Ill. bill would ban texting while biking

Last fall, Chicago adopted an ordinance banning texting while bicycling. Now a state lawmaker wants to enact a similar ban statewide.

State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, a Chicago Democrat, has introduced legislation that would only allow the use of hands-free devices while biking and texting only when a cyclist is stopped and pulled over to the side of the road, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The Active Transportation Alliance and the League of Illinois Bicyclists support the legislation.

"We feel that bikes should have the same rights and rules as motorists and if motorists aren't allowed to text, neither should cyclists," League of Illinois Bicyclists Director Ed Barsotti told the newspaper.

Meanwhile, Illinois ranks 45th among states in per-capita spending of federal funds on bicycling and walking and 23rd in pedestrian and bicycle safety, according to a national study released last month by the Alliance for Biking & Walking.