After Chicago actor Kevin Clark was fatally struck by a car last month while riding his bike in the city's Avondale neighborhood, his family and cycling advocates on Saturday called for improvements at the intersection where Clark was hit.
Clark was struck by a car while riding his bike near Logan Boulevard and Western Avenue on May 26.
The Active Transportation Alliance has tried to call attention to that stretch of Logan Boulevard, citing dozens of bike crashes and more than 1,000 car crashes over a five-year period.
As cycling advocates, Clark's family and others gathered at the intersection, a moment of silence was noticeably interrupted by honking and the fast-moving traffic from the nearby ramps of the Kennedy Expressway, along with those speeding through.
The mother of the actor, who was especially known for his role as Freddy Jones in the 2003 film "School of Rock" starring Jack Black, said now is the time to make the changes cyclists have been calling for.
"This intersection is incredibly horrible, it’s just horrible," Allison Clark said.
Kevin Clark's cousin, Matthew Portman, joined the Active Transportation Alliance, residents, Chicago aldermen and Cook County commissioners to push for changes first presented to the city in 2018.
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"They hand delivered them an easy way to make that safer for everyone, and they just sat on it," Portman said. "That’s why we’re here today.”
Suggested improvements include better lighting and signaling, better crosswalk markings, a bike lane and lowering travel lanes, said Amy Rynell, executive director of the Active Transportation Alliance.
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"There’s so much we can do as a city at this intersection and across the city," said Ald. Daniel La Spata, who represents Chicago's 1st Ward.
Until changes are made, flowers and a bicycle sit at the intersection - a reminder of Clarks' death and the dozens of bike crashes that have occurred.
"It would mean so much to me, to his whole family, all of his friends," Allison Clark, the actor's mother said.
