The Chainlink

Most Bike Un-Friendly Streets

Here are my personal unfavorites for street riding. Please share your most disliked streets and routes for new/existing riders.

-Addison between clark and damen (hellacious potholes, little scary tiny rocks)
-Western (self-explanatory)
-Wrigleyville before/during/after a cubs game
-Division (between elston and ashland, ghost bike installed there for a reason)
-Irving Park Rd (I got pushed so far into the parked cars by traffic I took out a sideview mirror with my fist riding a CRUISER)

Anyone else?
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Permalink Reply by vxla on September 25, 2008 at 1:11pm
Yeah, it was just hailey and myself from the other forum. John provided beers and bought us ice cream too!
Permalink Reply by Ammo on September 25, 2008 at 1:21pm
mmmm, beer and ice cream....
you know, it's nice and quiet here today =)

vxla said:
Yeah, it was just hailey and myself from the other forum. John provided beers and bought us ice cream too!
Permalink Reply by Homebuilt on September 25, 2008 at 1:27pm
Elston bike lanes
Permalink Reply by Ammo on September 25, 2008 at 1:38pm
especially by Ashland
Homebuilt said:
Elston bike lanes
Permalink Reply by Ammo on September 25, 2008 at 2:50pm
The pot was brewing just fine until it was overspiced.
Permalink Reply by Ammo on September 25, 2008 at 2:53pm
google

Video_Drome said:
Ammo said:
The pot was brewing just fine until it was overspiced.

Yeah, the pepper dropped off the spice rack and into the stew.

where'd u find that pic of the circle bike?
Permalink Reply by evanK on September 25, 2008 at 3:12pm
I don't think anyone has said Division by Cabrini. If only for the road quality--or lack thereof. I have had success, especially late at night riding on Ashland (or during rush hour); I find that I can time it so that I'm moving when there are no cars and am out of the line of fire when there are those stray cars doing 45.
Ditto on the new Japanese decoration bridge just south of the LSD bridge. Speed bump? I like riding in the loop; lots of cars, but few moving fast.
My least favorite street to ride on: lower wacker. Have only had to do it a couple times (usually to avoid the marathon or late at night).
Permalink Reply by Ammo on September 25, 2008 at 3:13pm
I would never do lower wacker by myself. I did mention division by the ghost bike, but that area is by my work. That road is just terrible.

evanK said:
I don't think anyone has said Division by Cabrini. If only for the road quality--or lack thereof. I have had success, especially late at night riding on Ashland (or during rush hour); I find that I can time it so that I'm moving when there are no cars and am out of the line of fire when there are those stray cars doing 45.
Ditto on the new Japanese decoration bridge just south of the LSD bridge. Speed bump? I like riding in the loop; lots of cars, but few moving fast.
My least favorite street to ride on: lower wacker. Have only had to do it a couple times (usually to avoid the marathon or late at night).
Permalink Reply by mister bob on September 25, 2008 at 7:17pm
Foster between Pulaski and Elston. Parts of it are 2 lanes with almost no cross traffic (due to Forest Preserve and cemeteries to one side) and cars get up to 40-50 mph (I guesstimate). Even worse are the parts that aren't even 2 lanes - but cars are driving 2 abreast anyway! That is a perfect recipe for disaster: high speed cars driving 2 abreast where room for a bicycle has just disappeared. Unfortunately for me I work right over there. I should tell my staff that if I'm more then 15 minutes late without calling they should come get me with a dustpan. (Just kidding, I actually stick to Lawrence that far west.)

Kedzie from about 55th to 26th. Big truck route. And I have personally spent HOURS trying to take side streets north through there only to find that, nope, Kedzie is the only way through, fool. Lookit a map.

Unlike many of you I actually enjoy Western as well as Ashland. Western is so wide and I ride fast, out of the reach of car doors (which, when opened in front of you, are the number one cause of injury and death to bicyclists). Ashland has less "bike shoulder" but I just ride far enough out that I get my own lane. Go fast and be visible and you will almost never, ever get hit from behind. Yelled at maybe, but that's what earbuds are for. :)

(Fell like riding slow and enjoying the scenery, better to switch to a sidestreet than to ride within dooring range on an arterial, IMO.)

I can hardly stand to take Damen anymore since they closed the "Maxwell Street Bus Stop" cheeseburger shack at Clybourn. Now I stop and cry while my stomach rumbles. It's unbearable.
Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on September 27, 2008 at 10:41pm
I forgot how dark the roads are in the suburbs! I was out there biking tonight and feared for my life! I also forget how far things are compared to the city. I breathed a sigh of relief when I made it back to our nice little city limits and all the street lights. I have to say though it was pretty frickin beautiful out there this afternoon....
Permalink Reply by Ammo on September 28, 2008 at 2:53pm
I'd be frightened out of my wits to ride the burbs. Those truckers are mean with honking thier blaring horns.

Julie Hochstadter said:
I forgot how dark the roads are in the suburbs! I was out there biking tonight and feared for my life! I also forget how far things are compared to the city. I breathed a sigh of relief when I made it back to our nice little city limits and all the street lights. I have to say though it was pretty frickin beautiful out there this afternoon....
Permalink Reply by zluooobo on October 6, 2008 at 8:57pm
Devon west of the North Shore Channel trail - drivers seem to get twice as aggressive once you're over the bridge.
Also headed South on Winthrop just after Ardmore has to be some of the worst maintained bike lane pavement in the city for obvious reason - don't miss the turn!

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