Mayoral Bike Plans

Gabe beat me to this in the "Rahm seems like a jerk" post, but I felt like it deserves a dedicated post.

From Rahm's site: http://www.chicagoforrahm.com/issues/transportation

Expand Chicago's Bicycle Network

More than 60% of trips in Chicago are three miles or less, and bicycles are an increasingly popular mode of transportation, particularly on short commutes to work and between neighborhoods. Over the past decade, the City has added about eight miles of bike lanes each year, but continues to lag far behind many large cities that are expanding their protected bike lane network and offering basic accommodations for bikes in business districts. Rahm supports full implementation of Chicago’s Bike Plan and will initiate a review of its goals and timelines to identify opportunities to expand the plan and accelerate the pace of implementation. He will continue to push the City to be a leader in expanding opportunities for biking, with a goal of also improving walkability and linking these two modes to public transit options.

Make Chicago’s bike lane network the most complete in America

Chicago’s 125 miles of bike lanes cover a small portion of the city’s 5000 miles of roads. Rahm wants to dramatically increase the number of miles added each year – from 8 to 25 – and prioritize the creation of protected bike lanes. His plan is based on a simple premise: create a bike lane network that allows every Chicagoan – from kids on their first ride to senior citizens on their way to the grocery store – to feel safe on our streets.

Under the plan, Chicago would be a pioneer in the creation and expansion of protected bike lanes, which are separated from traveling cars and sit between the sidewalk and a row of parked cars that shield cyclists from street traffic. He will prioritize the lanes on major thoroughfares that link communities to downtown and each other.

Complete the Bloomingdale Trail

The Bloomingdale Trail will be a 2.65-mile multi-use recreational trail built along an elevated rail line along Bloomingdale Avenue on Chicago’s northwest side. The tracks, which are currently unused, will be converted into a safe greenway that accommodates both pedestrian and bike travel, and connects the west side to existing bike lanes that feed into the Loop. There will be multiple access points that double as neighborhood parks and link the trail to existing bike and transit routes. The Damen and Western stops on the Blue Line, the Clybourn Metra station, and the North Avenue, Fullerton, Western Kedzie, Kimball, California, Milwaukee and Ashland busses all pass under, over or nearby the Trail. Thousands of Chicagoans will be able to use the trail to commute to work each morning, and it will serve as a safe route to school for thousands of children who attend one of the 12 public and parochial schools within easy walking distance.

The Trail will be the world's longest elevated trail and a major tourist draw, but more importantly it will significantly increase transportation options for residents on Chicago’s north west side. The cost – $75 million – will be shared by local, federal, corporate and non-profit partners.

Rahm is committed to having the trail built and functional during his first term. He will ensure the City is expediting review of all related permits, and will co-chair the committee to raise private capital for that portion of the fundraising effort. Because the Trail offers safe routes to schools and fits under the Obama administration’s sustainable communities initiative, Rahm will work to leverage federal dollars that are intended for these types of innovative pilot projects.

A spot for every bicycle

Safe bike lanes will help Chicagoans travel through the neighborhoods, but businesses and offices need places to safely store bicycles. Rahm will push an ordinance to change building codes for all office buildings with more than 200 tenants, requiring that they offer protected bike storage facilities at the rate of one spot for every 20 employees in the building. Under the plan, buildings will be able to work together to expand bike parking in the most cost-effective way possible. For new developments, Rahm will work with city departments and local developers to draft a change in the building code that would require secure bike parking based on the square-footage of the development, and offer incentives for increased bike parking, including a reduction in required car parking slots in exchange for enhanced bike parking facilities. He will also task his budget office with devising a plan to offer tax incentives for any company that offers shower and locker facilities on-site for bicycle commuters.

Rahm will also work to replace the bike parking that was lost in neighborhoods when 40,000 parking meters were removed and replaced with the current pay boxes. The meters served the dual purpose of providing a secure base to lock a bike. There are currently 12,000 bike racks, providing 24,000 spaces. Rahm will work to double that number by adding racks and sheltered bike parking in the neighborhoods and downtown to increase convenience and security for bikers who do not have parking at their buildings. Bike parking will be expanded at transit facilities, and co-planned with new car-sharing sites and walkability improvements to make it as easy as possible to get around without a car.

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Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on January 30, 2011 at 6:21pm

A politician promised something, he must be sincere . . .

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Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on January 30, 2011 at 11:43pm

Yeah, call me jaded.

In the late 17th and early 18th century when Euopeans were first exposed to tobacco from the new world they thought it had curative properties. Some physicians even designed machines to pump the smoke up the anus of patients to cure them of diseases or even revive them after a strike or drowning. After a while they realized it didn't do any good even though they had high hopes for the process.

This is the origin of the phrase "blowimg smoke up one's ass."

Always keep this in mind when dealing with anything a politician says when he is trying to get people to vote for him. Bend over and BELIEVE.

H3N3 said:

A politician promised something, he must be sincere . . .

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Permalink Reply by Joe TV on January 30, 2011 at 6:30pm

I haven't heard much from the other candidates on the topic, and without taking sides, I would point out that Rahm was gladhanding at an unnamed Bucktown (Rapid Transit?) bike shop today:

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/politics&id=7928356

H3N3 said:

A politician promised something, he must be sincere . . .

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Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on January 30, 2011 at 6:55pm

Chico's entire transportation platform is laid out in the article you linked:

"Mr. Emanuel has proposed the single largest tax increase in the state," said mayoral candidate Gery Chico. "This will affect people going to get their oil changed, their car washed."

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Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on January 30, 2011 at 6:59pm

Here's what I know about DelValle:

He supports the Bloomingdale Trail but questions how it can be paid for in the current economic climate.

He supports the Mid-City transit way.

Here's what I know about Watkins:

She's the only candidate willing to point out that easily half of the city budget is completely wasted on ghost employees and people who have do-nothing jobs made up for them by patronage bosses.

Could she theoretically do something about it and not end up dead? Who knows.

Joe TV said:

I haven't heard much from the other candidates on the topic, and without taking sides, I would point out that Rahm was gladhanding at an unnamed Bucktown (Rapid Transit?) bike shop today:

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/politics&id=7928356

H3N3 said:

A politician promised something, he must be sincere . . .

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Permalink Reply by Dr. Doom on January 30, 2011 at 7:12pm

To hell with all of these people. I am voting for John Hawkins, a write-in candidate of the Socialist Workers Party. I am not a socialist but in the absence of an anarcho-syndicalist candidate he will do.

“The only party offering a program to defend working people and a perspective for fighting to end the dog-eat-dog capitalist system in favor of a socialist world is the Socialist Workers Party,” he said.

“We tell the truth, that working people must organize a mass revolutionary movement to take political power and replace the rule of the capitalist class with working-class rule.

“Working people must stop relying on the twin capitalist parties—Democrats and Republicans alike. These parties always put the interests of the bankers, landlords, and industrialists first. We need a labor party, based on unions that are fighting to put workers’ interests first,” stated Hawkins.

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Permalink Reply by jlj on January 30, 2011 at 7:33pm

I love you Dr. Doom.

Dr. Doom said:

To hell with all of these people. I am voting for John Hawkins, a write-in candidate of the Socialist Workers Party. I am not a socialist but in the absence of an anarcho-syndicalist candidate he will do.

“The only party offering a program to defend working people and a perspective for fighting to end the dog-eat-dog capitalist system in favor of a socialist world is the Socialist Workers Party,” he said.

“We tell the truth, that working people must organize a mass revolutionary movement to take political power and replace the rule of the capitalist class with working-class rule.

“Working people must stop relying on the twin capitalist parties—Democrats and Republicans alike. These parties always put the interests of the bankers, landlords, and industrialists first. We need a labor party, based on unions that are fighting to put workers’ interests first,” stated Hawkins.

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Permalink Reply by igz on January 30, 2011 at 9:22pm

Could Dr Doom write himself in as anarcho syndicalist? you got the name

Dr. Doom said:

To hell with all of these people. I am voting for John Hawkins, a write-in candidate of the Socialist Workers Party. I am not a socialist but in the absence of an anarcho-syndicalist candidate he will do.

“The only party offering a program to defend working people and a perspective for fighting to end the dog-eat-dog capitalist system in favor of a socialist world is the Socialist Workers Party,” he said.

“We tell the truth, that working people must organize a mass revolutionary movement to take political power and replace the rule of the capitalist class with working-class rule.

“Working people must stop relying on the twin capitalist parties—Democrats and Republicans alike. These parties always put the interests of the bankers, landlords, and industrialists first. We need a labor party, based on unions that are fighting to put workers’ interests first,” stated Hawkins.

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Permalink Reply by Vilda on January 30, 2011 at 11:09pm

I'll for vote Doom in a minute. Smart people never wanna run. I'd vote for iggi as well.

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Permalink Reply by Glenn on January 31, 2011 at 4:49am

who ever gets it... its just a matter of time before focus is put on peds, cyclists, and public trans. Just wait till fuel prices go up (and not go back down), which is inevitable. though, I have heard talk that that may never actually happen :-)