Downtown Chicago to Oak Park

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Chris Hainey on August 17, 2011 at 11:27am

I received the information below via the Elmhurst Bicycle Club. I have not rode with this group, but a group ride might be a good option:

Westside Commuters has 56 current members that take Lake Street back to OP everyday.  Usually groups leave at 4:30, 5:00, 5:30 6:00 and sometimes later.  Some of the members of the group live in Berwyn for example and ride south once they get to Ridgeland.
 
Almost everyone in the group rides in alone in the morning without incident. 
 
More info at:  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/westsidecommuters/

Permalink Reply by Sue Clark on August 17, 2011 at 5:46pm

I've taken Diversey from the north side; traffic calms down after Western, and then south at Oak Park, Ave. Also taken Lake St., which was okay (don't know construction situation, it's been a while). I've used Augusta, which is the only street where I received a little bit of a threat from a passing car (on the second time it decided to pass me). Coming from OP to downtown I've taken Washington (and whatever parallels Washington for part of the way).

 

I'm not a regular commuter on any of these routes.

Permalink Reply by Sue Clark on August 17, 2011 at 5:51pm

I'd suppose putting your bike on the blue line is not the preferred method.

corinne said:

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 lauren eg on August 19, 2011 at 10:57am

Sorry this might be a tad off-topic to the OP, but I wanted to share some first hand account of a person who worked in Austin to maybe change some thinking or at least give a positive spin.

 

However on rides to the western suburbs, we would pass through Oak Park and we used Grand to Oak Park. A tad out of the way, but bike lanes throughout (and they were often leisurely rides).

 

As far as safe neighborhoods go, and the discussion topic brought up, I might be a little biased. I rode my bike to work in the Fall ('10) and Spring ('11), and I worked in the heart of Austin (a little west of Chicago and Laramie) and was (except for my tires occasionally suffering on Division due to broken glass) fine throughout the time of commute.

 

I would advise the time of day to be considered, but otherwise don't discount neighborhoods. There are certain factors to consider in these neighborhoods, but the likelihood you're going to get caught in something cinematic and absurd like gang crossfire is very, very slim.

 

Advisories: 

 

• Have a tube or a patch kit and a hand pump. The broken glass problem/street debris on the West side is some of the worst in the city and the streets are often in states of disrepair.
• Bike laws recognized in other neighborhoods or by other drivers are less commonly validated on the West Side (because people on bikes typically ride against traffic or on the sidewalk), so be honest about your personal speed and take streets that fit better (Division vs. Augusta, for example).
• Respect drivers the same way you would anywhere else -- I feel the concern to get in and out right away (due to fear or perhaps something else) causes these really aggressive driver/cyclist relationships.
• If you are afraid of getting heckled, then take a quieter or slower route/street. I have had inappropriate shit yelled at me in most neighborhoods of Chicago, so I really am not putting any blame on folks of the West Side. Racial segregation is gonna breed racial tension, so there you go.

This is all advice from a petite (4'10") female that probably averages only 8-11mph when riding, as well.

Permalink Reply by lauren eg on August 19, 2011 at 11:03am

And I live in Logan Square so my route was usually Kedzie -> Division -> Laramie -> Chicago -> Lorel

 

Also, Liz from West Town Bikes ran a Build a Bike program at the school I worked at and I know she commuted by bike everyday so it might be worth asking people at West Town about their personal routes since a lot of them work with schools on the West Side weekday evenings.

 

Also, just for my own personal sake, I avoid riding on Lake (hell, I get nervous when in a car on Lake -- drivers just seem insane).

lauren eg said:

As far as safe neighborhoods go, and the discussion topic brought up, I might be a little biased. I rode my bike to work in the Fall ('10) and Spring ('11), and I worked in the heart of Austin (a little west of Chicago and Laramie) and was (except for my tires occasionally suffering on Division due to broken glass) fine throughout the time of commute.

 

I would advise the time of day to be considered, but otherwise don't discount neighborhoods. There are certain factors to consider in these neighborhoods, but the likelihood you're going to get caught in something cinematic and absurd like gang crossfire is very, very slim.

 

Advisories: 

 

• Have a tube or a patch kit and a hand pump. The broken glass problem/street debris on the West side is some of the worst in the city and the streets are often in states of disrepair.
• Bike laws recognized in other neighborhoods or by other drivers are less commonly validated on the West Side (because people on bikes typically ride against traffic or on the sidewalk), so be honest about your personal speed and take streets that fit better (Division vs. Augusta, for example).
• Respect drivers the same way you would anywhere else -- I feel the concern to get in and out right away (due to fear or perhaps something else) causes these really aggressive driver/cyclist relationships.
• If you are afraid of getting heckled, then take a quieter or slower route/street. I have had inappropriate shit yelled at me in most neighborhoods of Chicago, so I really am not putting any blame on folks of the West Side. Racial segregation is gonna breed racial tension, so there you go.

This is all advice from a petite (4'10") female that probably averages only 8-11mph when riding, as well.

Permalink Reply by Gort 12-mile Pinklegneep on August 19, 2011 at 11:15am

My commute is basically a straight shot down Lake to the loop, hopping over to Jefferson Blvd when I hit Sacramento. In the evenings I'll take Milwaukee to Armitage and take that out to Naragansett which becomes Ridgeland when you hit Oak Park. It's party because of route safety and road quality (Armitage's marked bike lane is pretty legit the whole way) and mostly because it gets me up to twenty miles daily and goes by some nice bike shops. Armitage make a good east/west at any hour, as does Addison if you're going northside.

 

In the middle of summer if I can get out of work early enough I'll just take Lake back out to Oak Park, I think the danger is largely overblown. In the fall when the days start getting shorter but it's still warm out I understand there's a fair amount of incidents of bikes getting rolled but white people treating whole chunks of the city like Forbidden Forests is maybe part of the problem? Dunno!

Permalink Reply by Jon on August 31, 2011 at 4:32pm

For a direct route from downtown, Washington gets you there with bike lane a majority of the ride but it's a rough time getting through Austin and not something I would recommend doing alone at night.  

 

If your willing to go north a bit from the city take Clybourn north to Cortland then right on Damen and left on Armitage.  You can take Armitage until it connects with Grand (and take Grand to Oak Park ave) or if it's daytime taking Armitage west until Laramie and south on Laramie to North Ave then take North the rest of the way is what I normally do.  

 

I used to go all the way up to Diversey thinking that was the safest and most comfortable route but I've been riding this Armitage route for the past two years now and prefer it.  But I'm going to Old Town, not downtown.

Permalink Reply by Jeff Markus on August 31, 2011 at 9:10pm

There are a pile of reasons to avoid some areas and streets.

First the traffic, if a 4 lane (Irving Park) is available I prefer it for a fast ride but for comfort I choose 2 lane (Addison)

Second surface condition, even a recently repaved section can be dicey if the 'utility' potholes start popping up.

Third physical safety, I am 6foot and over 200lbs but there are 'hoods I don't go into and some I practise vigilant techniques in. I have never been assaulted from bikeback but don't tempt fate by riding thru other peoples 'turf'.

Also there are the types of traffic you'll encounter, truck routes and industrial areas can be hotbeds of stops and turns into driveways that you don't expect thus are better avoided...Lake street is a fine example in many stretches.

The thurofares favored by taxis can reqwuire additional vigilance as well, the Clybourn and Elston corridors need a bit of eyes in the back of your head technique.

Since I am not above cutting over to parallel side streets and thru parks to side step traffic, surface or route considerations I prefer to be in areas that don't pose 'muggle' problems.

Much of the traffic in Chicago is easily dealt with if you ride with attention to the possible stupid moves the world can pull (including other riders) but we all must judge our own comfort level and an occasional perusal of a neighborhood paper if you plan on regularly riding a 'hood ain't a bad idea.

Jeff

The Chicagoan

Permalink Reply by Christopher TerMaat on September 1, 2011 at 12:29pm

There's a bike lane on Washington for pretty much the entire distance.  Why not use that?

Permalink Reply by globalguy on September 2, 2011 at 9:41am

Heads Up folks! 

 

If you're thinking of using Washington for the eastward commute from Oak Park, the City is getting ready to do major road work between Kenton and Keeler. For the last couple of days, Streets & San has narrowed traffic to one west-going lane on the north of Washington and one east going lane on the south. It looks like some kind of water main or sewer work since they have placed two large concrete conduit junctions at Keeler.

Permalink Reply by globalguy on September 2, 2011 at 10:07am

@Daniel G: I've been conducting the same "survey" for about a year now except my end-point is in West Town at North and Western.  I leave Oak Park around 7am from Garfield & Lombard. My favorite route, like you, is Washington through Garfield Park then Warren through Ukrainian Village. The only difference I experience from you, I think, is the drastic increase in traffic as folks head off to work or take their kids to the numerous schools along the route.  The increase doesn't make the route much worse but you do need to be more vigilant than I would be if I were riding earlier like you.  Also, it doesn't hurt to say "Good Morning" to the half dozen or so crossing guards who are pretty evenly distributed along the route. In all the accounts I've read about bikers encountering trouble, passers-by have been incredibly helpful.

 

As for the evening return commute, I would NOT suggest Washington back for all the reasons previously cited.  My wife, who's been commuting to/from Oak Park much longer than I, has had all kinds of bad encounters.  So given that I work farther north and west of the loop (unlike most of the posters here) I've traditionally made my way north all the way to Wrightwood, biking over to Long then down to Grand and over to Austin then south to Chicago continuing west and finally south on Lombard. That usually take an hour and 15 mins. But yesterday evening I took Armitage west to Grand then onto Austin and south, etc. etc. That took me 45-50 mins and the traffic wasn't bad at all!!! So I tried the eastward commute this morning and except for an area along Grand, between Austin and Laramie, the the traffic was light. And it took me only 45 mins.

Permalink Reply by Tiberculosis on September 2, 2011 at 2:33pm

I second the Armitage route!

da' Square Wheelman (aka garth) said:

@Daniel G: I've been conducting the same "survey" for about a year now except my end-point is in West Town at North and Western.  I leave Oak Park around 7am from Garfield & Lombard. My favorite route, like you, is Washington through Garfield Park then Warren through Ukrainian Village. The only difference I experience from you, I think, is the drastic increase in traffic as folks head off to work or take their kids to the numerous schools along the route.  The increase doesn't make the route much worse but you do need to be more vigilant than I would be if I were riding earlier like you.  Also, it doesn't hurt to say "Good Morning" to the half dozen or so crossing guards who are pretty evenly distributed along the route. In all the accounts I've read about bikers encountering trouble, passers-by have been incredibly helpful.

 

As for the evening return commute, I would NOT suggest Washington back for all the reasons previously cited.  My wife, who's been commuting to/from Oak Park much longer than I, has had all kinds of bad encounters.  So given that I work farther north and west of the loop (unlike most of the posters here) I've traditionally made my way north all the way to Wrightwood, biking over to Long then down to Grand and over to Austin then south to Chicago continuing west and finally south on Lombard. That usually take an hour and 15 mins. But yesterday evening I took Armitage west to Grand then onto Austin and south, etc. etc. That took me 45-50 mins and the traffic wasn't bad at all!!! So I tried the eastward commute this morning and except for an area along Grand, between Austin and Laramie, the the traffic was light. And it took me only 45 mins.

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