Bike ride and vigil in Bridgeport held in honor of Riley O'Neil, cycling safety advocate killed in bike crash

A community came together on Monday night to honor a city employee who dedicated his life to making Chicago streets safer for cyclists and pedestrians.

Chicago Department of Transportation employee Riley O'Neil was killed last week while riding his bike in an unprotected bike lane in Bridgeport when someone in a car opened their door in his path, and he fell into the street, where he was hit by a passing vehicle.

O'Neil, 35, later died at Stroger Hospital.

Since then, a memorial to O'Neil has continued to grow near 32nd and Halsted, where he was hit. Mourners have left candles, flowers, a Chicago flag, a White Sox cap, and other things to remember O'Neil.

Chicago Bike Grid Now, a grassroots activist group which fights to make Chicago streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists, held a "bike jam" and vigil for O'Neil on Monday night. O'Neil's CDOT family, along with the wider Chicago cyclist community, came together to ride in his honor.

"Riley's death, it marks the third cyclist hit and killed in Chicago this year, and it's June," said Bike Grid Now community organizer Alyssa Edes.

"Riley was too young to die, but it's not the end of his story," said Bridgeport resident Andrew Mack.

CDOT confirmed O'Neil was an employee who worked for the city's Complete Streets team – which aims to make streets safer for drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and public transit – and previously led CDOT's bike parking program for several years.

"Large sections of Halsted remain unprotected," Mack said.

The crush of riders left from Palmisano Park and ended blocks away near 32nd and Halsted, where O'Neil was killed. 

Organizers of the vigil said it's tough to honor the loss of someone who was the driving force behind so much of the progress they've been fighting for.

"We have more cycling infrastructure now than we have had ever before in Chicago, and that's great. That is thanks to the work people at CDOT, including Riley, have been doing for years, but at the same time, it is not enough," Edes said. "A crash is not an accident. These things are preventable. We know what causes them, and it's poor road infrastructure. Another thing we like to say is that paint is not protection."

Strong Towns Chicago, which helps promote campaigns for safer city streets, said they plan to be part of the bike ride and vigil honoring O'Neil.

"It's a period of sadness, it's a period of reflection," said Strong Towns Chicago board member Hunter Heyman. "We know what saves lives; protected infrastructure that physically separates people from cars."

On Monday, another cyclist was hit by a car door while riding on Halsted Street just steps away from the memorial to O'Neil, but thankfully was not seriously hurt.

"I'm a little bit scratched up," Seamus Wray said.

Wray was shocked to hear the story about how O'Neil was just killed nearby just days ago, noting other stretches of Halsted have protected bike lanes with concrete barriers.

"Maybe we could have that all along Halsted," he said.

The driver who hit Wray with their door stayed to make sure he was okay, and Wray left feeling grateful.

"I'm glad I'm alive," he said.

"For too long, elected officials have told us street parking is more important than the safety of Riley, of our children or our seniors," Mack said.

Ald. Nicole Lee (11th) says since O'Neil's death, she has been in touch with CDOT about a traffic study on this stretch of Halsted and other parts of her ward.

"Get comfortable having uncomfortable conversations about the realities of what that means from an infrastructure perspective, and it's a lot to balance," she said. "As a city, we gotta continue to make it a priority to make safe streets for everybody."

Police said four citations were issued to the driver of the car who opened their door into O'Neil, including unsafe opening and closing of a door, and parking in a prohibited standing zone.