Bikes, Bikes, and… Bikes!

It’s all bikes, all the time on the Network today.

Chicago Hails Loop Lane: On Sunday, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced a new protected bike lane on Dearborn Street. “The new route connects the near north side with the south loop and is designed to appeal to young, tech-savvy commuters who work downtown,” writes A/N Blog. Emanuel has pledged to build 100 miles of protected lanes by 2015, and though the mayor is getting the usual pushback from cyclist haters, A/N Blog reports that the city should be a third of the way toward its goal by the end of this year. Said Emanuel of the city’s first protected Loop lane: “It will help us recruit the type of people that have been leaving for the coast. They will now come to the city of Chicago.”

Have You Seen This Bike? Jonathan Maus at BikePortland shares the strange story of a bike that recently turned up in a local Craigslist ad six years after it was stolen from a storage unit in New York City. Says the bike’s owner, Justin: “[A] random stranger on the San Francisco Fixed Gear message board sent me a craigslist link. It was a De Rosa, blue, same color as mine. It had the same nicks on that incredible Eddy Merckx decal. It was my bike. I emailed the seller in hopes of buying it back, but received no response. The ad has since been pulled, and the bike is gone, again.” Justin was able to track down the identity of the seller, but attempts to establish contact have failed. Justin has notified police, and he and his friends “have put out a digital all-points-bulletin” to try to get back his pilfered De Rosa. “Keep your eyes peeled for this bike,” writes Maus.

And Finally: Amidst the latest heated debate over whether cyclists should come to a full stop at empty intersections, BikingInLA has put up a series of videos illustrating the mortal dangers constantly posed by law-flouting motorists. “In the course of a few short hours, I was cut off by four separate drivers in four separate incidents. And none seemed to think it was any big deal. None drove aggressively. None seemed in a particular hurry, or even seemed to take much notice of my presence on the road.” We look forward to the hand-wringing this news will surely inspire among inconsiderate drivers nationwide, who after all only want a little respect.

In other bike news: Mike’s Bogota Bike Blog notes the reopening of a section of road to Ciclovia; Bike Toronto has tips for negotiating streetcar tracks; and Urban Velo ponders the fate of Ghost Bike memorials.