I rode today. Did you?

Nice first ride in the COLD.

 

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Permalink Reply by Mike Zumwalt on February 22, 2014 at 7:33am

The City is over budget and the employees need a break I'm sure and unfortunately the LFP or the parks in general are a last priority.

Permalink Reply by Mike Zumwalt on February 22, 2014 at 7:36am

I rode the 'ol "winter bike" 4 times last week with a failing bottom bracket (challenging) but got a riser for my other bike and really helps with my posture and comfort and was a great ride! Waiting for Spring.

Permalink Reply by Ryan Stahlman on February 22, 2014 at 8:13am

Thanks for the update, Simon. Damn, that ice lake is crazy. 

Permalink Reply by Simon Phearson on February 22, 2014 at 8:37am

I get it. I don't know the side streets very well, but I can work out a route to substitute for the LFP until it's rideable again, so it's not like I'm stranded. In the grand scheme of things, where cars rule all, I accept my parasitic status.

At the same time - there's a street near my office where there was major water accumulation after a recent snow/ice/melt. It's basically just an access road that I happen to use to get into my office. The snow/ice/water was unrideable but not so deep that it'd be an issue for any car or truck. But the city's water management department was on top of it, clearing out a bunch of accumulated snow and ice and pumping out the water; after a soggy morning, it was clear by afternoon.

No one in this city would think for a minute it's acceptable to manage the snow and ice on a major north/south thoroughfare for cars in the way that they've managed it on the LFP. Not only have they never fully plowed the width of the trail on the southside, they've piled up the snow so that we're virtually assured of continuing ice problems until all the snow is gone. The nice folks at Burnham Harbor, for instance, have completely cleared their usually empty parking lot of snow by pushing it across the LFP (wrecking the pavement in the process) onto the lawn by McCormick Place. All of that snow is melting back across the LFP, meaning it's just ice on top of ice on top of major buckling in the pavement.

Like I said - I can take the streets. Tons of bike-commuters do that all the time, it's not a big deal. But the LFP was our highway. It's the difference between a 35-minute commute and an hour commute, between a fully protected route and a road-warrior one. And all the Parks department has to say about it is: "Exercise caution."


Mike Zumwalt said:

The City is over budget and the employees need a break I'm sure and unfortunately the LFP or the parks in general are a last priority.

Permalink Reply by S on February 22, 2014 at 8:54am

The problem is that the roads have drainage with sewers.  The LFP doesn't have any drainage except for the ground.  That spot at 41st has always been a problem due to be a low point on the path.  Unfortunately, I'm not sure how the parks people can clear the water.  Even if they set up a pump, there's not really a good spot where they can  pump the water to.

Oh, as a counterpoint, I've found the parks district to historically been pretty on top of the game in regards to plowing and salting the path.  I've found it to be in better shape than a lot of the roads on the south side including hyde park. This winter has seen a lot of snow and there hasn't been a good place to put it except for building high snow banks along the path.  I prefer that over using heavy machinery to move the snow around and in the process destroying the pavement and the grass/plants around the path.  I agree that the burnham harbor stuff is ridiculous but I'm not sure that's the parks district, it might be the company managing the harbor.

Simon Phearson said:

I get it. I don't know the side streets very well, but I can work out a route to substitute for the LFP until it's rideable again, so it's not like I'm stranded. In the grand scheme of things, where cars rule all, I accept my parasitic status.

At the same time - there's a street near my office where there was major water accumulation after a recent snow/ice/melt. It's basically just an access road that I happen to use to get into my office. The snow/ice/water was unrideable but not so deep that it'd be an issue for any car or truck. But the city's water management department was on top of it, clearing out a bunch of accumulated snow and ice and pumping out the water; after a soggy morning, it was clear by afternoon.

No one in this city would think for a minute it's acceptable to manage the snow and ice on a major north/south thoroughfare for cars in the way that they've managed it on the LFP. Not only have they never fully plowed the width of the trail on the southside, they've piled up the snow so that we're virtually assured of continuing ice problems until all the snow is gone. The nice folks at Burnham Harbor, for instance, have completely cleared their usually empty parking lot of snow by pushing it across the LFP (wrecking the pavement in the process) onto the lawn by McCormick Place. All of that snow is melting back across the LFP, meaning it's just ice on top of ice on top of major buckling in the pavement.

Like I said - I can take the streets. Tons of bike-commuters do that all the time, it's not a big deal. But the LFP was our highway. It's the difference between a 35-minute commute and an hour commute, between a fully protected route and a road-warrior one. And all the Parks department has to say about it is: "Exercise caution."


Mike Zumwalt said:

The City is over budget and the employees need a break I'm sure and unfortunately the LFP or the parks in general are a last priority.

Permalink Reply by Simon Phearson on February 22, 2014 at 9:24am

Yeah - I'm just grousing. I really like the LFP and soaring along it. I feel stymied when I can't. I appreciate that it's a recreational trail that was not designed and intended to facilitate north-south bike traffic. Maybe one day they'll re-do the problematic sections of the trail so that it's more useable year-round. In the meantime I'll just pray for salt.


S said:

The problem is that the roads have drainage with sewers.  The LFP doesn't have any drainage except for the ground.  That spot at 41st has always been a problem due to be a low point on the path.  Unfortunately, I'm not sure how the parks people can clear the water.  Even if they set up a pump, there's not really a good spot where they can  pump the water to.

Oh, as a counterpoint, I've found the parks district to historically been pretty on top of the game in regards to plowing and salting the path.  I've found it to be in better shape than a lot of the roads on the south side including hyde park. This winter has seen a lot of snow and there hasn't been a good place to put it except for building high snow banks along the path.  I prefer that over using heavy machinery to move the snow around and in the process destroying the pavement and the grass/plants around the path.  I agree that the burnham harbor stuff is ridiculous but I'm not sure that's the parks district, it might be the company managing the harbor.

Permalink Reply by yai danche on February 22, 2014 at 11:09am

I just rode from Grand to 31st. Was pretty dry except for a few patches of slush south of museum campus (about 6 inches spanning the width of the trail).  I rode over it okay.  Sorry guy behind me, I might have slowed down more than I needed to because I was waffling between coasting over it or keeping the same cadence.  He passed me and I noticed he just pedaled over the 3 other slush patches.  Around where the trail hugs the Field museum, there is one side that is iced over reducing that lane by almost half its width.  This was okay because there was light traffic (cyclists and walkers/joggers).  Warning 31st is a minefield.  Proceed with caution.  Lots of gravel and tall mounds of ice where IIT decided to just leave.    

Permalink Reply by Andy J on February 22, 2014 at 12:40pm
A spin around Glenview was good on the streets, but many trails/paths (Techny Basin, Lake Glenview) that we're shaded or faced north were covered in crunchy ice - not so good.
Permalink Reply by Joe Guzzardo on February 22, 2014 at 3:03pm

I rode along the LFP from just north of Foster to the curve at Oak Street. Wasn't bad really except for a couple icy/slushy spots just north of the Diversey overpass. The Fullerton upper and lower paths were pretty bad, though. I also spotted this Gene impostor:

Permalink Reply by Mike Zumwalt on February 22, 2014 at 3:08pm

Don't know where your coming or going but Halsted is a direct route and ride able. But this year it's snow,ice and slush everywhere.

Simon Phearson said:

I get it. I don't know the side streets very well, but I can work out a route to substitute for the LFP until it's rideable again, so it's not like I'm stranded. In the grand scheme of things, where cars rule all, I accept my parasitic status.

At the same time - there's a street near my office where there was major water accumulation after a recent snow/ice/melt. It's basically just an access road that I happen to use to get into my office. The snow/ice/water was unrideable but not so deep that it'd be an issue for any car or truck. But the city's water management department was on top of it, clearing out a bunch of accumulated snow and ice and pumping out the water; after a soggy morning, it was clear by afternoon.

No one in this city would think for a minute it's acceptable to manage the snow and ice on a major north/south thoroughfare for cars in the way that they've managed it on the LFP. Not only have they never fully plowed the width of the trail on the southside, they've piled up the snow so that we're virtually assured of continuing ice problems until all the snow is gone. The nice folks at Burnham Harbor, for instance, have completely cleared their usually empty parking lot of snow by pushing it across the LFP (wrecking the pavement in the process) onto the lawn by McCormick Place. All of that snow is melting back across the LFP, meaning it's just ice on top of ice on top of major buckling in the pavement.

Like I said - I can take the streets. Tons of bike-commuters do that all the time, it's not a big deal. But the LFP was our highway. It's the difference between a 35-minute commute and an hour commute, between a fully protected route and a road-warrior one. And all the Parks department has to say about it is: "Exercise caution."


Mike Zumwalt said:

The City is over budget and the employees need a break I'm sure and unfortunately the LFP or the parks in general are a last priority.

Permalink Reply by Gene Tenner on February 22, 2014 at 3:11pm

Ahhhh .... my brother Bruce again.

Joe Guzzardo said: I also spotted this Gene impostor:

Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on February 22, 2014 at 3:34pm

Wow!  Look at all of those people in shorts, including Gene's brother, on a 30 something degree day!  Those are tough bike winter people.

Joe Guzzardo said:

 I also spotted this Gene impostor:

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