Study: Chicago police issued some bike tickets at higher rates in Black and Latino neighborhoods

Chicago police issued sidewalk cycling tickets more often in Black and Latino areas in recent years, even as they issued fewer tickets overall, according to a recent study of bike ticketing practices.

The findings highlight policing practices in Black and Latino neighborhoods in the city, and the unequal distribution of the city’s bike lanes and resources, said study author Jesus Barajas, an assistant professor at the University of California, Davis.

In the neighborhoods most affected, high cycling ticket rates could put a damper on jobs, residents’ health and efforts to reduce violence, said Olatunji Oboi Reed, president and CEO of racial equity-focused nonprofit Equiticity, which partnered on the study.

“There’s a role for cycling to play in improving our neighborhoods,” he said. “And when these types of inequities are in existence, from lack of infrastructure in our