Streetsblog Chicago

Union criticizes CTA for “leadership vacuum” due to lack of a permanent president. Acting President Leerhsen touts public safety progress.

Igor Studenkov — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 00:10:28 +0000

This post is sponsored by Ride Illinois.

As the CTA receives new funding and Acting President Nora Leerhsen touted progress on crime reduction, the transit agency is being criticized by one of its own unions for failing to appoint a permanent president.

Leerhsen took the placeholder position in February 2025, so she has been on the job for almost 1.5 years. During the June 10 meeting of the CTA board, two union officials argued that the lack of a permenant president creates a “leadership vacuum” that affected public safety and employee training.

While there is technically nothing stopping the CTA board from choosing Leerhsen as a permanent executive director, or hiring someone else, the board has traditionally deferred to the wishes of Chicago mayors, who have appointed four out of seven members. Current Mayor Brandon Johnson remains noncommittal about any permanent CTA president.

Budget votes

During the meeting, the board officially amended the CTA 2026 budget to include $64.05 million in new RTA Sales Tax revenue. On May 21, the RTA board voted on how to divvy up $132.2 million out of 564.7 million in new funding four transit agencies – included the CTA, Metra, and the RTA, which will be replaced by the new Northern Illinois Transit Authority on September 1 – are expected to get later this year. It will be up to the yet-to-be-announced NITA board to decide how to spend the rest.

The RTA amendment notably includes $20 million to hire more off-duty police officers, $10 million to increase the number of K-9 units and $2 million to help cover the cost of hiring new transit ambassadors called Safe Ride Specialists. It also allocates money for service improvements, most notably earmarking $1 million for bus lane enforcement. $500,000 will allow the Chicago Department of Transportation to add bus priority zones at 40 intersections along Chicago Avenue, 79th Street, Western Avenue, 63rd Street, Belmont Avenue, Pulaski Road, Halsted Street, and Ashland Avenue.

$1 million will help fund the previously approved extension of the Route 10 Obama Presidential Center/Museum of Science & Industry Express extension to the new landmark, which opens to the public on June 19, Juneteenth. Another $750,000 will be used to extend Route 57/Laramie north, and $1.5 million will add routes 8/Halsted, 35 31st/35th, 74/Fullerton and 85/Central to the Frequent Bus Network.

The Obama Center last weekend. The #10 bus route will be extended about a mile from the science museum to serve the new cultural institution and layover at the South Side YMCA , 6330 S. Stony Island Ave. Photo: John Greenfield

The CTA board vote on the budget amendment is simply a formality to acknowledge that the transit agency will be getting more money than expected last year.

The board also voted to amend the capital budget to account for new Congressional earmarks and other grant funding. That includes $1.8 million for South Side rail station concessions improvements, $2.5 million for improvements to the Halsted/79th Street bus turnaround, nad $1.2 million for upgrades to the Rockwell Brown Line station. It also includes $500,000 for improvements to Belmont Station in Lakeview, and $2 million to reduce slow zones on the notoriously delays-prone Blue Line Forest Park Branch. (That’s especially true on the portion that runs on the Eisenhower Express median between Western and Lathrop avenues.)

The CTA also got $900,000 in federal funding to add real-time arrival displays. And the RTA is allocating $$256,277 in Innovation Coordination and Enhancement funds to provide local matching funds to study the feasibility of reopening the ong-shuttered Racine/63rd Green Line station. (The RTA used to call this source “ICE funds,” but transit agencies have obviously been trying to avoid that loaded acronym recently.)

One of the mandates legislators tucked away in the NITA Act is the requirement that the Racine Station reopen (if not necessarily in its original form) at the start of 2029.

Director Roberto Requejo said that, while this allocation for the Green Line was helpful, he wonders where the money to handle the actual station restoration would come from. Leerhsen replied that this is something the CTA will urge the NITA board to spend some of the remaining new funding on.

Union criticism

During the public comment period, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 241, said that “the lack of a permanent president is creating a vacuum in leadership – it fails to address the significant [concerns about] safety.” He added that his union, which lobbied in favor of the transit bailout, “has consistently been excluded from discussions” about employee and rider safety. “These are employees who understand safety issues, they face them every day,”

“The current leadership vacuum has contributed to serious deficiencies in the training department,” saidEdward Smith, also of Local 241. “A department that was once regarded as a model for operator instruction has failed, fallen into disarray,.” He added that bus and rail operators are being sent to work without proper training, and “preventable accidents are increasing, and the recommendations of experienced instructors are too often ignored.”

Nora Leerhsen. Photo: Igor Studenkov

Leerhsen thanked them both for speaking, and she said that she appreciates their viewpoints. She pushed back on the idea that she wasn’t communicating with employees about safety but didn’t directly respond to other points Trimuel and Brown raised.

Other safety and ridership updates

In her regular board report, Leerhsen touched on some of the progress CTA has made, mentioning that bus ridership is around 90 percent of the pre-pandemic level and weekend ridership in particular is higher than before the pandemic. Some of it is due to broader shifts in public transit travel patterns – many public transit systems have seen growth in leisure travel, and CTA is no exception.

Leerhsen also touted public safety improvements, saying that crime dropped 30 percent systemwide this May compared to May 2025, and crime on the Red Line dropped 50 percent compared to May 2025. Violent crime on the Red Line dropped over 70 percent, Leerhsen added. She credited the growing presence of Cook County Sheriff deputies, and more Chicago police officers on buses and at bus stops.

Leerhsen also heralded new crisis intervention specialists and violence interrupters, who are expected to start riding the ‘L’ later this year. She described them as an “additional layer” of CTA’s crime reduction strategy. She noted that less lawbreaking in the system doesn’t just encourage more Chicagoans to take public transit. It reduces delays, making the ‘L’ more reliable. “This is not a victory lap – this is not over – but I continue to update you on [our progress],” she said.

Board director Neema Jha said that the stats Leerhsen cited show that “we have the power to change” the trends. She asked for regular updates on crime reduction “with actual numbers.”

Turning back to the union officials’ comments, boardm member L. Bernard Jakes said that there seemed to be “a disconnect” between what the board is hearing from Leerhsen and what they are hearing from employees. “There’s something missing, and I want to know what’s missing, so that everybody can shake hands and be on the [same] side,” he said. “I can’t say all of them, but I keep hearing – they don’t feel safe. And it doesn’t feel good.”

L. Bernard Jakes. Photo: Igor Studenkov

Leerhsen responded that there might be some nuance that doesn’t make it into her board reports, but she plans to present an update on safety, including employee safety, in July.

Director Lily Diego-Johnson, who was sworn in in May, said she would like to see a specific plan about how crisis intervention specialists are deployed, and generally a “long-term strategic plan” for social service and non-police crime reduction initiatives. Leerhsen said that she will touch on that as part of her July update.

On November 12, SBC launched our 2026 fund drive to raise $50K through ad sales and donations. That will complete this year’s budget, at a time when it’s tough to find grant money. Big thanks to all the readers who have chipped in so far to help keep this site rolling to the end of 2026! Currently, we’re at $33,836 with $16,164 to go, ideally by the end of June.

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Today’s Headlines for Wednesday, June 10

John Greenfield — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 13:57:32 +0000

This post is sponsored by Keating Law Offices.

• Anti-Complete Streets, pro-ICE Ald. Lopez tweets “politicians [who] grieve loss of [Riley O’Neil]” while “demanding millions for [PBLs]” are demonstrating “#privilege.” (Bluesky)

• Female bike rider fatally struck by CN train Tuesday around 8 AM near Grayslake Station (ABC)

• “Breaking down new Illinois e-bike, e-scooter laws” (Axios)

• “Police seek suspect accused of attacking woman, 25, on CTA Blue Line” 5/25, around 1:44 AM near Cicero Station (Fox)

• Video captured a burning cross, a symbol of racist hate, Tues. around 2:30 PM near Balbo/Columbus, streets named for a literal Fascist and the much-reviled navigator (ABC)

• “Changes made to Illinois public transport plan sends money downstate” (Center Square)

• “Editorial: Mayor Brandon Johnson is hamstringing City Council’s duties on the hated parking meter sale” (Tribune)

• “[Rahm Emanuel, despised by many Chicagoans for handling of Laquan McDonald case], Possible Presidential Candidate, Takes ‘Spin-Free’ Bike Trip Through NH” (Patch)

• Block Club: Walk/bike/transit advocate “Ald. Andre Vasquez Reviving Rap Career With Set At Andersonville’s Midsommarfest.” Will he cover Flobots’ “No Handlebars”?

• “Western Brown Line Stop Closing For Construction This Weekend” (Block Club)

On November 12, SBC launched our 2026 fund drive to raise $50K through ad sales and donations. That will complete this year’s budget, at a time when it’s tough to find grant money. Big thanks to all the readers who have chipped in so far to help keep this site rolling to the end of 2026! Currently, we’re at $33,951 with $16,049 to go, ideally by the end of June.

Today’s Headlines for Tuesday, June 9

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 01:31:30 +0000

The bike ride and “die-in” in memory of fallen Complete Streets Planner Riley O’Neil was a life-affirming event

John Greenfield — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 12:07:19 +0000

Last Friday, Chicago Department of Transportation Complete Streets Planner Riley O’Neil, 35, was cycling in a paint-only bike lane when he was killed by a driver who failed to check for oncoming traffic before opening his door.

On Monday, the centerpiece of O’Neil’s memorial ride was a “die-in” protest, with hundreds of riders lying in the street at the crash site, wordlessly demanding a citywide network of concrete-protected bike lanes that would prevent such tragedies. The five minutes of silence, punctuated by birdsongs, was a healing moment for Chicago’s bike advocacy community. And hopefully we’ll be able to look back at this moment as watershed, when City leaders finally realized they need to stop prioritizing convenient driving over human lives.

O’Neil managed CDOT’s bicycle parking program for several years, and was credited with overhauling it. In recent years, he helped lead the department’s bus priority initiatives and school safety zone projects.

Riley O’Neil. Image via CDOT.

On Friday, June 5, around 4:40 p.m., O’Neil was pedaling on Halsted Street, a key north-south bike commuting route, through the business district of the South Side’s Bridgeport neighborhood. While some other stretches of Hasted in have curbside, concrete-protected bikeways, this retail-dense segment has non-protected lanes striped to the left of the parking lane, i.e. in “the door zone,” in order to preserve all car storage spots.

According to Chicago Police Department, the 31-year-old driver of an uninsured car with a suspended license was parked in a prohibited space against the curb, near the local police station. The motorist opened his door without looking behind him for bikes, right in O’Neil’s Path. The cyclist swerved to avoid a crash but clipped the door. He was thrown into the street and under the rear wheels of an oncoming semi-truck.

Monday’s 7 p.m. memorial was organized by Chicago, Bike Grid Now!, a grassroots trying to create a checkerboard of low-stress cycling- and walking-priority routes. The event assembled at Bridgeport’s Palmisano Park, a few blocks north of the crash site.

During Monday’s evening rush, Complete Streets boosters held their weekly rally in support of CDOT’s under-construction Archer Avenue traffic safety project, an effort to create a safer corridor for all road users, in the Brighton Park community, just down the road from Bridgeport. But some residents and merchants have objected to the conversion of mixed-traffic lanes and parking spots to make room for walk/bike/bus infrastructure, including the type of protected lanes that would have prevented O’Neil’s death.

Archer project supporters on Monday evening. Alderperson Julia Ramirez is in the center of the group.

The Trump-friendly lobbying group Urban Center has been trying to harness this discontent for the last six months, promoting weekly protests against the Safe Streets project near the office of progressive local Alderperson (City Council member) Julia Ramirez (12th). It’s become increasingly obvious that the demonstrators are less interested in street design issues than electing Ramirez’s more conservative challenger, protest regular Claudia Zuno. (Streetsblog Chicago does not endorse candidates.)

Claudia Zuno, in peacoat, and others last winter, protesting safety infrastructure while standing on it.

While there are usually dueling rallies on Mondays, in the wake of O’Neil’s death, thankfully the opponents didn’t show up yesterday. After the rally, the supporters and Ald. Ramirez rode northeast on Archer to Bridgeport, where they met up with a larger group that pedaled southwest from the Loop, Chicago’s downtown business district.

Riders from the Loop roll under a CTA Orange Line ‘L’ train and enter Bridgeport.

Bike riders gathered at Bridgeport’s Palmisano Park.

At the park, the hundreds of people there to honor Riley O’Neil listened attentively to several speeches. I’ve transcribed portions of their statements, but I encourage you to watch the videos of their moving words when you have a chance.

“[Riley] was a dedicated bike advocate, and the person we have to thank for Chicago’s significant growth in bike parking,” said Bike Grid organizer Nik Hunder. “Riley’s friend, CDOT Complete Streets Manager David Powe has asked that we now refer to Chicago’s bike racks as ‘Riley Racks’ in remembrance.”

“Like many of you here, I’ve spent the last few days trying to make sense of this loss, and I keep coming back to the same thing, and the same thought,” Powe said. “Chicago’s a better place because Riley was here. His fingerprints are all over the city. In the bike racks people use every day, especially the Riley Racks. They’re in safer streets around schools. They’re in bus priority projects. They’re in countless improvements that most people will never notice.”

“A preventable incident, not an ‘accident,’ has brought us here today,” said Eli Orozco of Gage Park Cyclists, which has helped organize the pro-Archer project rallies. “This was the fifth [time a driver has killed a bike or e-scooter rider on Chicago streets] this year. We have passed Roman Havelka, Astrid [Carrillo Noguera], Violet Harris, Damian Gomez, and now Riley O’Neil. We are tired of adding names to this list. there is no reason why so families should have ever been destroyed with loss.”

Bike Grid organizer and Bridgeport resident Andrew Mack praised O’Neil’s accomplishments. “But there is still so much work to be done,” he aded. “Just today, another cyclist was doored on the same block where Riley was killed. Thankfully, that cyclist rode away.” CPD confirmed this.

“Now is the time for our alderpersons to show courage,” Mack continued. “Now is the time for action. No more people should die in the streets because their lives are not valued as much as driver convenience. We need a safe, connected bike grid in Chicago, today!” The crowd applauded wildly.

Encouragingly, some alders are listening. At least six of the fifty City Council representatives were in attendance, including City Hall Progressive Caucus members Ald. Ramirez, Ald. Daniel La Spata (1st), Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (27th), Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th), and Ald. Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth (48th), and moderate Ald. Nicole Lee (11th), whose district includes Bridgeport.

Alders on bikes and/or with bike helmets today. Clockwise: Vasquez (center of image), Manaa-Hoppenworth, Ramirez, and Sigcho-Lopez.

Like Ramirez, Lee is about to see a conflict between some constituents who passionately want lifesaving infrastructure installed on Halsted with no more excuses, and others who will insist that converting parking spots will destroy local businesses. How does she plan to handle that challenge?

Ald. Lee as the ride takes off.

“We’re going to continue to listen to everybody in the wake of this tragedy, and the second crash today,” she replied. “There’s a lot of work to be done. There’s a lot of work to educate the public about the dangers that they pose at motorists, whether they’re parked or driving. We’re working on some immediate steps that we can do from an education perspective.”

She mentioned that a driver who failed to yield while turning struck her nephew while he was riding a bike in nearby Chinatown and broke his ankle. “So it’s personal,” she said. “It’s going to take all of us working together to get physical infrastructure that protects people better.”

After speaking with Lee, I caught up with the ride. Here are a few photos from the two-mile tour through Bridgeport.

When we got to the Bridgeport business district, we rode north to the police station, where the die-in took place, with a generally respectful response from bystanders.

At the end of the five minutes, someone yelled, “Rise up for Riley!”

Afterwards, we headed back to Palmisano Park, where the sky was blazing. People got emotional at the close of the event.

On my way back to the business district, I saw the shrine to the Complete Streets planner, assembled on a Riley Rack. It too was illuminated.

Let’s hope that, along with bike parking, school safety zones, and bus priority projects, one of Riley O’Neil’s legacies will be convincing alderpersons to support street designs that will save lives, car parking be damned.

Update 6/9/26, 5:45: Chicagoans Who Bike’s Viktor Köves provided this photo of Chicago’s Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Committee Chair Ald. Daniel La Spata on last night’s ride.

Photo: Viktor Köves

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After hit-and-run driver struck and critically injured widely loved hairdresser Lisa Barber, on May 11, she died from her injuries on May 24. Driver is still at large.

John Greenfield — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 22:38:53 +0000

Last month Streetsblog reported on four different hit-and-run crash cases within five days that killed two vulnerable road users and critically injured two others on Chicago streets. One of victims who didn’t immediately lose her life was hairdresser Lisa Barber, 45, who suffered head injuries from her collision in Humboldt Park. Tragically, after holding on for almost two weeks, she passed away on May 24. While I didn’t see coverage of this outcome during my daily headline searches, I appreciate multiple readers reaching out last weekend weekend to share the sad news.

According to the preliminary Chicago Police Department statement, on Monday May 11 at around 7:56 p.m., Barber was walking north across Franklin Boulevard near Albany Avenue in Humboldt Park when an eastbound motorist in a maroon car hit her and drove off in an unknown direction without stopping to render aid. The pedestrian was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital in critical condition.

The 3100 block of West Franklin Boulevard, looking east. Protected bike lanes help calm traffic here, but drivers still speed. Image: Google Maps

According to the Cook County medical examiner’s office, Barber died on Sunday, May 24 at Accent Care at Macneal in Berwyn.

As of today, no one is in custody for the crime, according to Police News Affairs. The department has released a Community Bulletin with these images of a
2013-2018 maroon Ford Fusion driven by the offender. The vehicle from the crash may have damage to the front and hood

Images via CPD.

Those with information on the case are asked to call the Major Accidents Investigation Unit at 312-745-4521 or submit an anonymous tip at CPDTIP[dot]com with the reference RD # JK251084.

Humboldt Park residents told ABC Chicago drivers often travel fast and recklessly on Franklin. “[Motorists] don’t stop,” Angel Rodriguez said. “Pedestrians try to walk across the street, but there’s no help to help them across.”

Lisa Barber. Photo via her salon’s Instagram.

“Lisa had become a good friend of mine over the past few years and was a member of my book club,” a friend of Barber’s named Katie told ABC in a statement. “We’re a group of about ten, and we’re all in shock over how suddenly this happened, how abruptly Lisa could be here one minute, so full of life, so hilarious, and making plans for the future – whether that was a trip or what our next book would be… Our book club is trying to channel our grief and anger into advocacy. We’re in the early stages of planning pedestrian safety advocacy near where the hit-and-run happened.”

According to a Sun-Times report, Barber worked as a hairdresser at Sine Qua Non Salons, 2038 W. Chicago Ave. in Ukrainian Village. On the day of her crash, she had gone to a friend’s fashion show and taken the ‘L’ home. She was walking back to her residence when the driver struck her. She fell off the car’s hood and her head hit the ground, police said.

Salon owner Laura Boton told the Sun-Times Barber was a talented hairdresser who was good at making her clients feel at ease. “She was just a bright light and a beautiful person.”

“When you spoke with her, you knew she was listening and knew she cared,” Barber’s friend Tara Lattanzi told the paper. “We could be ourselves with her.”

View her salon’s tribute to her on Instagram.

Fatality Tracker: 2026 Chicago pedestrian and bicyclist deaths on surface streets

Pedestrian: 13

Bicycle or e-scooter: 5

2026 Chicago pedestrian fatalities

• On Wednesday, January 7, around 8:44 a.m., a 42-year-old woman driving an SUV fatally struck a man, 64, crossing at 9498 S. Lafayette Ave. in Roseland.

• On Monday, February 16, around 4:12 p.m., a 37-year-old female truck driver struck and killed a woman, 63, in the 7200 block of West Bryn Mawr Avenue in Norwood Park.

• On Tuesday, March 3, around 6:15 PM, an SUV driver, 70, fatally struck a female pedestrian in the 4000 block of West Foster Avenue in the North Park neighborhood.

• On Wednesday, March 11, sometime before 10 p.m., a hit-and-run driver fatally struck a woman, 32, in the 2100 block of East 83rd Street in South Chicago.

• On Friday, March 13, at around 12:06 p.m., the left-turning driver of a large vehicle fatally struck a pedestrian in a crosswalk at 3960 W. 26th St. in Little Village.

• On Sunday, April 12, around 9 p.m., a 17-year-old girl driving an SUV fatally struck a Fontella Wyatt, 43, crossing Ogden Avenue at Ashland Avenue on the Near West Side.

• On Sunday, April 19, at about 9:30 p.m., a hit-and-run pickup truck driver struck and killed Minerva Martinez, 65, in a crosswalk at Belmont and Central avenues in Belmont Cragin.

• On Monday, April 20, around 6 p.m., a semi-truck driver fatally struck Autumn Perez, 29, at 6341 S. Western Ave. in Chicago Lawn.

• On Saturday, May 2, around 2:40 a.m., after an argument, a driver fatally struck a man, 65, standing on the sidewalk on the 5000 block of S. Western Ave. in Gage Park, and then fled the scene.

• On Monday, May 11, the hit-and-run driver of a Maroon sedan struck and critically injured Lisa Barber, 45, on the 3100 block of West Franlin Boulevard in Humboldt Park. She died from her injuries on Monday, May 24.

• On Tuesday, May 12, Enrique Nieto was changing a flat car tire in the street on the 6800 block of South Pulaski Road when an SUV driver fatally struck him and fled the scene.

• On Thursday, May 14, a hit-and-run sedan driver fatally struck a man, 36, near 87th Street and Ashland Avenue in Auburn Gresham.

• On Saturday, May 23, around 5:15 p.m., a driver, 35, fatally struck Illeana Crisanto, 62, near Belmont and Kilbourn avenues, on the border of Irving Park and Hermosa.

2026 Chicago bicycle and e-scooter fatalities

• On Thursday, January 24, around 8:20 p.m., the 33-year-old male driver of a Toyota fatally struck Roman Havelka, 63, on a bicycle in the 8600 block of West Irving Park Road.

• On Saturday, March 21, around 8:30 p.m., a hit-and-run driver fatally struck Violet Harris, 15, on an e-scooter in the 2800 block of East 77th Street in South Shore.

• On Sunday, April 5, around 1:20 a.m., a speeding, hit-and-run SUV driver fatally struck Damian Gomez, 18, on a bicycle at 63rd Street and Kedzie Avenue in Chicago Lawn.

• On Friday, April 24, around 4:15 p.m., a Jeep driver struck and killed e-scooter rider Astrid Carrillo Noguera, 17, near 3340 S. King Dr. in the Douglas community.

• On Friday, June 5, around 4:40 p.m., a car driver opened their door on CDOT Planner Riley O’Neil, 35, causing him to clip the door and be thrown in front of a truck and fatally struck.

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Today’s Headlines for Tuesday, June 8

John Greenfield — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 14:43:40 +0000

After driver doored CDOT Planner Riley O’Neil, 35, on bike in Bridgeport, causing his death, advocates demand City install protected lanes to prevent such killings

John Greenfield — Sat, 06 Jun 2026 06:01:58 +0000

Update 6/7/26, 12:45 AM:

A memorial has been created near the crash site.

Photo via NBC Chicago.

Citations for the motorist, who was driving on a suspended license

The Tribune reported, “Chicago police said it had issued four citations to a 31-year-old man on the scene, including for the unsafe opening or closing of a door, prohibited parking, driving on a suspended license and operating an uninsured vehicle.”

Chicago. Bike Grid Now! is holding a vigil for Riley O’Neil this Monday, June 8, 7 PM at Palmisano Park, 2700 S. Halsted St.

Mayor Brandon Johnson posted this statement on Twitter.

Mayor Johnson’s Twitter post.

Bike Lane Uprising thread about truck traffic on Halsted.

Statements from Chaddick Institue and Better Streets Chicago, in a Tribune report on the case

“O’Neil had devoted his life ‘to making cycling better and safer,’ said Joseph Schwieterman of DePaul’s Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development.

O’Neil attended graduate school at DePaul and later served as a post-graduate fellow at the Chaddick Institute, according to his LinkedIn profile.

About a decade ago, Schwieterman remembered, the Chaddick Institute took a trip to Milwaukee. Everyone else took Amtrak to Wisconsin, Schwieterman said. O’Neil rode his bike.

It’s ‘disheartening,’ Schwieterman said, that society ‘seem[s] to accept bicycle deaths as an unavoidable part of life.’

[Snip]

‘[O’Neil’s] death was preventable, and is a painful reminder that these tragedies are a result of policy choices and political will,’ said Kyle Lucas of the advocacy group Better Streets Chicago in a statement. ‘Our elected officials must say enough is enough, and commit themselves to building the kind of infrastructure we know works to save lives.’

‘This wouldn’t have happened in a protected bike lane,’ Lucas added. ‘But elected officials are more concerned about prioritizing parking over safety.'”

Update 6/6/26: 6:30 PM:

The Chicago Department of Transportation posted the following statement on Facebook.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of our beloved colleague, Riley O’Neil. We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and loved ones.

Riley was a cherished member of CDOT’s Complete Streets team and previously led Chicago’s bike parking program for several years. He was a dedicated public servant who devoted his career to making Chicago’s streets safer and more accessible for everyone.

His loss is being felt deeply across the department, and he will be greatly missed.”

Local Ald. Nicole Lee posted this statement on Facebook.

“Our community is heartbroken by the death yesterday of Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) employee and 11th Ward resident Riley O’Neil in a tragic [crash] on Halsted St. According to the Chicago Tribune report, “the cyclist [Mr. O’Neil] was traveling north on Halsted when the driver of a white sedan opened the car’s door. The cyclist swerved to avoid the door but still clipped it and was thrown to the street, sources said. A witness told the Tribune the cyclist was then run over by a large truck.”

Please join me in mourning Riley O’Neil, by all accounts a great public servant who was passionate about bike accessibility. We send our deepest condolences to his loved ones and to the members of our community who witnessed this horrible tragedy.

People of all ages in the 11th Ward travel by bike–whether for everyday transportation or recreationally. Making sure the streets are safe for all is a priority for our team. That’s why I have made improvements to bike lanes since I have been in office, including working with CDOT to install protected bike lanes on 35th Street from Halsted to LaSalle, and protected lanes on 18th Street from Canal to Clark.

It’s also why, in 2025, I commissioned a traffic study with CDOT for the area bound by Pershing to 29th and Halsted to Canal to address traffic calming on a larger scale and to evaluate the feasibility of a greenway on either Emerald or Union to give cyclists a safer route to travel north-south in the ward in this area. Already, we have installed numerous curb bumpouts and speed cameras throughout the ward in an effort to make our streets safer for all. Our goal has always been to identify additional ways to make our streets safer for riders and pedestrians.

We are also working with CDOT on the next phase of the Smart Streets program, which Mr. O’Neil was working on. This plan would expand bike lanes on 35th Street from Halsted to Ashland. This program is still in the planning phase, and requires additional community engagement before it can be finalized. Additionally, my office is working with CDOT and the Secretary of State’s office to disseminate information for everyone–drivers, cyclists and pedestrians alike–on how to safely share the road. Motorists, please take care when driving through our community. Lower your speed, and always check over your shoulder for cyclists before opening your car door. A good way to do this is opening the car door with your right hand which causes your torso and head to naturally turn toward the window and the back of the car. This is called the “Dutch Reach” maneuver, which the City should be prioritizing in public education.

I have been in communication with CDOT Commissioner Cheaks since this incident, and will provide a full update on the timeline for the traffic study and potential next steps in the days ahead.”

Update 6/6/26, 9:15 AM:

CDOT Planner David Powe shared the name of the dooring victim, CDOT Complete Streets Planner + Project Manager Riley O’Neil, 35. We’ve edited this article accordingly. During this difficult time, our thoughts are with O’Neil’s loved ones, the CDOT Complete Streets team, and other advocates who knew him.

Powe posted the following statement, “Please help us honor a Chicago bike advocate by calling these ‘Riley Racks,'” on Reddit this morning.

“Yesterday, CDOT lost one of the best people I’ve ever known.

Riley O’Neil led Chicago’s bike parking program for several years and completely transformed it. More recently, he was helping lead both CDOT’s school zone safety work and bus priority projects. He cared deeply about making biking, rolling, walking, and riding better for everyone.

But what I’ll remember most is his passion. Riley could get anyone excited about making Chicago better. He never met a person he couldn’t immediately connect with. His enthusiasm and love for bikes, transit, infrastructure, and public service was contagious.

In his memory, CDOT is going to start referring to these bike racks as “Riley Racks.”

We’d appreciate everyone’s help carrying his legacy forward. If you see one of these racks around Chicago, call it a Riley Rack.

Our hearts are broken, but we want to make sure Riley’s legacy lives on.”

Photo via the Reddit post.

Tragically, this afternoon a car driver with a suspended license doored CDOT Complete Streets Planner Riley O’Neil, 35 as he rode his bike in Bridgeport, causing him to strike the door and be thrown in front of a large semi-truck and fatally run over.

According to the initial police report, on Friday, June 5 around 4:40 p.m., O’Neil was struck in traffic in the 3200 block of South Halsted Street. He was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The driver stayed on the scene.

The aftermath of the crash. Photo: Austin Busch

The Chicago Tribune reported that a Chicago Police Department source and a bystander said O’Neil was pedaling north before the collision. The driver of a white sedan opened their door into the non-protected, paint-only bike lane. The victim tried to steer out of the way but hit the door and fell into the street, where the truck ran over him.

Riding an e- scooter in the Halsted Street protected bike lanes on Halsted Street between Harrison Street and Roosevelt Road, next to the University of Illinois Chicago, looking south. Photo: John Greenfield

O’Neill’s tragic death might have been prevented if the bike lanes on this segment of Halsted were located curbside, with the parking lane to the left of the bikeway, with concrete protection.

Posts by the Chicago, Bike Grid Now! advocacy group this evening.

A couple miles southwest on Archer Avenue in Brighton Park, politically motivated protesters, including a 12th Ward alder candidate, have been demonstrating every week for the last six months, demanding that the City remove concrete-protected bike lanes.

Very similar weekly protests have been taking place recently on Grand Avenue in West Town.

I’ve heard from a source that there is a connection between the victim Chicago Department of Transportation. Streetsblog has asked CDOT if they have more information about the case. This post will be updated as more facts come to light.

Update 6/6/26, 1:30 PM: Bike Lane Uprising posted that they know the identity of the victim. This information will not be made public by the Cook County medical examiner’s office before their family is notified.

Fatality Tracker: 2026 Chicago pedestrian and bicyclist deaths on surface streets

Pedestrian: 12