Chicago’s low-stress bike network begins to takes shape
On a recent warm July evening, I rode my bike down to Douglas Park with a few other Active Trans staff members to participate in one of Slow Roll Chicago’s weekly Wednesday night rides.
As we approached our destination, overcoming some stressful stretches of roadway on our way there from River North, we suddenly found ourselves pedaling along Chicago’s first ever curb-separated bike lane. It was as if we were magically transported to one of those European bike meccas people talk about, but most of us never get to visit.
While this pilot project covers just a short segment of Sacramento Avenue in Douglas Park, the comfortable and low-stress experience it provided was immediately apparent to all of us. We spontaneously gave out a collective cheer, “WOOO!”
In many ways, this brief episode reflects the bigger transition happening on Chicago’s streets. Certain routes provide an excellent biking experience, suitable for just about anyone.
The trouble starts when you suddenly find yourself on a street with no bike accommodations or clear indication of where to go next.
Currently, our low stress network is sort of like an adolescent going through a rapid series of growth spurts: things may get a little awkward for a while, but we are on our way to a much more graceful adulthood. That is, as long as we avoid any setbacks and pitfalls.
Over the last four years, the city has been working faster than any other municipality to connect individual game changing projects like Douglas Park into a seamless network of low-stress bike routes, as envisioned in the Chicago Streets for Cycling 2020 Plan.
According to the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT), the city installed or re-striped more than 50 miles of bike routes ...
That includes new protected bike lanes on Broadway, Harrison, and Lake as well as more than 30 miles of buffered bike lanes, which provide extra space between people riding bikes, parked cars, and moving traffic.
Last year also saw CDOT install the city’s second Neighborhood Greenway project, which are quiet side streets optimized for bikes, on Wood St. in Wicker Park and Ukrainian Village.
Projects like this help meet the needs of people riding to destinations in their own neighborhood, which account for 80 percent of bike trips in Chicago.
In 2015, Chicago is on track to meet Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s goal of building 100 miles of new bike lanes in four short years. All told, about 25 miles of new projects have been publicly announced for this year, some of which are already in the ground.
Here are some upcoming projects that should set the tone for future bike network improvements:
Clybourn Protected Bike Lane
Where: Near North Side — Clybourn between North and Division
Scheduled completion: August, 2015
Why this is important: First protected bike lane on state road, second concrete-curb protected bike lane in Chicago
As a key link in Chicago’s bike network, Clybourn Ave. between North and Division has long been considered a prime candidate for protected bike lanes and other improvements for people walking and biking. This stretch of roadway is also where Bobby Cann, a well-known member of Chicago’s biking community, was struck and killed by a drunk driver in 2013.
Until recently, Clybourn was subject to a ban on the construction of protected bike lanes on streets under Illinois Department of Transportation jurisdiction.
Thanks to the efforts of Active Trans members and supporters, as well as other community members, IDOT reversed its ban and will pilot concrete-curb separated bike lanes on Clybourn. We hope this project can become a model for other busy streets like Clybourn.
Loop Link Protected Bike Lanes
Where: Loop — Washington, Randolph, Clinton
Scheduled completion: Late 2015
Why this is important: New east/west protected bike lanes and second north/south protected bike lane will create connected network downtown
In addition to bringing the advantages of dedicated lanes and smart technology to bus riders in the loop, the Loop Link project will also create new protected bike lanes on three streets downtown.
When these new routes connect to existing protected bike lanes downtown on Dearborn, Kinzie and Harrison, Chicago’s Loop will have one of the most advanced bike networks of any big city in North America.
Vincennes Ave. Spoke Route
Where: Chatham/Greater Grand Crossing — Vincennes between 84th and 76th
Scheduled completion: 2015
Why this is important: Progress on spoke routes is essential to building a complete network
The city’s current bike network plan, Chicago Streets for Cycling 2020 Plan, includes several “Spoke Routes” that provide the backbone for our bike network by connecting outlying neighborhoods with the city center.
Construction began on the Vincennes Ave. Spoke Route several years ago, including a barrier-protected segment between 84th and 103rd that was recently extended to 105th and the Major Taylor Trail.
This year CDOT plans to extend the spoke route from 84th all the way to 76th, laying the groundwork to eventually create a seamless bike route from Blue Island to the Loop.
Glenwood Neighborhood Route
Where: Edgewater — Glenwood between Ridge and Broadway
Schedule completion: 2015
Why this is important: Small changes can have a big impact on neighborhood biking
Currently, people riding bikes must use stressful high-traffic streets to reach many destinations in this neighborhood.
To overcome this obstacle, this project will feature a “contra-flow” bike lane, which allows bicycles to travel two-ways on a street where motorists only travel one way.
The rapid growth of Chicago’s bike network is a remarkable achievem... but as advocates, we cannot take this progress for granted. In order to realize the dream of a truly seamless low-stress bike network, we must to push our elected officials to deliver more robust infrastructure like concrete-curb protected bike lanes, and advocate for projects that fill in gaps within and between Chicago’s many diverse neighborhoods. Now more than ever, our voices are needed.
Views: 1003
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on
-
Wow! You got the courtesy of a personal communication? I had a post deleted without explanation.
-
Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on
-
Hey Kevin, I am writing you a PM. Not sure what you are referring to. Thanks!
-
-
Hi H, I'm not going to delete your post. You bring up good points. I will be addressing this forum post with Active Trans. While I am a pretty big supporter of what they do, this looks like it accidentally skipped the review process. I agree with you and think it's important to acknowledge where we do have a lot more work to do with the streets.
-
Permalink Reply by Jim Reho on
-
There is nothing wrong with either the article or your post, because there's truth on both sides. It is true that more bike lanes are being built, and some very useful ones at that. But, as you point out, it is also true that the streets of Chicago, including the debris and gravel situation, have deteriorated atrociously. In my normal travels, I worry more about riding into a pothole of doom more than I worry about most drivers. The years of complete maintenance failure have destroyed our streets almost to the point of no return. It makes me cringe when I see those crews ineptly trying to fill giant craters with asphalt during the winter. Why? Because I know that within a day or two I'll be riding through a field of black, oily, sticky gravel and a re-opened crater.
Bike lanes are great. So are regular streets in decent condition so that both cyclists and drivers can use them without fear of terrain-induced mishaps. Both should be the norm.
-
Permalink Reply by This PBL dosnt make me feel safe on
-
Sorry but the low stress bike network already exists; its callt ROOTING OUT a route in advance based on riding experience, developing defensive biking skills, and growing a KEEN SNOUT for what are the real risks are in cycling. Also, not riding in crap PBL's. This BIKEPiG can get anywhere in this city with minimal stress.
-
Permalink Reply by Josh L. on
-
Why is there no good way to go northbound from near North outside of Dearborn? If you work on Clark LaSalle or Wells it is really frustrating. Next to wicker park bucktown I would guess the largest group of bikers comes from lp Lakeview and of course farther north (uptown here). How about a protected lane on La Salle so that cars are restricted to two lanes northbound (gasp)?
-
Permalink Reply by Michelle S on
-
I've been repeating this mantra whenever and wherever I can for years. A decent route into the Loop from Lakeview/Lincoln Park/Old Town via Wells/Kinzie/Dearborn is only half of what is needed. Since Wells is one-way southbound only, northside riders are given not one single good option to go back home. (The left-side Dearborn bike lane through River North is a nightmare.) Also, there's no bike lane at all from within the Loop to get to the Lakefront Trail as an alternative northbound bike route in the afternoon. It has been four years now. Nothing.
-
-
Franklin to Orleans is fine for going north out of the loop.
-
-
I work at Clark and live east of it. Why should I need to go west several blocks to go home? And then ride back east again?
-
-
In River North, Orleans is a 0.3 miles west of Clark. At North Ave, Clark starts going northwest. At Webster, Clark is west of where Orleans would be, assuming Orleans kept going. If you live north of Webster, you wouldn't have to backtrack. If you live south of Webster, it means you live in Streeterville or the Gold Coast, and a Loop-Streeterville/Gold Coast commute is a trivial distance to begin with. I can think of far worse corner-cases.
-
-
I still have to go three blocks west which I don't want to do. La Salle or Clark should have nb bike lanes.
-
-
Southsiders have the pretty wonderful route of Dearborn to Harrison to Wabash to go south from the Loop, but I get your point. There still aren't good routes for southwestsiders or westsiders, for sure. My bigger point is just that although every bike infrastructure improvement that is being made should be celebrated, I bristle a little when there's talk of a network taking shape, when we're seriously still so far away for that.
Groups
-
Chicagoland Beer Explora…
203 members
-
Wednesday Night for Mort…
1 member
-
Great Lakes Ultra Cycling
270 members
-
Major Taylor Internation…
1 member
-
Critical Mass discussion
261 members
© 2008-2016 The Chainlink Community, L.L.C.
Powered by
