Downtown Chicago to Oak Park

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by cutifly on January 28, 2009 at 9:24am

I have had bottles just miss my head on two different late night outings going from Oak Park to Downtown. It kinda sucks really.

Permalink Reply by heather s on January 28, 2009 at 10:01am

I imagine that gangs are probably concerned about other things besides cyclists. I don't know alot about gangs, though.

It's not fair that entire neighborhoods are classified as bad or unsafe because of the actions of a few people there, particularly when those neighborhoods tend to be primarily made up of people of color. I'm aware that my reactions to these areas may have more to do with social conditioning in a racist culture than any real danger. That said, once you've consistently had bad experiences on a certain route or in a certain area, it seems kind of foolish to keep going back instead of modifying your route. When I was riding on Lake Street out to Oak Park, someone tried to attack me. That's what I'm personally afraid of over there.



h3 said:

I don't see the relationship between gangs and the street folks who target cyclists. Throw Daley in there and there's no way to even begin to answer your question, sorry.
If you feel unsafe on Austin or Central south of Addison, I don't know what to say-- what is it you're afraid of over there? What is your destination on the west or south sides?

Permalink Reply by Don Sorsa on January 28, 2009 at 1:00pm

I have the misfortune to live in Oak Park and ride back and forth from O.P. to the Loop often, but seldom after 10pm. Two days ago I rode Washington, Randolph, and Warren (my usual route) and have always felt they are much better than Lake Street because of car traffic and road conditions.

In terms of safety while cycling, I get nervous when I see a young white dude with a backwards baseball hat, smoking a cigarette, driving an SUV, and talking on a cell phone. And those guys are in almost every neighborhood.

Permalink Reply by Vondo on January 28, 2009 at 7:31pm

Sure, I wouldn't mind knowing a better route to the lakefront, but Roosevelt is pretty good because the lights are few and far between, you can ride fast if you want, and the bike lane is excellent from Ashland where I get on, all the way to Michigan Ave. But I would totally check out a better route, I have to admit other than not taking Odgen anymore, I haven't experimented with other streets.

h3 said:

Hey Vando,
Do you have a preference for riding on busy streets with 18-wheeler traffic? If not, can I suggest some other ways to get to the lakefront? One of the things I love about living and riding in Pilsen/Little Village is the preponderance of secondary 'through' streets which run east/west.

Permalink Reply by Vondo on January 28, 2009 at 7:40pm

Heather, I totally get what you're saying. I know that it really isn't EVERYONE in the area, and it sucks that everyone gets blamed. However, as in my case, after repeated occurrences where things got a bit hairy, avoiding the hassle and potential incidents became more important to me than proving I don't have any social prejudices.
heather stratton said:

I imagine that gangs are probably concerned about other things besides cyclists. I don't know alot about gangs, though.
It's not fair that entire neighborhoods are classified as bad or unsafe because of the actions of a few people there, particularly when those neighborhoods tend to be primarily made up of people of color. I'm aware that my reactions to these areas may have more to do with social conditioning in a racist culture than any real danger. That said, once you've consistently had bad experiences on a certain route or in a certain area, it seems kind of foolish to keep going back instead of modifying your route. When I was riding on Lake Street out to Oak Park, someone tried to attack me. That's what I'm personally afraid of over there.


h3 said:

I don't see the relationship between gangs and the street folks who target cyclists. Throw Daley in there and there's no way to even begin to answer your question, sorry.
If you feel unsafe on Austin or Central south of Addison, I don't know what to say-- what is it you're afraid of over there? What is your destination on the west or south sides?

Permalink Reply by corinne on September 2, 2009 at 5:33pm

I have to get from UIC to Oak Park M-F...BUT I have to be there at 2:50 pm and I don't get out of class until 2:00pm. My question is: What is the safest and quickest route from UIC to Oak Park and it is feasible to try and do it in 50 minutes?

Permalink Reply by Eduardo on September 3, 2009 at 10:46am

I've rode through Oak Park into Chicago on Madison Ave. There's a 2-3 mile stretch where if you think of a movie with a ghetto in it, well the one along Madison is 3x worst. It kind of reminded me of District 9.

Permalink Reply by Tiberculosis on September 3, 2009 at 11:30am

I've been told if I took Madison, i would likely get killed. I generally take Augusta or Washington. Pretty scary recent story about a trip west on Lake. http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/September-2009/A-Mugging...

Eduardo Acosta said:

I've rode through Oak Park into Chicago on Madison Ave. There's a 2-3 mile stretch where if you think of a movie with a ghetto in it, well the one along Madison is 3x worst. It kind of reminded me of District 9.

Permalink Reply by dan brown on September 3, 2009 at 1:11pm

I did not look at the link yet ... but I would do Milwaukee to Augusta.
Augusta does not allow trucks and has no busses...and it is not at all
'expressway like' (a la North Avenue,etc.) and it goes directly into
Oak Park. (not sure about from the North side though).

DB

Permalink Reply by Tiberculosis on September 3, 2009 at 1:41pm

I don't know of any attacks on Madison either, just something said to me from a friend that lives near Pulaski and Jackson. That article was new today, so I don't think it's a repost (maybe from a different source though). My intent wasn't to scare off anyone, just inform. When ever I'm making a trek, I like to make sure I know where the hell I'm going, what I'm heading into. I live in Forest Park and work in the loop. I half train-it/bike-it during the late spring/summer and mostly ride the whole way during the winter, late Autumn. I've had plenty of awesome rides through the west side, but also had things thrown at me, been chased, screamed at, and threatened. Do I still do it, yup.
Washington straight through (has a bike lane) good.
Augusta (partial bike lane, road can be kinda rough in stretches and can be glassy) still good though

h3 said:

I don't know of any attacks on Madison, but there are some stretches that are inhospitible because of the speed of automobile traffic.
Not sure we need to have that link brandied about every time anyone mentions routes to the west side, unless you're specifically trying to end bicycling between Oak Park and downtown as some sort of service to the bike community.

Tiberculosis said:

I've been told if I took Madison, i would likely get killed. I generally take Augusta or Washington. Pretty scary recent story about a trip west on Lake. http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/September-2009/A-Mugging...

Eduardo Acosta said:

I've rode through Oak Park into Chicago on Madison Ave. There's a 2-3 mile stretch where if you think of a movie with a ghetto in it, well the one along Madison is 3x worst. It kind of reminded me of District 9.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on September 3, 2009 at 8:10pm

That's a scary article. Relative to that, I'd like to revisit my earlier comment about being aware of one's surroundings.

I try to make a habit of scanning for potential problems, like groups of teenagers, exactly because of situations like what was described in the article. The west side is the only area where I've experienced the kind of racial hatred that the cop believed was responsible for the attack.

Keeping a reserve of energy and strength for emergency sprints and/or changes of direction may save your life - if you look ahead, anticipate problems and take evasive action. Having some familiarity with other rideable streets nearby gives you detour options if you see a threat. Knowing the locations of police and fire stations along your route can give you safe refuge in case of an emergency.

If you see someone ahead who seems likely to be a threat to your physical safety, stay as far away from that person or people as possible. If they are down the block, quickly disappearing from their view and detouring to another street may work in your favor. I don't often have to use evasive moves for this reason, but I'd rather use them and stay safe, even if it means having to go a few minutes out of my way.

Look carefully at what's ahead. If your gut feeling is telling you not to go there, take another way. Protecting yourself does not require violence. Being smart is often enough. Being fast can help, too. Be safe out there.

h3 said:

My bad-- I assumed you would have seen the thread from 9/1-- it's only at the top of page two right now.
http://www.thechainlink.org/forum/topics/lake-street-mugging-from

No shortage of attacks on Washington, unfortunately.

Permalink Reply by Tiberculosis on September 3, 2009 at 9:17pm

Aw crap...no, I didn't. Here I was trying to cut down thread posts and posted it here. I hereby slap myself on the wrist. Yeah, me and Washington st. definitely have a love/hate relationship goin' on.

h3 said:

My bad-- I assumed you would have seen the thread from 9/1-- it's only at the top of page two right now.
http://www.thechainlink.org/forum/topics/lake-street-mugging-from

No shortage of attacks on Washington, unfortunately.

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