‘Paint is not protection’: Why Chicago cyclists want protected infrastructure

May 12 through May 18 is National Transportation Week, so we’re revisiting our favorite transit and infrastructure conversations—and sparking some new ones.

When WBEZ’s Roy Howard fellow Jessica Alvarado Gamez moved to Chicago last year, she drove around to get her bearings. She couldn’t help noticing how close she came to cyclists.

“I can easily go into the painted bike lanes,” she said. Some Chicago cyclists have observed the same problem, resulting in the refrain, “paint is not protection.”

Thankfully for us, Alvarado Gamez dug into city data to understand why cycling in Chicago is so dangerous and what cyclists want done.

In this episode, host Erin Allen talks to Alvarado Gamez about the path toward safer biking infrastructure.

This episode was originally published on Nov. 17, 2023.