Biking in Des Plaines along River Rd.

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Permalink Reply by Thunder Snow on September 3, 2011 at 5:37pm

Hi Gail!  Welcome!

I don't ride in that area, so hopefully someone local can chime in here, but if it's Res/Holy Family at Golf & River in Des Plaines you're heading to--man!  Just about every approach to it looks really ugly from a bicycle.  River Road is a four lane highway through the woods with cars moving way too fast--my little Toyota got totally creamed along there by a speeding rear-ending truck years ago, and since then I avoid River Road even on my Harley. 

It looks like you can get east of the river and follow a forest bike path as far north as Golf Road, to a point just north of Big Bend Lake, but the stretch from there to the hospital along Golf would be no fun.  And getting to the head of the trail, either from the Rosemont or Cumberland Blue Line stops would be no picnic either.

If you got off the Blue Line at Jefferson Park, you could switch to the Metra and get off either at Des Plaines or Cumberland, which would shave miles of dealing with bad traffic off the trip.  From the Cumberland Metra, it looks like the smallish Seegers Road parallels Golf to the south which would get you to Seegers and Rand.  But I don't see any safe roads to that hospital within a half mile radius of it.

As an alternative, Pace bus #208 goes right to the hospital; Pace buses have bike racks on front like CTA buses.  You could catch it either from the east, at the Davis Street Purple Line station or from nearby at the Des Plaines Metra stop.

I hope someone else can come up with a better plan than that.  Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by S.Presley☠ on September 3, 2011 at 6:30pm

The further out I get the more I am likely to rude on the sidewalk. I was on Harlem last Wednesday at rush hour and had to ride the sidewalk because the traffic was insane. I believe the drones are on some kind of crazed auto pilot after work.

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Permalink Reply by Gail Garcia on September 3, 2011 at 8:03pm

Thanks you so much! The 208 sounds like it's going to be the way I'll go. My nervousness about riding will just make everything worse. I hope you just knew this and did not spend time researching this - thanks again!

Thunder Snow said:

Hi Gail!  Welcome!

I don't ride in that area, so hopefully someone local can chime in here, but if it's Res/Holy Family at Golf & River in Des Plaines you're heading to--man!  Just about every approach to it looks really ugly from a bicycle.  River Road is a four lane highway through the woods with cars moving way too fast--my little Toyota got totally creamed along there by a speeding rear-ending truck years ago, and since then I avoid River Road even on my Harley. 

It looks like you can get east of the river and follow a forest bike path as far north as Golf Road, to a point just north of Big Bend Lake, but the stretch from there to the hospital along Golf would be no fun.  And getting to the head of the trail, either from the Rosemont or Cumberland Blue Line stops would be no picnic either.

If you got off the Blue Line at Jefferson Park, you could switch to the Metra and get off either at Des Plaines or Cumberland, which would shave miles of dealing with bad traffic off the trip.  From the Cumberland Metra, it looks like the smallish Seegers Road parallels Golf to the south which would get you to Seegers and Rand.  But I don't see any safe roads to that hospital within a half mile radius of it.

As an alternative, Pace bus #208 goes right to the hospital; Pace buses have bike racks on front like CTA buses.  You could catch it either from the east, at the Davis Street Purple Line station or from nearby at the Des Plaines Metra stop.

I hope someone else can come up with a better plan than that.  Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Gail Garcia on September 3, 2011 at 8:09pm

Thanks. I think I am glad I don't regularly have to go out to the outskirts.   

S.Presley said:

The further out I get the more I am likely to rude on the sidewalk. I was on Harlem last Wednesday at rush hour and had to ride the sidewalk because the traffic was insane. I believe the drones are on some kind of crazed auto pilot after work.

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Permalink Reply by S.Presley☠ on September 3, 2011 at 8:24pm

I meant "ride"...but it must have been a Freudian slip.

Gail Garcia said:

Thanks. I think I am glad I don't regularly have to go out to the outskirts.   

S.Presley said:

The further out I get the more I am likely to rude on the sidewalk. I was on Harlem last Wednesday at rush hour and had to ride the sidewalk because the traffic was insane. I believe the drones are on some kind of crazed auto pilot after work.

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Permalink Reply by Thunder Snow on September 3, 2011 at 11:01pm

No problem, Gail.  Check www.goroo.com to get exact times and connections from CTA to Metra to Pace. Google maps can give you some transit info, but it seems they don't have much of the Pace bus info.  www.pacebus.com to get the map and schedule for the 208 or other buses.  Depending on where you're starting from, Blue Line to Jefferson Park, Metra to Des Plaines, Pace bus to hospital is probably fastest, but you need to check connection times.  I live in Evanston, so I'm pretty familiar with the three transit systems.  I think you're wise not bicycling on Golf, Rand or River Roads, the three roads that surround the hospital, but take a look around when you get out there for next time, it may not be as bad as I imagine. 

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Permalink Reply by Jeff Markus on September 4, 2011 at 3:52pm

While I'm a city rider and in the city I prefer the 4lanes since in most cases that means there is more room for the autos to get around without hurting themselves. But in the 'burbs it seems the speed limit is a much disregarded suggestion rather than the law. And soccer moms in their Stupid User Vehicles don't seem to have any sensew of where the vehicle extends on the road...they either weave all over the next lane (or oncoming lanes) or pass within inches. All while moving at 150 to 250% of the posted limits.

When riding on these roads in the 'burbs there is NO real, safe or traffic friendly way to deal. I will usually ride 3-4 feet from the curb/drainpan and let the traffic be damned just to be as safe as possible. This does draw some vehemence from drivers but that means they see me, a good thang.

The DesPlaines Metra transit center is a good 'hub' for Pace busses and is accessible by Metra, Pace and riding as Northwest Highway, Dempster and the split Mannhiem (LEE and GRACELAND) in the DesPlaines proper are rideable and safe close to the station. The 226 (F/ Jeff Pk), 209 (F/Harlem) run well and morning commutes (6-7AM) are not crowded, people or bikes.

There is a OHare bus(250) to the DP Transit center, that leaves from the Kiss'N'Fly but that is not near the Blue line stop in the airport.

I have not explored the Cumberland to DP connection as that wouldn't fit my treavel plans but there are busses northbound outta there but I don't know the connections.

Jeff

The Chicagoan

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Permalink Reply by Gail Garcia on September 5, 2011 at 4:48pm

Thanks Jeff!

Jeff Markus said:

While I'm a city rider and in the city I prefer the 4lanes since in most cases that means there is more room for the autos to get around without hurting themselves. But in the 'burbs it seems the speed limit is a much disregarded suggestion rather than the law. And soccer moms in their Stupid User Vehicles don't seem to have any sensew of where the vehicle extends on the road...they either weave all over the next lane (or oncoming lanes) or pass within inches. All while moving at 150 to 250% of the posted limits.

When riding on these roads in the 'burbs there is NO real, safe or traffic friendly way to deal. I will usually ride 3-4 feet from the curb/drainpan and let the traffic be damned just to be as safe as possible. This does draw some vehemence from drivers but that means they see me, a good thang.

The DesPlaines Metra transit center is a good 'hub' for Pace busses and is accessible by Metra, Pace and riding as Northwest Highway, Dempster and the split Mannhiem (LEE and GRACELAND) in the DesPlaines proper are rideable and safe close to the station. The 226 (F/ Jeff Pk), 209 (F/Harlem) run well and morning commutes (6-7AM) are not crowded, people or bikes.

There is a OHare bus(250) to the DP Transit center, that leaves from the Kiss'N'Fly but that is not near the Blue line stop in the airport.

I have not explored the Cumberland to DP connection as that wouldn't fit my treavel plans but there are busses northbound outta there but I don't know the connections.

Jeff

The Chicagoan

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