Kinzie. It's what's next.

Hopefully you've heard by now that CDOT will begin construction this week on the city's first protected bike lane: Kinzie Street from Milwaukee Avenue/Desplaines Street to Wells Street. 

 

Full story on Steven Can Plan. 

 

I want to know what you think about this.

  • What do you feel will need special attention?
  • Is this the right or wrong location for such a facility? Why?
  • Are you going to thank/congratulate Rahm, Gabe, and the CDOT Bicycle Program?
  • Will you use it?

 

Cycle track and protected bike lane naysayers, this isn't the post for you. But if you've ridden in protected bike lanes before, then I welcome your constructive comments and criticism based on your actual experiences. 

Big intersection

The new beginning. Looking southeast at the intersection of Kinzie/Milwaukee/Desplaines. 

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Permalink Reply by Mike Zumwalt on June 15, 2011 at 3:35pm
They bend over to the ground, they are a spring type. It seems to really be causing confusion on Kinzie but then again it's a two lane/one lane road so they can jockey for space as much as they want I just want to pass them by and ride home.

Michelle said:

So for those of us unfamiliar with "soft hit bollards," how soft are they exactly? What happens if a cyclist hits one? They look pretty scary and rigid to me on those pictures.

Permalink Reply by Dan Ciskey on June 15, 2011 at 5:25pm
The bollard bends at the base and gets out of the way. I hit one on the bridge today, due to the slippery surface and perhaps too much air in my tires. I hit it with my left foot and pannier; it was loud but no harm done. The speeds are low enough that you're not gonna get hurt, unless you hit the base and drop the bike.

Michelle said:

So for those of us unfamiliar with "soft hit bollards," how soft are they exactly? What happens if a cyclist hits one? They look pretty scary and rigid to me on those pictures.

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on June 16, 2011 at 12:27am
So I wonder what is going to happen when the snow falls?  Are they going to have to pull the soft-hit bollards out for the season?
Permalink Reply by Mark Kenseth on June 16, 2011 at 3:16am
And he's riding his horse, Shadowfax, leaving a while streak.

James Baum said:
YOU SHALL NOT PASS!!!!

chixieonfixie said:
Is that an oversized Gandalf with the paint machine in the center?

Permalink Reply by Mark on June 16, 2011 at 3:26am
I'm curious how many "right hook" accidents there will be along the cycle track.  There is no way for cyclists to steer around a right-turning car like in a regular bike lane configuration.  Parked cars may block the cyclist from seeing if a car is signalling right.
Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on June 16, 2011 at 3:37am
Usually he only says, "You shall not pass," when he's laying down the double-yellow lines...
Permalink Reply by Duppie on June 16, 2011 at 3:38am

Rode it this morning. Still a lot of work remains to be done east of the bridge.

No indication yet of what the solution will look like between the bridge and the Orleans st underpass. This part is routinely the most chaotic with many pedestrians and traffic entering from the Merchandise Mart lot.

Could it be that this is the hardest part to design for an engineer and given the frantic speed of the project they approach this last?

 

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on June 16, 2011 at 3:41am
This is the "driving while looking 25-feet in front of your hood" approach to planning a bike lane route...

Duppie said:

Rode it this morning. Still a lot of work remains to be done east of the bridge.

No indication yet of what the solution will look like between the bridge and the Orleans st underpass. This part is routinely the most chaotic with many pedestrians and traffic entering from the Merchandise Mart lot.

Could it be that this is the hardest part to design for an engineer and given the frantic speed of the project they approach this last?

 

Permalink Reply by pee wee on June 16, 2011 at 5:06am

will the parking meters be moved into the 3' buffer space?  i know pedestrians won't be allowed in the cycle lane, but i don't really see chicago drivers getting out of their cars and walking around the track, to the sidewalk corner, to the meter, and back just to pay their fares.  folks will definitely be darting across the cycle lane to get to the meter, which could get dicey during busy times of the day.



jennifer james said:

One of the interesting things mentioned yesterday was that moving the parking isn't losing the parking and that the parking contract doesn't require them to leave the spaces by the curb thus, it's no limit on new cycling infrastructure. I think everyone is going to be paying for parking regardless of where it is.

H3N3 said:

Drivers will still be expected to pay for their parking.  Remember that this is a "study."

chixieonfixie said:

Are they going to remove the parking meter thats sitting next to the BMW in that picture and/or the others down the street?
Permalink Reply by Steven Vance on June 16, 2011 at 5:31am

I posed this question to some people:

"How often are cars being parked?"

Let's say in one block there are 12 car parking spaces and every person removes their car after one hour of being parked. If they were randomly distributed, you would see 12 people crossing the Kinzie Street bike lane in one hour's time, or 1 person ever 5 minutes. 

On a street like Kinzie, on the block between Desplaines and Jefferson, with little adjacent commercial activity, people will be parking for the maximum time available (don't know what this is), or a short time (~30 minutes, because they're visiting the park). 

pee wee said:

will the parking meters be moved into the 3' buffer space?  i know pedestrians won't be allowed in the cycle lane, but i don't really see chicago drivers getting out of their cars and walking around the track, to the sidewalk corner, to the meter, and back just to pay their fares.  folks will definitely be darting across the cycle lane to get to the meter, which could get dicey during busy times of the day.

Permalink Reply by vxla on June 16, 2011 at 6:51am
This whole cycle track thing on Kinzie is odd and makes me question how to do a movement contrary to how the track is built. Say you are riding west on Kinzie approaching the bridge and need to turn south onto Canal street. Technically, turned LEFT right the right lane (cycle track) is illegal. Should the cyclist be expected to dismount their bike and cross the street as a pedestrian, then re-mount when on Canal Street?
Permalink Reply by Steven Vance on June 16, 2011 at 6:57am

This part of your comment confuses me: "Technically, turned LEFT right the right lane (cycle track) is illegal."

To make a left turn, you would signal left, merge left, stop at the stop sign, and make your left turn into southbound Canal Street. This would not be illegal. 

 

Edit: You are not required to ride in a bike lane in Chicago or Illinois. The law requires you to ride as close to the right edge or curb as "practicable" and lists several reasons why you may leave this area (including left turns and to avoid hazards).


vxla said:

This whole cycle track thing on Kinzie is odd and makes me question how to do a movement contrary to how the track is built. Say you are riding west on Kinzie approaching the bridge and need to turn south onto Canal street. Technically, turned LEFT right the right lane (cycle track) is illegal. Should the cyclist be expected to dismount their bike and cross the street as a pedestrian, then re-mount when on Canal Street?

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