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Permalink Reply by Steven Vance on September 30, 2011 at 5:55am

It's an interesting turn of events. 

 

1. City does not pay for bike lanes before 2011.

2. City pays for bike lanes in 2011. 

3. City does not pay for Open Streets in 2008, 2009, 2011. 

4. City pays for Open Streets in 2012?

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Permalink Reply by John Greenfield on September 30, 2011 at 6:12am

Yes, and with bike lanes the difference in 2011 is, instead of Rich Daley and a rotating cast of CDOT commissioners we've got Rahm Emanuel and Gabe Klein. 

 

It's worth noting that, due to the changing of the guard at City Hall and the shrinking of the Taste of Chicago, Active Transit decided this was a bad year to approach the city about helping to organize and/or fund a ciclovia, so they didn't even try. With Rahm and Gabe in power, perhaps they'll get a positive response next year.

 

One thing: while the Kinzie protected bike lane is awesome, it cost more than $140,000, mostly city money, to build. Portland is using $250,000 to fund five different 12-mile ciclovias. I'd gladly swap half a mile of protected bike lane if it would help the city stage three ciclovias. (Open Streets on State Street cost about $125,000, so $50K probably isn't enough to completely pay for one ciclovia.)

 

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Permalink Reply by Thunder Snow on September 30, 2011 at 7:30am

Dunno, John, wishing to swap permanent infrastructure improvements for short-lived events seems completely reversed to me.  The ciclovia won't be available the very next morning after the event, while the protected bike track will.

John Greenfield said:

 I'd gladly swap half a mile of protected bike lane if it would help the city stage three ciclovias.  

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Permalink Reply by John Greenfield on September 30, 2011 at 7:55am

Hmm... That's a good point that the pbl is a permanent infrastructure improvement.

On the other hand, a good, long, frequently-occuring ciclovia can make a permanent impression on residents...

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Permalink Reply by John Greenfield on September 30, 2011 at 7:56am

I suppose I meant I'd be willing to only get 99.5 miles of pbls instead of the promised 100 miles...

John Greenfield said:

Hmm... That's a good point that the pbl is a permanent infrastructure improvement.

On the other hand, a good, long, frequently-occuring ciclovia can make a permanent impression on residents...

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Permalink Reply by Thunder Snow on September 30, 2011 at 7:58am

Agreed.  ;-)

I want bike infrastructure AND ciclovias.  But I'm greedy.

John Greenfield said:

On the other hand, a good, long, frequently-occuring ciclovia can make a permanent impression on residents...

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