Franklin

Chicago Cyclist Records Motorist Driving in Protected Bike Lane

Bicyclists NBC 5 talked to say they’ve never seen anything quite like it: a car Wednesday driving between the curb and a bus stop in a protected bike lane.

But they also tell us they’re not surprised.

During the morning rush a driver squeezed into a bike lane between a bus stop and the sidewalk at Washington and Franklin.

“As I pulled over, they just kept on going driving in the bike lane,” bicyclist John Amdor said.

While biking to work, Amdor recorded video of the driver nearly hitting him.

"I try not to get too stressed out first thing in the morning," he said. "I was frustrated."

Other bicyclists NBC 5 talked to, like Bike Lane Uprising's Christina Whitehouse, say they’ve never seen anything quite like this.

"We have fines," she said. "It is illegal to park, stand, drive, hover in bike lanes."

Whitehouse started the website Bike Lane Uprising to report bike lane offenders.

“The city of Chicago Police Department is actually one of the highest offenders for repeat obstructions of bike lanes,” she said.

Bicyclists like Amdor want police to follow the law and start writing tickets.

“Most people know they can drive in the bike lane and they’re probably not going to get a ticket,” he said.

Police say detectives are looking into Wednesday's incident.

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