The Chainlink

Suggestions for commuting along North Glenwood (southbound)

I commute via Glenwood Ave. However, on my Southbound journey, south of Ridge it becomes one way north. Once I can make it past Ridge, I bike west on Bryn Mawr to Damen. Does anyone have a suggestion for how to circumnavigate this without putting me on Broadway/Clark/Ashland?

Ridge is a nightmare. There is no light at Wayne. Do I just go the wrong-way against traffic for a few blocks?

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Permalink Reply by JeffB on September 12, 2012 at 4:52pm

is taking Granville over to Winthrop to Bryn Mawr too far out of your way?

Permalink Reply by Duppie on September 12, 2012 at 6:02pm

A few options:

1. Take Glewnood south of Ridge the wrong way for about 20 yards, then turn right onto Edgewater. From there turn onto Clark and then Bryn Mawr. Or you can ride thru the alleys behind Clark until you hit Bryn Mawr. This option also avoids going westbound on Bryn Mawr between Glenwood an Clark, which I personally avoid, with the Helen Peirce school and the already narrow roadway

2. Randy Neufeld told me his solution: Wait for the light to turn green then ride Eastbound on Ridge, taking a right on Wayne. The light is green for 20 seconds or so, so you should be able to make it, before traffic on Ridge starts moving again.

Permalink Reply by Jerry Lee on September 12, 2012 at 7:22pm

where is your final destination?  Glenwood only goes to Argyle or so.

Permalink Reply by David P. on September 12, 2012 at 7:22pm

I can second the Randy Neufeld suggestion. I ride this fairly regularly when going from my girlfriend's house on Glenwood by Foster to and from friends who live north. If you wait for the green at Ridge and turn left on Ridge, unless you're slow you'll have time to make it to Wayne and turn before Ridge goes green and traffic catches up to you. I am strong off the line so it's easy for me, but even my girlfriend can do it easily. OTOH she also just goes the wrong way on Glenwood sometimes, and it seems OK for a few blocks. If I were to try something else it would probably be Granville to Ravenswood.

David

Permalink Reply by Richard on September 12, 2012 at 8:25pm

Thanks all. I'm going to/from Ravenswood/Lincoln Sq (roughly the Western CTA Brown Line station) to Northwestern University. I typically take the NCT but wanted to explore some other routes as well. Glenwood - Morse - Greenview - Ridge to Evanston Lakefront. This route is wonderful northbound but that one way south of ridge just throws me. 

Going to Winthrope is not out of my way. Thanks.

Permalink Reply by David P. on September 12, 2012 at 8:43pm

For that route, the alternate I'd use would be to jog east to Wayne at Ridge, continue down to Foster then back over to Glenwood, go a couple blocks further south (sorry, I'm spacing on the street), then over to Damen, Damen to Wilson to Lincoln Square.

Permalink Reply by Richard on September 12, 2012 at 9:16pm

Cross Ridge at Wayne was my plan but there is no light there. I live the Winthrope idea -- or -- I'll cross ridge, a block on Ridge, and continue South on Wayne to Bryn.


Permalink Reply by Duppie on September 12, 2012 at 9:34pm

I think David P was referring to this. Sounds like a good route to me...

http://goo.gl/maps/hk49v

Permalink Reply by Duppie on September 12, 2012 at 10:19pm

One more note on that route: Union Pacific is replacing the railroad bridge at Winnemac and Ravenswood. Right now you can pass by it on the sidewalk, but I expect it to be entirely closed at some point in the next few months.

Permalink Reply by David P. on September 12, 2012 at 10:21pm

Duppie - that's right.

Permalink Reply by Paul Michael Ignacio on September 13, 2012 at 12:54am

I ride south on Glenwood every day I work, travelling from Rogers Park to Roscoe Village.  I always found it easiest to simply break the law and continue the wrong way up Glenwood where it suddenly transforms from a two-way street to a one way.  Edgewater Ave is a seriously short distance from the intersection at Ridge - I mean less than a quarter of a city block - and I never saw anything wrong with salmoning until the quick right turn, or even riding on the sidewalk if need be, say if there was an oncoming car signalling a left turn onto Ridge.

On reflection, however, I see myself as a bit of a hypocrite.  I'm one of those self-righteous cyclists who fastidiously stop at red lights, and hector even those close friends unfortunate enough to ride with me to do the same.  In fact, just the other night on my return commute heading back north - at that same intersection as fate would have it - I approached Ridge, slowing for the red light.  There was another cyclist waiting in front of me and as I eased into my trackstand behind her I noticed her helmet looked a bit askew.  Before I could take further notice yet another commuter pulled in front of us as if it were his divine right to do so, resplendent in a dazzling safety vest stretched over his backpack and a baseball cap shoved under his beer-cooler helmet.  I did my best to sneer at him as I stayed on my pedals - honestly, if anybody tried this behavior anywhere else, at the cordoned ropes at the bank, or the line at the pharmacist counter, or the order window at the sandwich shop, the very least they could expect would be a sternly-worded reprimand, right?  But here in the streets we all share, cyclists insist on needlessly treating each other with rudeness at every red light.  Pissed as I was, though, my annoyance notched even higher as I saw him expertly flip his dual-sided clipless pedal to its flat side with his worn adidas and push off into traffic even as the "Don't Walk" light had a full five seconds left to count down.  Predictably, a speeding coupe trying to make the yellow had to screech to a halt to avoid creaming our friend.  The girl in front of me gasped at his self-inflicted brush with death and as I pedaled past her I was struck into wordless horror not at the shocked look etched on her face but the backwards bike helmet perched atop it.

So in closing (to many audible sighs of relief, I'm sure) I'm promising myself to salmon no more.  By the grace of my fine, neon-feathered Fred and for the sake of reverse-sported helmets everywhere I swear to abide by the rules and walk my bike the, what, fifteen feet or so it takes to get to Edgewater Ave.  Maybe I'll even throw in a cyclocross dismount and remount if I'm feeling frisky enough...

Permalink Reply by Richard on September 13, 2012 at 8:17am

That'll do it. I don't mind become a pedestrian for a block or two and walking the bike. Thanks everyone.

Duppie said:

I think David P was referring to this. Sounds like a good route to me... http://goo.gl/maps/hk49v

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