Dreaded Bike-Unfriendly Streets

I have a few I can name that I do my best to avoid ever riding on and last weekend, when I was outside of my normal riding area, I realized my knowledge is pretty limited so I thought I'd post this in hopes to start an ongoing thread of streets that are pretty miserable for riding a bike. 

To get it started...

  • Ashland Ave. - No bike lanes, speeding cars
  • Michigan Ave. - No bike lanes, speeding cars, tourists, gaggles of buses
  • Western Ave.  - Ashland but with cowboy hats ;-)

The other thread... What Are Your Favorite Chicago-Area Bike Lanes, Paths & Routes?

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Permalink Reply by BikeScnhook on May 11, 2017 at 4:52am

Really, Devon west of the post office near Clark Street is a death wish. Heck, even with the dedicated bike lanes it's dangerous because people there just DO NOT DRIVE SAFELY.

Hmm....now that I think about it, I think there is a town ordinance that says turn signals are not allowed in Rogers Park...

Permalink Reply by Lisa Gordon on May 11, 2017 at 10:42am

"I think there is a town ordinance that says turn signals are not allowed in Rogers Park..."

That explains so much!!!  Who knew?  :)

Permalink Reply by mike w. on May 11, 2017 at 10:46am

And i believe stops are optional on Sheridan rd Howard to Devon...

Permalink Reply by BikeScnhook on May 11, 2017 at 10:49am

From what I can tell, stop signs must be optional to cyclists. I'm convinced I'm the only one who obeys them.

Permalink Reply by Jacob Wilson on May 11, 2017 at 11:20am

Most cyclists follow the often safer and generally accepted practice of the Idaho stop.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idaho_stop

Permalink Reply by mike w. on May 11, 2017 at 12:30pm

i was actually thinking of the red lights every block in that mile % half stretch...over the years i witnessed several pedestrians getting run down by red-running drivers, especially at the Loyola EL viaduct.

Good for you if you really stop at all stop signs. Do you always put a foot down?

Permalink Reply by Joe Schmoe on May 15, 2017 at 7:47am

I took Lawrence out to the North Branch trail for the first time on Saturday. Soooo much better than the cannonball run I used to make down Devon to get out there. 

Permalink Reply by Allan on May 31, 2017 at 10:45am

I don't even bother biking on the street portion of Devon. For those rare segments I ever bike on Devon(i.e. going over the I-94 bridge), I bike on the sidewalk instead. Illegal yes, but you have to do what you have to so that you protect your life. The sidewalk traffic there(a la Peterson west of Ravenswood) is very light, so I don't feel too bad about doing that. And of course I give pedestrians priority and 'on the left' verbal warnings(while biking slowly by them), if I see any.

Permalink Reply by Irvin Steinert on May 11, 2017 at 2:38am

The ones with cars on them.

Permalink Reply by Shay on May 11, 2017 at 3:55am

South Chicago Avenue.  It has a dedicated bike lane but you couldn't pay me enough money to ride on that street.  I feel scared even driving on it.  Drivers use the bike lane as a driving and passing lane (note: passing on the right, which is illegal but seems to be standard on the south side).  It's technically one lane each way, but just yesterday I saw three cars driving abreast in the northbound lane.  

Seems like a big conundrum to me - the south side needs more bikers out and about so that it's a commonplace thing and drivers get used to them.  But at the same time, the drivers are so dangerous that it makes bikers hesitant to cycle, even when there are bike lanes and bike routes.  

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on May 11, 2017 at 4:40am

Similar to Vincennes, though it seems that drivers are generally behaving better since the bike lanes went in there.

Passing on the right, lane weaving and drivers going 40-50 mph can be problems on both South Chicago and Vincennes.

Do you feel like driver behavior has improved at all on South Chicago since bike lanes were added, or not so much?

Permalink Reply by Shay on May 11, 2017 at 4:49am

I can't say, because I haven't lived on the south side very long - only since mid-March.  I live in South Shore and commute to Hyde Park (thus far only driving).  It's a short distance that makes me want to ride in the summer, except the traffic really scares me.  And even getting on to the Lakefront Path doesn't seem to have a route that feels safe (if you know of one, please share!).  Jeffrey Boulevard is another potentially hazardous route.  

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