalconGuides will publish my books, Road Biking Illinois and Best Rail Trails Illinois.

There’s something about living in a megalopolis like Chicago that makes people skeptical of finding scenic trails. Even outdoorsy Chicagoans express surprise when they learn about the assortment of well-maintained parks and foot trails close to the Windy City. Outdoor activities, they assume, require a lengthy trip somewhere else.

Chicagoland claims an impressive collection of foot trails that wind alongside streams, over wooded hills and through prairies and wetlands. And many of these spots are less than an hour from downtown. For some, hitting trails close to the city is especially attractive because it allows them to leave the car at home. Instead of getting in a car, they’ll hop on a bicycle or one of Chicago’s commuter trains to reach the trailhead.

So, here are a few of the best trails within spitting distance of Chicago.

Indiana Dunes State Park

At the Indiana Dunes State Park, some of the largest sand dunes on Lake Michigan’s southern shore are mixed in with woodlands full of giant oaks, many acres of wetlands and smaller wooded rolling dunes. While the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore offers a far greater number of trails, the state park contains the most dramatic and isolated trails.

Trails 2, 8 and 9 provide a total of about five miles of outstanding hiking. Pick up a park map at the guardhouse and start from the park’s nature center near the campground. Trail 2 takes you through a wet bottomland dotted with small ponds. A half-mile stretch of this trail follows a wooden boardwalk that spans a wetland called the Great Marsh.

After finishing Trail 2, make your way to Trail 9. Trail 9 eventually leads you to a 0.7-mile stretch of trail that follows a dune ridge topped off with cottonwood, juniper and patches of marram grass. A ravine blanketed with white pine and black oak plunges downward on one side of the trail. On the other side, the dune drops to the shore of Lake Michigan. The Chicago skyline juts out of the lake about 30 miles to the northwest. The ridge trail connects a couple of enormous blowouts–large areas of open sand and marram grass hollowed out by wind from the lake.

After wrapping up Trail 9, pick up Trail 8 near the nature center, and then get ready for a steep, sandy climb up Mount Jackson. After Mount Jackson, the trail takes a short dip before climbing again, this time up to Mount Holden, followed by the highest dune, Mount Tom. The tops of these dunes reveal expansive views of the shimmering lake and many miles of wooded landscape. If it’s a hot day, you’ll enjoy the cool, wet reward where Trail 8 ends at the bottom of the dune.

The park is a snap to reach on the South Shore Line, the northwest Indiana commuter train.

Palos/Sag Valley Forest Preserve: Cap Sauers Holdings

Outdoor explorers in the Chicago area are lucky souls to have the massive Palos/Sag Valley Forest Preserve in their midst. With more than 14,000 acres of hilly woodland, rolling prairie, scenic wetlands and quiet oak savannas, this giant natural area located southwest of the city contains some 35 miles of multi-use trails, and many more miles of narrow unmarked trails.

One of the highlights of Palos/Sag Valley is the isolated trails within Cap Sauers Holdings. For a 4.75-mile hike, start from Teasons Woods parking area at the corner of State Highway 83 and 104th Avenue, and head east on the yellow trail as it runs along the base of the 80- to 100-foot-high wooded bluff known as Swallow Cliff. Head up the bluff on the lengthy stone staircase that accompanies the decommissioned toboggan slide. Stay right at a series of junctions and then cross 104th Avenue.

After passing through a series of oak savannas, take the green trail to the left. Nearly a half mile ahead, look for a trail marker on the right and take the narrow trail up a small hill. Soon, the trail starts to snake along the top of what is known as Visitation Esker. Sloping down 40 to 50 feet on each side of the trail, the esker looks like a perfectly shaped winding mound. Indeed, some geologists maintain that this landform, created by a sub-glacial stream, is one of the most well-defined eskers in the state. Returning to the yellow trail, turn left for a short trip back to the parking area.

Fullersburg Woods Forest Preserve

While the trails at Fullersburg Woods are not extensive, they make up for it with pristine surroundings. Nearly all the trails at Fullersburg accompany Salt Creek as it meanders alongside bluffs and winds around a couple of islands on its way through the park. If you’re looking for a place to bring the family, Fullersburg is one of the best options around. In addition to a visitor center with exhibits and activities for kids, there’s a nifty museum housed in an old gristmill along the creek. An exhibit in the basement offers details about the mill when it served as a stop on the Underground Railroad.

Start the hike on the trail north of the visitor center and stay to the right. While exploring the banks along Salt Creek, you’ll see tree stumps sculpted by beavers, oaks and maple trees hanging lazily over the water, and small wooded bluffs rising above the creek. Nearly two miles into the hike, keep going straight ahead as you pass the picturesque log bridge on the right that leads to the visitor center. From the bridge, the path heads toward the dam, which is flanked by the brick Graue Mill and its giant water wheel.

Fullersburg Woods is 1.2 miles north of the Hinsdale station on the BNSF Metra Line. The west end of the 11-mile-long Salt Creek Bicycle Trail is located one mile from Fullersburg Woods.

Veteran Acres Park/Sterne’s Woods

These two parks, Veteran Acres and Sterne’s Woods, are individually charming and each well worth a visit. But taken together, they offer an array of scenic landscapes and many miles of enjoyable rambling through quiet woodlands, rolling prairie, and wildflower-laden wetlands.

From the front door of the Veteran Acres nature center, look for the wood chip trail on the left heading into the woodland. Taking the second junction on the right brings you into the rolling grassy expanse of Wingate Prairie. Stay to the right as you pass along the outer edge of the prairie. Among the prairie remnants in the Chicago region, this one is unique for its rolling hills and stands of fragrant pine. Mixed in with the big bluestem grass, you’ll see plenty of goldenrod, compass plants and rattlesnake master.

Eventually, you’ll reach the Prairie Trail, a regional rail-trail. Follow this paved path through stands of pine, hickory and enormous black and white oak trees with gnarled limbs reaching out over the trail. After 0.9 miles, keep an eye peeled for a wide gravel trail that runs on the left parallel to the Prairie Trail. Take the gravel trail to the right and you’ll pass through a 40-acre wetland, home to a variety of wildflowers, including two types of orchids. Stay to the right and continue through the woods. Once you return to Wingate Prairie, you’ll zigzag along the trails back to the nature center.

The nature center is located one-half mile directly north of the Crystal Lake station on the Union Pacific/Northwest Metra Line. The Prairie Trail runs for 25.9 miles from Algonquin north to the Wisconsin border.

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Learn more about hiking in the Chicago region by checking out 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Chicago, recently available in a second edition. This article first appeared in the July 2008 issue of Silent Sports magazine.

You’re on your way home from work and a coworker notices your bike helmet tucked under your arm, and says, “You’re a cyclist?” You nod and perhaps mention one of the many benefits of pedaling to work. Then your colleague says something you’ve likely heard number of times: “I’d love to ride to work, but the traffic is too dangerous.” How should you respond? Do you dismiss your colleague’s fears and tell him or her to quit whining and get riding? Do you tell this person that biking is not for everyone and leave it at that? Or do you suggest ways he or she may become more comfortable biking in traffic?

For those with an interest in earning songs of high praise from their cycling friends, here are suggestions offered by a handful of local cycling instructors on how you can provide encouragement and guidance to the up-and-coming cyclists in your midst.

1. Understand their fears. When someone is afraid of riding in traffic, the first step is confirming his or her concerns, said Dave Glowacz, author of Urban Bikers Tricks and Tips: Low-Tech and No-Tech Ways to Find, Ride, and Keep a Bicycle. Glowacz said this approach typically opens the door to more conversation: “I say ‘Yeah, it is scary, but there are a lot of people who do it and don’t have any trouble,”

“I acknowledge that it’s a valid feeling no matter how realistic their concerns are,” said Randy Warren, a Chicago Bicycle Federation (CBF) program specialist who heads up the federation’s Commuter Challenge. Warren suggests asking if there are specific situations that are most scary for this person, and then offering some solutions–or providing him or her with relevant resources.

2. Suggest a mentor. Sarah Kaplan, a cycling instructor and bike mechanic, said novice riders can learn a lot by riding with more experienced riders. Many urban biking skills–such as positioning oneself at a stoplight, making left turns at a busy intersection, and riding through traffic jams–are better understood when seen, she said. If the colleague lives within a reasonable distance of you, Kaplan suggests commuting with this person until he or she achieves a greater level of comfort. Also, she said, you may try to connect your colleague with other bike commuters who could ride with this person or advise him or her on local routes.

3. Expand their comfort zone. “Suggest that they ride in a places that are comfortable and then expand their territory slowly,” said Glowacz. Your colleague may want to start out on a quiet bike path, and then slowly move onto quiet streets, he said, and then busy streets with a bike lane, and then busy streets without a bike lane. Eventually, said Glowacz, “Most people can achieve a level comfort riding in most places.” Still, he warns, some people will never feel comfortable riding in car traffic.

4. Send ‘em to school. Chicago cycling instructor Eric Willms said beginners will become more self-assured if they know basic skills such as riding predictably, being visible, using a helmet, and keeping a safe distance from parked cars. Bicycle safety classes offer an introduction to these topics from trained individuals. Willms and other biking instructors said that people who participate in a good bike safety class consistently express how much safer and more comfortable they feel riding in a variety of traffic conditions. Cycling courses also typically touch upon other topics essential for novices, such as bike selection and fit, basics of bike handling, and maintenance.

5. Offer resources. Give your colleague a copy of the free Chicago Bike Map and explain why it’s important to stick to bike-friendly roads. Point out the Safe Bicycling in Illinois guide and CBF resources such as Bike to Work Guide, Chicagoland Bicycle Map and Safe Bicycling in Chicago, all found at the CBF website.

While fear of traffic is likely to be the most common obstacle holding people back from bike commuting, a variety of other concerns may crop up. These could involve anything from parking to cleanup to clothing to the plain ol’ fear of being different. Some of these concerns you could help with; others are addressed in the resources listed above. And, of course, whatever amount of guidance you provide for the would-be cyclists around you, don’t forget to brag about your efforts with your cycling friends.

This article first appeared in the July 2008 issue of Windy City Sports magazine.