They're not vehicles in this state.

We also have a serious disincentive - a cyclist lost a damage suit and the judge words to the effect that "the road wasn't marked for cyclists in any way, so the defendant shouldn't have had to expect cyclists to be on the road." (I *really* wonder about that case.) So, now nobody wants to do anything that's for bikes. The League of ILlinois Bicyclists is lobbying hard all over the place to get folks to see the benefits of planning for bicyclists anyway, with some fortunately positive results.

I, too, have had experiences like yours Trek. One of the things we are trying to do is find ways to educate riders so that at least they know their options.