Humboldt Drive traffic test begins in August

From the city's website, link here.


CDOT, in conjunction with Ald. Roberto Maldonado (26th), is conducting a test on Humboldt Drive through Humboldt Park aimed at calming traffic and improving pedestrian safety
and comfort.

Starting the week of August 23, a portion of Humboldt Drive between North Avenue and Division Street will be temporarily reduced from 4 lanes to 3 lanes.  This segment of Humboldt Drive will have one travel
lane in each direction, with a center lane used as a combination of
left-turn lane and pedestrian refuge area.  This change will both slow
vehicle speeds and reduce pedestrian exposure to approaching traffic. 

Engineers will study the effectiveness of these changes on driver behavior and pedestrian safety during the one-to-two-month test period.

CDOT’s traffic and pedestrian safety programs will analyze speed and behavioral changes for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians as a part of the effort to improve safety for all public way users.


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Permalink Reply by milesperhour on August 24, 2010 at 9:24am
I have mixed emotions about this. As a driver, that is a great, speedy way to get shoot through the area. California has way too many stops. As a pedestrian, I can see how it would be a pain to cross. I always wonder why there is only 1 underground walkway. Although more expensive, perhaps putting in more underground walkways is a better alternative. Otherwise, I think they'd be better off putting big 'ole walkways at two points through there with yield signs (similar to what was done on Chicago, by Dominick's).
Permalink Reply by Ruby Red on August 24, 2010 at 11:43am
I kind of agree. As an occasional driver, that's definitely my preferred route. On a bike... I just ride through the park.
Permalink Reply by Amber K on August 25, 2010 at 2:52am
I ride and/or run in Humboldt nearly everyday, and I'm glad they are looking at slowing traffic. It's quite dangerous to cross sometimes. Drivers do treat this stretch of road as a speedway. This is great!
Permalink Reply by Adam "Cezar" Jenkins on August 25, 2010 at 3:11am
I'm very happy this is happening. Western Ave. next? (crosses fingers). As an occasional driver, I'll get over there not being a street freeway through the city. That is what the actual freeway is for.
Permalink Reply by Rick norris on August 25, 2010 at 4:19am
Again somethings I will never get, instead of enforcing the speed limit ( I drive throught there and always do the limit because it seems like the perfect speed trap). That area will be changed to slow down traffic.
So now money will be spent to study the issue, why? enforce what is already a law in that area (speed limit) or just change the thing.
For those of use old enough....remember the sidewalk areas that used to be in the middle of a lot of streets? They got taken out and then painted strips put down, this was to make it easier for emergency vehicles to get past traffic jams. Then flower pots got put in place to make the city more green...of course now emergency vehicles get stuck behind a bunch of cars that have no place to go....

ANYWAY the painted ped refuge area will just become a passing lane for the people that already ignore the speed limit in that area IMO
Permalink Reply by Mark on August 25, 2010 at 6:31am
I hope the plan would also include bike lanes, utilizing the space gained from going from 4 driving lanes to 3. CDOT is doing this on Lawrence Avenue between Western and Ashland, and I would like to see other streets such as the 4-lane parts of Broadway and Sheridan get this 3-lane + bike lanes make-over.
Permalink Reply by Chris B on August 26, 2010 at 2:25am
I understand how more built up infrastructure may make drivers feel safer and drive faster (LSD) and making the street appear slow (removing lanes etc) will make them more cautious and drive slower. I've even read about experiments converting stoplights to stop signs showing a decline in accidents at those intersections. Not sure that would work at any street but it's interesting.

I am skeptical about the middle lanes though. I grew up by a street with one: drivers shoot down the middle without paying attention, crossing in a car is dangerous let alone having pedestrians try to cross.
Permalink Reply by Davo on August 26, 2010 at 5:18am
In this area that idea wouldn't work too well. When I had to bike that area I used the residential roads on the periphery or just rode through the park. IMO there is no need for a bike lane there when the're clearly visable other options.

Mark said:
I hope the plan would also include bike lanes, utilizing the space gained from going from 4 driving lanes to 3. CDOT is doing this on Lawrence Avenue between Western and Ashland, and I would like to see other streets such as the 4-lane parts of Broadway and Sheridan get this 3-lane + bike lanes make-over.
Permalink Reply by Ash L. on September 21, 2010 at 7:11am
I met with Ald. Maldonado this morning to gauge his intent to add a bike lane and possibly sidewalks (there really is no sidewalk from the bridge north to North Av on Humboldt!). I brought along a couple of different blueprint proposals I drew up showing how easy it would be to add a dedicated biking lane and still maintain the 3 lane motor vehicle lanes now present. I also brought along a study performed on the "road diet" system of shrinking 4 lanes to two and adding biking/jogging lanes (provided by the lovely Gin).

He told me that he has no intention of adding a bicycle lane or any other accoutrements on that stretch because "the road is too dangerous for pedestrians". Maybe I am obtuse but to me the road seems too dangerous for pedestrians because there are no sidewalks, crosswalks or bike lanes. There isn't even a shoulder. Drivers speed through there at 45 miles per hour in what is now a 30 MPH zone. Adding well marked crosswalks at Munoz Marin Dr (both the north and south ends) and the bright yellow "Stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk" signs that are now being placed throughout the city and permanently reducing the through traffic from 4 to 3 lanes would help to ease speeders and congestion through the park.

Last week CDOT added those bicycle traffic detectors across Humboldt Blvd just north of the field house. What biker in their right mind would venture to bike this road in its current or even previous form? Measuring the numbers of cyclists through the park at this juncture will surely show minimal use and only add to an argument against bike lanes there as unnecessary.

If you are able, please shoot off a quick and friendly email or call to Ald Maldonado (773-395-0143) letting him know that you are in favor of safe and pedestrian/cyclist friendly access through the park that connects this stretch with the rest of the lovely boulevard system that runs from Palmer south to Grand. Please also let him know that you and many other cyclists would feel safe and confident in biking through this route if dedicated bike lanes were in place.
Permalink Reply by Mark on September 21, 2010 at 8:03am
It's such a shame. The boulevard system was originally designed for bicycles and carriage rides. The boulevards are now 4-6 lane mini-expressways that are very dangerous to ride on. There is no reason bike lanes couldn't be added on the entire boulevard system. The boulevard system is as much of an asset to the city as the lakefront.
Permalink Reply by Gin on September 21, 2010 at 8:07am
I am so glad this is a test. It's a great chance for us to get more organized and influence the design process. Thanks, Ash, for engaging the Alderman. Let's get him out on a bike ride!

A couple of thoughts:
There is no reason high speed traffic--probably higher than on other stretches of that road -- should bisect the park. It's almost like a freeway.

It's not easy to get from the east side of the park to the west. Sure, there is the bridge underpass, but it is convoluted and it's only one spot anyway. For example, it's very difficult to cross the blvd in front of the garden, even though a path, without a curb cut, beckons on the other side. We bike our kid across that point every day to get to school. It's the tensest part of our commute.

Cyclists should be able to use Sacramento/Humboldt as a north/south corridor through the park. If anything, it is more important to have that option as the other direct north/south travel options are two blocks on either side (Kedzie and California, and Kedzie is not all the great either)

But take the paths or the ring roads, you might say. . . . I do that sometimes. But 1) In winter, the paths are not always viable and 2) with the ring road you are more than likely going to need to cross the blvd anyway, which brings us back to the first point.

There are cheap design alternatives to the existing cross section that would better meet the needs of peds and bikers while possibly even improving conditions for motorists. I think a road diet could be perfect with a ped refuge and a center turn lane at some key spots to allow for turning onto the internal road system. The ped refuges would prevent cars passing in the middle lane. Maybe this test design will work too, though I can't see how it will help cyclists wanting to go north/south. I guess I'll just keep taking a lane. . .

Here is a road diet slide show by Michael Ronkin, one of my mentors from when I worked in bike/ped planning: http://www.smartgrowthonlineaudio.org/np2007/310c.pdf

Sorry if this is not super coherent--got a bunch of pots simmering on my desk. Ack!
Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on September 21, 2010 at 8:34am
That would be outstanding.

Mark said:
I hope the plan would also include bike lanes, utilizing the space gained from going from 4 driving lanes to 3. CDOT is doing this on Lawrence Avenue between Western and Ashland, and I would like to see other streets such as the 4-lane parts of Broadway and Sheridan get this 3-lane + bike lanes make-over.

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