Safe and hospitable streets

At the end of my previous post, on the death of cyclist Matthew Manger-Lynch, I expressed this sentiment:

It is out sincerest hope that one day, soon, Chicago's streets will be safe and hospitable to all cyclists.

A commenter left the following remarks:

Traffic signals and stop signs are there to make Chicago's streets safe and hospitable. The streets are safe, if the rules are followed. Ignoring those rules puts lives at peril, as it has in this tragedy. As we share the roads with fellow cyclists, vehicles, and pedestrians, we must follow the rules and be aware of our surroundings.

I agree with the commenter a hundred percent about following the rules of the road, and being aware and vigilant. We, as Rapid Transit owners, have been cyclists for many years, and we invariably follow the rules of the road. This is also what we advocate to our customers. Following the rules of the road has as much to do with our own safety, as with protecting the safety of other road users. I believe that anything we can do to promote safe and responsible cycling will eventually lead to increased acceptance of cyclists on the road. Events that defy those rules can do just the opposite.

The hope that I expressed in my earlier post had more to do with the attitudes that were being aired online after the Chicago Tribune posted the article on Matthew's death. I cannot begin to express the range of reactions I experienced reading people's responses to this tragedy. I cannot, and will not, in good conscience, come down on either side of this issue. That does not mean that I am blind and deaf to the arguments presented by the different sides.

As to the safety and hospitability of our streets, putting aside the particular tragic event that just took place, I think it is disingenuous to assume that just because we have rules in place, safety and hospitbility automatically follow. Safety is only partly a function of rules. For the rules to be effective, there needs to be education and enforcement. In my twenty years of riding a bike on Chicago's streets, I have never witnessed bicyclist rights enforced anywhere. Hospitability is even harder to enforce, because it is almost entirely a matter of attitude. Unfortunately, the attitudes of those who cycle, and those who do not, often clash.

When I say I hope for safe and hospitable streets, I am asking for a fundamental change of attitude. From where I'm standing, it doesn't even appear on the horizon.