Crackdown

The Daily Herald reports "Barrington Hills cracking down on cyclists." Lake Forest is also, as we were pulled over on Old Elm just west of Ridge for riding three abreast (we were) and obstructing traffic (we weren’t). I got off with a written warning. More on this in another post.

As for the linked article, I have to say that the tone continues to be that cyclists are wrong, motorists are right.

"Each weekend, packs of several dozen bicyclists ride throughout town, sometimes as fast as 30 mph."

"It's a problem," he said. "This is not you and your wife out for a bike ride."

Does having your wife along on the ride somehow make riding through Barrington Hills OK? How about your girlfriend? I'm just askin'.

"[Sgt. David ] Kann said clusters of cyclists are sometimes longer than an 18-wheel truck and can be intimidating to drivers."

Reminds me of the opening of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy:

"Have you any idea how much damage that bulldozer would suffer if I just let it roll straight over you?" said Mr. Prosser.
"How much?" asked Arthur.
"None at all," Mr. Prosser replied.

"By stepping up enforcement, Kann said, police are not trying to dissuade riding in the village. 'We just want them to follow the rules of the road,' he said."

Not a word in the article about stepping up enforcement of drivers passing too close to or intimidating cyclists.

So, let's be careful out there.