Illinois

From Hitchwiki
United States > Illinois
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Illinois is a state in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Wisconsin to the north, Lake Michigan (one of the Great Lakes) to the northeast, Indiana to the east, the westernmost portion of Kentucky to the south, and Iowa and Missouri to the west.

By far the largest and most interesting city in Illinois is Chicago, located on the shore of Lake Michigan in the northeast corner of the state. With a population of over 9,500,000 (metropolitan area), it is the third-largest city in the United States. Make use of the truck stop areas and on ramps. Hitching on the intestate in Illinois ESPECIALLY on turnpikes is illegal. Look also for US routes, the police might leave you alone.

Law

(625 ILCS 5/11-1006) (from Ch. 95 1/2, 11)

Sec. 11-1006. Pedestrians soliciting rides or business.

No person shall stand in a roadway for the purpose of soliciting a ride from the driver of any vehicle.

(625 ILCS 5/1-179) (from Ch. 95 1/2, 1) Title and Definitions

Sec. 1-179. Roadway.

That portion of a highway improved, designed or ordinarily used for vehicular travel, exclusive of the berm or shoulder.

As usual if you stay on the shoulder or berm you are legally not in violation of this code.

Experiences

Zenit had a State Trooper define "roadway" as the road itself plus 30 feet to either side which would make hitchhiking impracticable to say the least. Also Zenit has found Northern Illinois to be an enormous pain considering law enforcement; he has been stopped and told that hitchhiking is illegal on any kind of highway at least one time per day. If lucky, you might get a ride out of the cop's area, if not, you'll have to do some walking or keep your head down.

I have been everywhere in the United States and Illinois is one of the worst states for hitchhiking. It is even harder than Indiana and Ohio. People here just don't trust strangers at all. As soon as you cross the state line into Missouri or Iowa, hitching gets much easier. I have been kicked out of more truck stops/rest areas in Illinois than I can remember. Folks, this is a state that really, really doesn't like hitchhikers. Thewindandrain (talk) 17:33, 15 July 2013 (CEST)

 Hitching in Illinois can be difficult depending on where you are, and what direction you are heading. I was hitching near a truck stop about 45 minutes south of Chicago heading north. I spend a good long time waiting for a ride. I snuck into the bathroom and caught some sleep on the john.  A good couple of hours into the next day A very nice polish truck driver from Michigan (also from where I hail.) Picked me up and took me a good 600 miles! He dropped me within a few miles of where I was going.

Cities



trash:Illinois