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Thursday, October 13, 2011

Bicycle Texting Ban In Place, But What About Enforcement?

Two weeks ago the Chicago City Council approved without dissent a ban on texting and talking on the phone while bicycling.  Penalties for doing so increase with the number of offenses.  As I told the Washington Times recently, it would be hard for any sane person to be against such an obvious no-no.  That point noted, I hope that the ordinance will not be used by police to harass bicyclists on Chicago roads.  Here's hoping also that the CPD is just as aggressive citing motor vehicle drivers for using their cell phones as they are citing cyclists.  Fingers crossed.
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2 comments:

  1. Steven VanceOctober 22, 2011 at 5:03 PM

    Would checking the current time on one's cellphone while biking violate this ordinance?

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  2. Brendan KevenidesOctober 26, 2011 at 9:15 AM

    Perhaps not, but you'd have to convince the police officer (or, the judge) that that was what you were doing -- taking a quick peak at the time -- rather than texting. Pull over to the side if you want to use your phone. That said, you'd have to get awfully unlucky to get ticketed for glancing at the time.

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