1/13/14 - Community Meeting on Far Northwest Side Milwaukee Avenue Complete Street Plan

Ok, just got back from the meeting. Wow.  That's all I can say.  That started like a vocal church service and turned into a near mob.

Highlights from the public comments:

- CDOT is so busy plowing the bike lanes, they can't plow the sidewalks on the bridges.

- Bikes are a huge source of litter, as they apparently throw so many bottles, a man on the bike lane has to clean them up every single day.

- Four lane streets should stay four lane so trucks can illegally park to unload.

- Bike/pedestrian collisions are underreported, and bikes on CTA buses are pointless.

Yogi Berra department:

- Nobody bikes on Milwaukee north of Foster, so why cater to them? 

- There are too many cyclists on the sidewalk along Milwaukee north of Foster, they need to go.

Man, I went to check out how the area of Milwaukee/Lawrence would turn out, and I was torn between not wanting to say a word and wanting to ask a question to provoke the crowd. I would imagine the only time I've seen more angry old men is when The Simpsons or South Park are parodying old people.

Kudos to the CDOT folks & Alderman Arena for keeping their heads when people kept basically heckling them.

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Permalink Reply by Apie (11) on January 14, 2014 at 5:34am

I agree, its hard to see the stores when you can fly from Foster to Devon with only 2 lights that are easy to hit green.  A road diet would bring those storefronts more into focus. A few places that look cool from the outside on that strip:

Amitabul, Moms homecooked mexican restaurant (can't remember the name), Andy's Deli, Moped Shop, The Garage, Jets Public House, Years Gone Bye Antiques.  And a lot more restaurants on the East side of Milwaukee, which need better access for those who live west of Milwaukee.  Crossing Nagle is difficult, having to cross Nagle and Milwaukee would suck on foot.    

Permalink Reply by BruceBikes on January 14, 2014 at 7:13am

I'm not very familiar with that wide, northern part of Milwaukee, but it sounds like a Stroad to me.  Hopefully common sense will prevail here.

Permalink Reply by Tom Z on January 14, 2014 at 7:26am

They should have shown this video at the meeting. If someone were to watch this with an open mind, you can really see the value in the information contained in video...

BruceBikes said:

I'm not very familiar with that wide, northern part of Milwaukee, but it sounds like a Stroad to me.  Hopefully common sense will prevail here.

Permalink Reply by EssFresh on January 14, 2014 at 7:33am


I love Amitabul but never go cause i feel it's just not accessible enough by my preferred mode of transportation. When my sister visits we always go and I resolve to ride up there more often. I imagine this road diet would be nothing but an asset to local business. 


Apie (10.6) said:

I agree, its hard to see the stores when you can fly from Foster to Devon with only 2 lights that are easy to hit green.  A road diet would bring those storefronts more into focus. A few places that look cool from the outside on that strip:

Amitabul, Moms homecooked mexican restaurant (can't remember the name), Andy's Deli, Moped Shop, The Garage, Jets Public House, Years Gone Bye Antiques.  And a lot more restaurants on the East side of Milwaukee, which need better access for those who live west of Milwaukee.  Crossing Nagle is difficult, having to cross Nagle and Milwaukee would suck on foot.    

Permalink Reply by Active Transportation Alliance on January 14, 2014 at 7:41am

Hey folks,

Thanks to everyone who came out to the meeting last night!  I was there as well and it was indeed a doozy.


The important thing to keep in mind is that the Alderman and CDOT both made it clear this meeting was just one of several ways they are gathering input on this project and that the crowd last night was not necessarily the most representative sample of 45th Ward residents. 


We all know there is broad community support throughout the city for complete street improvements like these and Active Trans will continue working with our members and supporters to make sure that support is visible and our voices are heard.

As we continue to monitor and encourage participation in this exciting project, we'll be sure to keep Chainlinkers updated on ways to get involved!

If you're interested in working with us around this project please drop me a line: jim@activetrans.org


Thanks again to everyone who came out last night!

Jim Merrell - Active Trans

Permalink Reply by Apie (11) on January 14, 2014 at 7:58am

Just take Elston, there is a bike lane all the way there!
 
EssFresh said:


I love Amitabul but never go cause i feel it's just not accessible enough by my preferred mode of transportation. When my sister visits we always go and I resolve to ride up there more often. I imagine this road diet would be nothing but an asset to local business. 


Apie (10.6) said:

I agree, its hard to see the stores when you can fly from Foster to Devon with only 2 lights that are easy to hit green.  A road diet would bring those storefronts more into focus. A few places that look cool from the outside on that strip:

Amitabul, Moms homecooked mexican restaurant (can't remember the name), Andy's Deli, Moped Shop, The Garage, Jets Public House, Years Gone Bye Antiques.  And a lot more restaurants on the East side of Milwaukee, which need better access for those who live west of Milwaukee.  Crossing Nagle is difficult, having to cross Nagle and Milwaukee would suck on foot.    

Permalink Reply by ChiBeerGuy on January 14, 2014 at 8:18am

Instead of bitching on a forum, how about we shoot Joe an email showing him our support.

http://ward45.org/contact/

Permalink Reply by Madopal (16.5 mi) on January 14, 2014 at 8:24am

I personally thanked one of the CDOT guys afterwards. Alderman Arena was a bit too crowded, so I tweeted my support to him immediately afterwards.

That was a rough crowd, and they all handled it like pros. I agree, if you haven't thanked, them, please do.

I started this thread to inform those here who couldn't make it about how one-sided the affair was. They said there will be another meeting in the spring, and I hope any interested parties can make that one.
ChiBeerGuy 9.5 said:

Instead of bitching on a forum, how about we shoot Joe an email showing him our support.

http://ward45.org/contact/

Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on January 14, 2014 at 10:13am

This an astonishingly counterproductive way to offer a very good suggestion. The forum exists, among other reasons to provide a place for riders to discuss issues that are important to us. Nothing good can come from denigrating the discussion. Celebrate the discussion! AND suggest that we contact the alderman.

ChiBeerGuy 9.5 said:

Instead of bitching on a forum, how about we shoot Joe an email showing him our support.

http://ward45.org/contact/

Permalink Reply by Matheis on January 15, 2014 at 5:29am

"Opposite to the 'top down' concept of urban design is BETTER BLOCK, founded in Dallas' Oak Cliff by Jason Roberts and Andrew Howard. The Better Block project is a demonstration tool that temporarily re-visions an area to show the potential to create a walkable, vibrant, neighborhood center.

The idea and the charrettes to realize it have quickly spread to cities like Memphis, St. Louis, New York, and Boston. National media coverage includes NPR, the Washington Post, and the New York Times." 

Permalink Reply by Cheryl on January 15, 2014 at 6:12am

I feel exactly the same after reading about the meeting. Definitely going to make every effort to be at the next one.

Apie (10.6) said:

I'm really upset I wasn't there to support bike lanes, in my backyard.  I'm not sure how I would of reacted to the responses I am hearing.  Beyond stupidity.  I think that would be obvious to all who take part in making decisions.  Now that I see we do need many more supporters I will make it a priority to go to the next meeting, if there is one.  I love biking N of Foster, because there is a lot of room, not too many cars, and definitely no bikes (that I have seen)- they are ALWAYS on the sidewalk. Thaat corner by Superdawg should be better configured for ped's and cyclists, honestly I only feel safe using the sidewalk to cross at Devon, the only time I can think of that I do that in all of Chicago!  Here I was yesterday, daydreaming of having the first true protected bike lane in Chicago, w/ a curb in my neighborhood! 

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on January 15, 2014 at 7:43am

It's not quite wide enough to be a Stroad, but it's wide and fast enough to be hazardous to peds and bikes.

BruceBikes said:

I'm not very familiar with that wide, northern part of Milwaukee, but it sounds like a Stroad to me.  Hopefully common sense will prevail here.

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