Divvy Bikes Lawsuit: Lakeview Condo Owners Struck Blow In Suit Over Station Outside Building

Condo Owners Struck Blow In Lawsuit Over Divvy Bike Station

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Though Chicago's new bike sharing program has been a hit by most accounts, Divvy Bikes is apparently hitting too close to home for some Lakeview residents.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, condo owners on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against the city over a Divvy bike rental station located directly outside their building near the intersection of Addison Street and Pine Grove Avenue.

The lawsuit was already struck a blow on Friday when a Cook County judge denied the plaintiffs' preliminary request that the station be removed. A hearing on the matter was slated for Sept. 24, the Chicago Tribune reports.

The building's condo association president David F. Kolin on Tuesday told the Sun-Times he feels the station is "the ugliest damn thing" that he fears will attract an "invasion" of "strangers … at the front door, 24 hours a day and children who come and go from the building, which has no doorman, will be at risk."

Kolin and his wife, Jeannine Cordero, only learned the station would be going up "less than 20 steps from our front door" on Tuesday, just one day before it was installed, the Tribune previously reported.

Kolin told DNAinfo Chicago widespread criticism of their lawsuit as NIMBY-ism was "pretty harsh" and hurtful.

Meanwhile, the city claims the location of the 15-bike station -- which is not on private property -- was selected because it was the safest option in the area.

The lawsuit, the first against Divvy, names as its defendants the Chicago Department of Transportation and Ald. James Cappleman (46th).

Divvy, which launched in late June, aims to have 3,000 bicycles available for riding at 40 stations citywide by the end of the summer. Membership in the bike sharing program costs $75 for an annual membership, which includes unlimited 30-minute trips. Twenty-hour passes are available for $7.

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