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Transportation Committee talks bike lanes...Your input desired

The City of Chicago wants our input.  Check out the link.

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Posted 3 days, 22 hours ago on Apr. 15th 2011

The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has looked at more than 50 ideas to make Chicago’s transportation network safer, easier, and more convenient and fun for all residents. One idea that appeals to all of us is improving Chicago's cycling network. Making it easier for Chicagoans to get around by cycling would reduce congestion, promote a cleaner environment, create healthier communities, and improve the quality of life in our neighborhoods.

A major reason people say they avoid biking is dangerous traffic. By building protected bike lanes – which are physically separated from motor vehicle travel lanes, parking lanes, and sidewalks – Chicago can make urban cycling safer. Protected bike lanes exist in cities across the country, including New York, Portland, Ore., Indianapolis, Ind., and Washington, D.C. Seville, Spain, built a 70-mile network of protected bike lanes in four years and increased the share of bicyclers on its roads from .04% to more than 6% of all trips.

We are confident that creating a safe space to bike will get more people pedaling. Our idea is to pilot a two-mile protected bikeway along a major corridor, and we need your ideas on where to start.

Do you jump on your bike to commute to work, go shopping, or attend social events? Tell us about your experiences, good and bad. What streets do you prefer or avoid, and why?

Do you avoid riding your bike because you are concerned about safety?

What street or corridor would better serve the bicycling public if a bike lane sheltered from moving traffic were added? Why?

Have you biked on a protected lane in another city? If so, what should we replicate or change?

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Margarete Gaede on April 21, 2011 at 3:52pm

Milwaukee should have protected bike lanes.  Also, as soon as you get downtown you are on your own.  All bike lanes disappear and it gets congested and very dangerous due to cars cutting you of and simply ignoring your right to use the same street.

Some thoughts:

  • Education for drivers on how to share the streets should be enforced through City Hall, local news stations and posters (like the once on the light posts). 
  • Cab companies should play a greater role in creating a better behavior among their (cab driving) contractors.
  • Traffic Security focuses only on cars, not on pedestrians and bikes, who out number cars.  This supports rude behavior.

I grew up in Bremen, Germany.  Many streets have protected bike lanes and some streets downtown are car free.  People embrace it.

Permalink Reply by Steven Vance on April 21, 2011 at 9:22pm

I think that we should make the goal to test a protected bike lane. (I proposed 11 locations.)

Then, figuring out intersections and winter maintenance will come as part of the project. It has already been figured out in 10+ cities around the world that also have winter like we do (as well as intersections).

These "issues" can be figured out and we will figure them out. I don't think these should be concerns now. I think the #1 concern is deciding where one should be installed.


Gin said:

This is what I posted:

I am not opposed to protected bike lanes, but do wonder about intersection issues and winter maintenance. That said, I support whatever it takes to make many more miles of Chicago's street network more bicycle friendly for more than the boldest riders. I ride every day, every where, but understand why many others do not.

I also hope to see some bicycle boulevards in the future. Which is easier/less expensive to implement? To me, bicycle boulevards have the advantage of offering more space for side by side cycling under shade trees with less traffic nearby. But, they might not directly serve commercial destinations.

Milwaukee Ave is such a key cycling corridor--I would love to see it improved, even if it means removing car parking or a lane of traffic. (Could it be changed to a one way?)

Tricky stuff. I am delighted to see it being discussed. Thanks!

Permalink Reply by Steven Vance on April 21, 2011 at 9:31pm

Thank you for pointing out that bike lanes disappear when you get downtown. I visualized these bikeway network gaps so everyone can realize where they are. 

 

Also, I visited Bremen in December into January! It was fun! Here're my photos.

Margarete Gaede said:

Milwaukee should have protected bike lanes.  Also, as soon as you get downtown you are on your own.  All bike lanes disappear and it gets congested and very dangerous due to cars cutting you of and simply ignoring your right to use the same street.

Some thoughts:

  • Education for drivers on how to share the streets should be enforced through City Hall, local news stations and posters (like the once on the light posts). 
  • Cab companies should play a greater role in creating a better behavior among their (cab driving) contractors.
  • Traffic Security focuses only on cars, not on pedestrians and bikes, who out number cars.  This supports rude behavior.

I grew up in Bremen, Germany.  Many streets have protected bike lanes and some streets downtown are car free.  People embrace it.

Permalink Reply by Gin on April 21, 2011 at 9:52pm

I agree. I would like some test projects done simply. Let's just try.  From your list, I give Chicago Ave a big thumbs up for a test location. I also vote for something special to be done on Milwaukee Ave.

Where do bicycle boulevards fit into the picture?  Protected bike lanes seem to be getting a lot of buzz lately. Bicycle boulevards also have merits. I would like to see both kinds of facilities.

Steven Vance said:

I think that we should make the goal to test a protected bike lane. (I proposed 11 locations.)

Then, figuring out intersections and winter maintenance will come as part of the project. It has already been figured out in 10+ cities around the world that also have winter like we do (as well as intersections).

These "issues" can be figured out and we will figure them out. I don't think these should be concerns now. I think the #1 concern is deciding where one should be installed.

Permalink Reply by Digital Dario on April 22, 2011 at 1:48am

Ideally this decision would take into consideration where bicycle safety is the greatest concern and not only in regards to matters mentioned by others. Or to provide a viable alternative to where most cyclists are at risk of accidents. I am an experienced cyclist, on and off the road, and I avoid Milwaukee Ave whenever possible and encourage others to do so as well.

 
That being said Milwaukee Ave is incredibly tight as it is and adding a protected bike lane would make an a very good amount of sense if not only due to its heavy usage for cyclists. If the idea were more permanent, I feel that best practices show that due to the high density of traffic and business on Milwaukee Ave, say south of Belmont to Kinzie, a permanent solution would be to make parts of Milwaukee Ave completely blocked off to auto traffic. Protected bike lane and pedestrian traffic only. 

However, I feel Milwaukee Ave is not the best choice. Elston Ave. (Belmont to Milwaukee Ave.) is a much more viable and therefore attractive alternative. Not only is it a wider avenue with much less traffic, including pedestrian, there are not nearly as many businesses (many are industrial) and it runs NW/SE nearly the same way as Milwaukee Ave. It is in this regard that I feel Elston Ave. is a better option. This, with proper support and maintenance, would have potential for becoming a bicycle super highway and would shift much of the bicycle traffic for the commute downtown over which would encourage more riders to commute by bicycle to and from downtown. If not at least to Elston and Milwaukee Ave. conveniently located by the Chicago Ave Blue Line, which also would provide ease of access to Milwaukee Ave and the loop via the Blue Line.

Permalink Reply by April on April 22, 2011 at 9:41am

I did a count of all the nominations so far:


Nominations of Streets for Protected Bike Lanes

Clark  2

Milwaukee 10

Damen 2 (2 Requests for road repairs)

Dearborn 2

Congress 1

Division 1

Halsted 1

Elston 2

Chicago 2

Wells 2

Sheffield

Southport (1 request for road repairs)

Western  (Several people requested traffic calming measures)

Ashland (Several people requested traffic calming measures)

Grand 1

Hubbard 1

Fulton 1

 

 

Repeated Requests

More East to West options

Connector lanes/paths/routes to bridge gaps in the network. (e.g. Milwuakee into the loop)

Road resurfacing and repair in bike lanes and on streets recommended for bikes, (e.g. Damen from Armitage to North Ave.)

 

 Connector paths

Halsted to Lake Front Path

Elston to the boulevard system at Logan and Kennedy Expressway

Roosevelt to Lake Front Path

 

(I added in my own votes for Elston and Wells) 

 

Permalink Reply by Mark on April 22, 2011 at 10:30am

1.  Streets with double lanes and no left turn lanes are dangerous for cars, bikes, and pedestrians.  Convert these streets into a single driving lane in each direction with center turning lanes and adding traditional bike lanes on both sides.  CDOT will be doing this on Lawrence between Ashland and Western.  Other streets like this include west on Chicago Avenue, west on Fullerton, Archer Avenue, Broadway north of Montrose, and the ENTIRE BOULEVARD SYSTEM.  And I am sure there are more of these streets.

 

2.  Create extra-wide (driving lane width)  bike lanes on the major, multi-lane, one-way streets in and out of the Loop.
Permalink Reply by Gin on April 22, 2011 at 10:55am
Nice work and thanks for also putting this on the transportation committee's website.

April said:

I did a count of all the nominations so far:



Permalink Reply by Margarete Gaede on April 22, 2011 at 1:15pm
Thanks so much for sharing the pics!  They really show that you can ride your bike in the winter.  Now I'm home sick - Heimweh...

Steven Vance said:

Thank you for pointing out that bike lanes disappear when you get downtown. I visualized these bikeway network gaps so everyone can realize where they are. 

 

Also, I visited Bremen in December into January! It was fun! Here're my photos.

Margarete Gaede said:

Milwaukee should have protected bike lanes.  Also, as soon as you get downtown you are on your own.  All bike lanes disappear and it gets congested and very dangerous due to cars cutting you of and simply ignoring your right to use the same street.

Some thoughts:

  • Education for drivers on how to share the streets should be enforced through City Hall, local news stations and posters (like the once on the light posts). 
  • Cab companies should play a greater role in creating a better behavior among their (cab driving) contractors.
  • Traffic Security focuses only on cars, not on pedestrians and bikes, who out number cars.  This supports rude behavior.

I grew up in Bremen, Germany.  Many streets have protected bike lanes and some streets downtown are car free.  People embrace it.

Permalink Reply by Bike Bloke on April 22, 2011 at 2:28pm
  1. Why do bike lanes fizzle out 30 or 40 yards before intersections? Example: Logan Blvd eastbound at Diversey and westbound at Western. That's exactly where lanes are needed.
  2. On residential streets that are uninterrupted for a good distance by expressways, railroads, factories, etc, discourage motor traffic by making it possible to exit, but not to enter certain blocks. Portland, OR does this very well.
  3. Not only that, it should be made specifically legal for bikes to filter up beside jammed or slow-moving traffic, and then....
  4. We should emulate parts of Europe (I'm thinking of London, here) and install a box at the front of a traffic line at red light intersections reserved for bikes waiting for the green - whether there's a bike lane or not.
Permalink Reply by Bikefreeek on April 22, 2011 at 2:36pm

Just added these comments, waiting for approval...

 

I'd like to voice in with support of Bike Boulevards. Chicago's street network is different than many of the cities that have been looked to as examples for protected bike lanes. Streets that are main thoroughfares for bicycles such as Milwaukee Ave or Clark St just don't seem to have the width to do protected lanes like those found in New York. The larger arterials in Chicago such as Western Ave. or North Ave. are really unpleasant to travel regardless of mode. Putting a protected bike lane on a street such as Western certainly would make it safer to travel on, but personally I would still travel a block east to Oakley for trips between North Ave. and Roosevelt Rd. Having through streets that aren't main thoroughfares and give preference to bicycles would be a much more pleasent experience.

 

A major consideration for this might be wether or not new transportation cyclists would be familiar with those routes. We live in such a car-centric culture that nearly all of our mindset for on street travel is to get to major arterials for traveling any distance. Cars travel this way and most buses are found on major streets. But when walking or bicycling it can be a miserable and quite often dangerous endeavor due to the high volume of auto traffic. Even so, we have been conditioned to take these routes regardless of our mode.

 

I also tend to believe that urban planners and traffic engineers are so conditioned to moving auto traffic to collectors and then major arterials that even when dealing with pedestrian and bicycle design they seem to just put us in a space on the side (I do like the idea of having more space when having to be in these conditions). When paths are designed that are completely separate from auto traffic they tend to be purely recreational and not take us to the destinations we need to go as commuters (I fully appreciate that many paths are built upon old rail lines or other right-of-ways that were never intended for pedestrian and bicycle commuting).

 

I am not sure that these issues are fully addressed by the built environment alone. It seems that we have also been conditioned by the idea of "build it and they will come". I don't argue the impact that bike lanes and other on-street facilities have had to change mode share both here in Chicago and elsewhere in the world. However, I do believe that it is only one approach and it may seem so obvious that it overshadows larger and perhaps greater work that needs to be done to change our culture, not just our environment.

 

Imagine if there was the vision and resources to educate ourselves on transportation options as those we invest into the roadways we travel on. How would things change if we were taught in our schools from an elementary level that the way to travel is to walk, bike and take transit. Middle schoolers should receive "biker's ed" to be shown that it's a safe, affordable and viable means to get around before they get to High school and take driver's ed. If nothing else, they would have a greater understanding and appreciation of all users of the road.

 

As we look at the built environment we need to plan our communities so they are the places that we are biking and walking to. Neighborhoods should supply for their own needs as far as shopping, entertainment, education and jobs are concerned. No more development that demands that we drive to another town to shop at a big box store that the lion's share of the profits leave the community.

 

I'll bring it back to the idea that as a pedestrian and cyclist I would like a safe space on the street when needed, but I would much prefer to have my own street that still takes me where I'm going. I believe that Bike Boulevards are one such solution.

Permalink Reply by Dr. Doom on April 22, 2011 at 3:38pm

I had a comment that wasn't approved for whatever reason, but was really pretty surprised to see how many people want to fancy up Milwaukee Avenue, which is already just fine for cycling. I get the idea of taking something good and making it great, and I get that a disproportionate number of people who will be commenting on this live reasonably near Milwaukee, but taking bad roads and making them rideable seems like a higher priority to me. I don't know that setting up a protected lane on Milwaukee would make it that much nicer to ride on, but setting one up on North, Western or Ashland would. Linking the lakefront to Halsted with protected lanes at various points (say one at 35th and one downtown, for starters) would also probably be a really good idea.

One thing planners seem not to get is that lanes with parking on the right are really quite dangerous. King Drive has a pretty ideal lane setup and it's a lot cheaper to emulate that than it is to set up a fully protected lane. I'd rather see resources go into making relatively light traffic streets into bicycle arterials by clearing parking than almost anything else, to be honest.

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