Scary footage shows a vehicle quickly weaving between cyclists on Jean Baptiste Point DuSable Lake Shore Drive during Bike the Drive, an event that closes Chicago's iconic thoroughfare to cars for several hours and welcomes thousands of bikes.
The video, shared with NBC Chicago by cyclist Jeffrey Ulrich from Lake Shore Drive on Sunday, depicted the vehicle quickly driving north near McCormick Place and then darting between cyclists.
"They should have been arrested or ticketed at the least," Ulrich said. "There were kids on this ride as well - could have been tragic."
Early in the event, a lane of vehicles was directed off Lake Shore Drive to make way for cyclists. The video shows that lane of cars getting off near Soldier Field as this vehicle keeps driving on the main road, between cyclists.
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Active Transportation Alliance, which organizes Bike the Drive, said it is aware that "unauthorized vehicles entered the course during the event."
"We apologize to everyone who was affected," the group said in a statement. "Thankfully, no crashes with these vehicles or injuries have been reported. We are taking this situation seriously; throughout our 20 years of holding this event, the safety of our riders and volunteers has always been our top priority."
"We are working with city officials to review the situation," the group said. "We are committed to working with them to make changes to help prevent this from happening during future events."
Local
Thousands of cyclists took advantage of a closed DuSable Lake Shore Drive during Bike the Drive. Bikes were permitted beginning at 5:30 a.m. Cars were allowed back beginning at 10:30 a.m.
