CDOT's Gabe Klein discusses the location of the next cycle track, re-opening Queen's Landing, Critical Mass and more

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Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on July 23, 2011 at 8:35pm

Last month Gin Kilgore and I each sent letters to Gabe Klein about traffic calming issues.  I wrote about speed humps. His response letter is a mixed bag. Here are the highlights:

"The parabolic speed hump design used in Chicago is employed nationwide and is recognized by the... Federal Highway Administration as an appropriate traffic control device. Speed humps improve safety conditions for the more vulnerable users of Chicago's residential roadways. The parabolic speed hump is navigable by all roadway users, including bicyclists, who may feel more comfortable reducing their speed as they traverse the hump."

I didn't care at all for that part of the answer, especially the part I put in italics. If we want to encourage people to ride bikes, we should not create traffic calming measures that penalize cyclists.

"However, as bicycling in Chicago continues to grow as a viable mode of transportation, CDOT will investigate other street speed hump designs to determine if there is a design more compatible to bicycle traffic."

My answer to that: the process needs better quality control. In a handful of locations (such as Wood St. from 99th to 97th, or Hinman Ave. in Evanston), speed humps have a slightly lower height and gentler slope that accomplishes the goal of slower overall speeds without being a burden to cyclists. Adding pass-through openings in the middle is also worth trying.

More: "In addition to improving bicycling conditions on residential streets, we will install 25 miles of protected bike lanes on arterial streets each of the next 4 years. ... As part of the protected bike lane initiative, CDOT is analyzing the feasibility of installing these lanes throughout Chicago's iconic boulevard system."  [italics added by me]

Yes, yes, YES, PLEASE!!!!! I'm already writing my response letter.

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