Be a snitch. But don't expect us to go after the perps.
That is the message Chicago cyclists are getting from their city.
On one hand, on Wednesday morning Alderman Daniel La Spata of the Windy City's First Ward sent this Tweet:
My office has been investigating the best way to submit Bike Lane Parking Violations for enforcement to the City of Chicago. Here is the best way to submit violations for ticketing:
— Alderman Daniel La Spata (@AldermanLaSpata) June 15, 2022
He was encouraging cyclists to take photos of drivers parked in designated bike lanes and send them to 311 so the city can pursue a citation.
That same afternoon, however, a Chicago Department of Transportation spokesperson said that while the agency encourages what La Spata advised, the City uses the information "to guide enforcement and identify hot spots to improve public safety." Those complaints, however, are not sent to Administrative Hearings for ticketing," the CDoT spokesperson said.
Would Chicago, or any other city, tell its citizens to take videos of robberies or assaults in progress, forward them to the city, and say that it plans to do nothing with them? How many people would want to be "the eyes and ears" of their communities?
