The Chainlink

The ultimate urban-to-suburban bike paths in Chicago

Chicago should have some of the best bike paths, trails, tunnels, elevated routes, you name it, in the world... after all, we have the nation's 'third coast', a wealth of easily bikable suburban destinations (um, Oak Park's architecture anyone?!)... yet our bike paths in and out of the city-proper are horrible, perceived as dangerous at night or if not in groups (statistically high crime areas), and car-laden (and Chicago is one of the nation's worst traffic cities). Why is this not a bigger priority?

 

Dallas has a wonderful trail system in-and-out of the city, Portland is notoriously bike friendly, but unless you live in Chicago "downtown" or near the lake, it's a complete island.

 

Chicago is congested. It's not like we have Texas-sized land and space to expand onto. So...

 

Has anyone ever heard of a city creating tunnels or other enclosed areas for bikes/human powered vehicles? Tunnels or semi-enclosed paths would work in inclement weather too. I suppose a path could also be elevated, so long as it was a dedicated surface for bikes and other human powered vehicles. These ideas are probably not as realistic though.

 

We also have existing transportation routes like the Prairie Path. However, these aren't heavily trafficked by your average commuter until you are West of, say, Maywood. And even then, there is a lot of gravel and rough patches. Does anyone know of initiatives to boost the rideability, aesthetics, and safety of paths like this?

 

What do folks know about Chicago urban-to-suburban best-biking options, and any plans in the works? Who is interested in helping to research this?

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Permalink Reply by Jonny Sprockets on July 22, 2011 at 9:31am

Nobody wants to pedal in a dungeon. Ugh. Agreed.

 

Juan's "tunnel" depictions are interesting because the concept there is something elevated, bright, and accessible by all. All "tunnel" means is some level of enclosure to protect from some elements if possible. Also, and I am not sure of the credibility, but the reported energy cost for adding a significant wind-powered aspect to this type of enclosure is 65 kW/km which is really nothing (100hp), yet yields a 90% increase in efficiency to riders (congestion impact TBD).

 

http://www.bikexprt.com/bikepol/facil/biketrans.htm

http://www.biketrans.com/index.html

 

I still believe that is a pipe dream in the short term, but I do believe that the concept and vision is highly noble. If we can power 1km of tunnel with less energy than a small car but propel countless willing bicyclists on their daily commute, there will (in the future) be some variant of this that makes sense.

 

I guess this isn't entirely a bicycle discussion. Decisions like this across the board will ultimately transform or condemn mankind. Conserved resources and related benefit could then be applied to transform impoverished communities one step at a time. Maybe smarter urban planning like this would serve as a way to improve physical access to quality education, healthcare, and food (food deserts in Chicago, anyone?).

 

Anyhow, I enjoy the visionary aspect of this discussion blended with reality like the Bloomingdale Trail (very exciting concept). What other realistic concepts exist like this in Chicagoland all?

Permalink Reply by Jonny Sprockets on July 22, 2011 at 9:40am

Some commentary and info on the Bloomingdale Trail:

 

Friends of/basic info: http://www.bloomingdaletrail.org/

A map proposal: http://www.bloomingdaletrail.org/maps/

Timeline (not until ... 2016!) and editorial from the Reader: http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/the-bloomingdale-trail-urban-o...

COC info: http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/cdot/supp_info/bloomingd...

 

What else like this is in the works in Chicagoland? Are there any active groups, societies, or clubs who are advocating and lobbying for things like this "at large" in Chicago? Who knows more information about how to get involved?

 

I like the term "rails to trails" used by the Prairie Path folks: http://www.ipp.org/trail-maps/

 

PS - a cool NYC concept in progress: http://www.thehighline.org/about/maps

http://www.thehighline.org/about/park-information

Permalink Reply by Juan 2-3 or more mi. on July 22, 2011 at 9:57am


Jonny Sprockets said: 

Anyhow, I enjoy the visionary aspect of this discussion blended with reality like the Bloomingdale Trail (very exciting concept). What other realistic concepts exist like this in Chicagoland all?

 

The Bloomingdale Trail is a nice start for further development.

At the lake front, some real life examples of bicycling paths of the future are the bridge going to the LFP from Cannon Drive, and the tunnel at the end of North Ave. going also to the LFP. That tunnel sometimes has a nice breeze pushing me along.

Permalink Reply by ambimb on July 24, 2011 at 8:10pm
Idea: Every 5 miles, pick a street and close it to motorized traffic; make it bikes, skates, and pedestrians only. So this way you'd have a half-dozen north/south routes through the city (one every five miles) and a half-dozen east/west routes. It's simple. It costs nothing. It would make navigating the city by "alternative" (non-car) transportation orders of magnitude more simple and safe, esp. for those people who are scared of riding in traffic. One day gas is going to be so expensive that there just won't be so many cars on the road and then this idea will be a no-brainer. To me it's a no-brainer now, but....

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