Kinzie. It's what's next.

Hopefully you've heard by now that CDOT will begin construction this week on the city's first protected bike lane: Kinzie Street from Milwaukee Avenue/Desplaines Street to Wells Street. 

 

Full story on Steven Can Plan. 

 

I want to know what you think about this.

  • What do you feel will need special attention?
  • Is this the right or wrong location for such a facility? Why?
  • Are you going to thank/congratulate Rahm, Gabe, and the CDOT Bicycle Program?
  • Will you use it?

 

Cycle track and protected bike lane naysayers, this isn't the post for you. But if you've ridden in protected bike lanes before, then I welcome your constructive comments and criticism based on your actual experiences. 

Big intersection

The new beginning. Looking southeast at the intersection of Kinzie/Milwaukee/Desplaines. 

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Permalink Reply by David on January 3, 2012 at 2:24am

I'm one of the riders who has shifted to riding Kinzie quite a bit.  However, that's pretty much 100% due to the plates over the bridge and has nothing to due with the protected bike lane.  If the bridge grating at Chicago or Grand were covered in the bike lane, I'd go right back to riding Kinzie just once in a blue moon.    I've loved PBL's in other cities but am kind of ambivalent about the Kinzie implementation.  But I really, really hate the bridge gratings.

I'm just a single data point, but I'm really curious how common my experience is.  This is really important stuff because it's not just building a network that's important, it's actually understanding what makes people feel safer.   A bike route only feels as safe as the most dangerous link in the route.   CDOT has a long history of building bike routes with really scary intersections interspersed (think Damen-Elston), which really defeats most of the purpose of the bike lane. 

Steven Vance said:

Even if Kinzie has "stolen" riders from Grand, Lake, Washington, or another street, it's shown the attractiveness of what people think is a place that is safer and more comfortable to ride. One segment on one route where many people don't need to go won't be enough to build cycling numbers. A network will do that. 


Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on January 3, 2012 at 2:52am

It is interesting what different riders feel are more important regarding what makes a route good.

For me the bridge plates are a non-issue. I really don't care about the plates and would actually prefer the bare grid over steel plates -although the new fiberglass ones are much better.  The steel plates are crap as far as I'm concerned as they are slippery in the dew of the morning and tend to collect condensation quite a bit over the river with the moisture below and being colder than the surrounding air at times.    The bare grate might be funny-feeling but if one lessens up the death-grip on the bars and lets the bike's fork geometry of rake & trail do its thing (assuming no faulty headset bearing issues) it's a non-issue.  Then again I run 26" wheels with 1.9" wide tires.   If I ran skinny 700's or 27's I would probably be singing a different tune.  

I am also a high-mileage motorcyclist and learned to deal with bridge grates in the 70's so the mystery of dealing with them is long-solved for me.  IMHO they aren't much different on a well-maintained bicycle with non-ridiculous tire choices. 

What bothered me most about Kinzie before was the fact that it was an unmarked "multi"-lane free-for-all before without any delineation paint lane markings. Cars were constantly overtaking slower cars on the outside and cabs would just dart on and off the road to drop off or pick up fares.  The definition of where lanes started and stopped were pretty much negotiated by traffic as they went along.  Negotion for lane position between two 2500lb cars is one thing.  Negotiations between a 2500lb car and a lightweight rider who isn't in a steel cage is a bit one-sided.  This was perceived as very unsafe for me.

It felt like I was riding on a billiard table with a bunch of randomly moving balls and hoping one wouldn't bounce over against the bumper where I was riding or just scream by passing other traffic and buzzing me.    This whole thing was even worse at the pinch-point of the bridge where more-or-less 3 lanes of crazy traffic at times would attempt to cram into a slim 2 and bikes were pretty much left to fend for themselves against the outside trusses.  You could see the scars of where cars and trucks have slid by the steel on the bridge and would contemplate how it would feel to get between that rock and a hard place. 

No thanks.  I took the route only rarely and only when there was very light traffic.  I always found a different way where there was room to live.

I'm one of those folks who used to take a different route (the few times I am down there as I pretty much avoid going downtown if I can help it) but now I'm all for using the resource of Kinzie when it fits into my route.  

David said:

I'm one of the riders who has shifted to riding Kinzie quite a bit.  However, that's pretty much 100% due to the plates over the bridge and has nothing to due with the protected bike lane.  If the bridge grating at Chicago or Grand were covered in the bike lane, I'd go right back to riding Kinzie just once in a blue moon.    I've loved PBL's in other cities but am kind of ambivalent about the Kinzie implementation.  But I really, really hate the bridge gratings.

I'm just a single data point, but I'm really curious how common my experience is.  This is really important stuff because it's not just building a network that's important, it's actually understanding what makes people feel safer.   A bike route only feels as safe as the most dangerous link in the route.   CDOT has a long history of building bike routes with really scary intersections interspersed (think Damen-Elston), which really defeats most of the purpose of the bike lane. 

Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on January 3, 2012 at 5:02am

@ 9:30 am: slippery mess.

Cameron Puetz said:

Similar conditions still this morning. I hope this isn't a sign of what winter in the protected lanes means. Looks like I'll be shifting my commute back to Washington.



Mike Zumwalt said:

Only halfway salted or cleared today. But if it wasn't bad enough to ride out of the painted bike lane now we need to ride out of the "protected" lane past parked cars in the only remaining lane meant for cars.

FAIL.

Permalink Reply by Trachea on January 3, 2012 at 9:30am

I was walking over Kinzie bridge at approximately 12:45pm today behind the truck that was salting bike lanes. Basically it's a guy in the back of S&S truck flinging salt from a shovel in regular intervals onto the bridge grate covers. Looks like they were covering both east & westbound lanes.

Permalink Reply by Davo on January 3, 2012 at 10:38am

Its nice to see some people who used to live in Nebraska here. I didn't live in Lincoln when they put the "Middle of the road bike lanes" in but when I heard about it and saw them, I thought they were pretty dumb. I hope they go ahead with the prtected lane plan.

Jeff Schneider said:

The older part of the city of Lincoln has a compact grid street pattern, with quiet streets (good for biking) running parallel to most major arterials.  Growing up in Lincoln, I was able to bike everywhere I needed to go.

Unfortunately, the grid was abandoned in later developments.  There, as in most suburbs, all through traffic is forced onto major arterials.  At the same time, a really impressive system of bike trails was constructed.  For recreation, it's fine, but it isn't extensive enough to compensate for the loss of the grid.

It's nice to see some people in Lincoln remembering that bikes can be used for transportation as well as recreation.  Maybe someday the city will again be as inviting for cycling as it once was.

 

 
Daniel G said:

Uh-oh. Lincoln, Nebraska is just a few city-planning committees away from tying Chicago for number of protected lanes. 

http://journalstar.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/city-considerin...

Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on January 4, 2012 at 2:59pm

I've never had a problem with metal grated bridges. They make me a bit nervous in wet/snowy weather as the back tire occasionally slides around a bit, but I've never fallen on one or lost control. 

And in salt news: 

Rode over the 18th St bridge today. There was so much salt on the protected bike lane that I could not see the bike lane markings.


David said:

I'm one of the riders who has shifted to riding Kinzie quite a bit.  However, that's pretty much 100% due to the plates over the bridge and has nothing to due with the protected bike lane.  If the bridge grating at Chicago or Grand were covered in the bike lane, I'd go right back to riding Kinzie just once in a blue moon.    I've loved PBL's in other cities but am kind of ambivalent about the Kinzie implementation.  But I really, really hate the bridge gratings.

I'm just a single data point, but I'm really curious how common my experience is.  This is really important stuff because it's not just building a network that's important, it's actually understanding what makes people feel safer.   A bike route only feels as safe as the most dangerous link in the route.   CDOT has a long history of building bike routes with really scary intersections interspersed (think Damen-Elston), which really defeats most of the purpose of the bike lane. 

Steven Vance said:

Even if Kinzie has "stolen" riders from Grand, Lake, Washington, or another street, it's shown the attractiveness of what people think is a place that is safer and more comfortable to ride. One segment on one route where many people don't need to go won't be enough to build cycling numbers. A network will do that. 


Permalink Reply by David on January 4, 2012 at 3:40pm

Well, when I say I hate them, I must admit I've never fallen on one either, and I'm a world class klutz.  

I probably have much the same "make me a bit nervous in web/snowy weather" reaction that you do, but right now that's enough to make me change my route.   Related to this is the fact that a) I have thinner tires this year, and b) the Chicago Ave. bridge has become completely insane since Halsted closed.

Tony Adams said:

I've never had a problem with metal grated bridges. They make me a bit nervous in wet/snowy weather as the back tire occasionally slides around a bit, but I've never fallen on one or lost control. 

Permalink Reply by Brendan Kevenides on January 5, 2012 at 4:04am

And here's a Flood Brothers garbage truck parked in the westbound Kinzie bike lane yesterday at 4:30 p.m.

Permalink Reply by Mark on January 5, 2012 at 4:45am

Nice driving!!  Looks like they need move the barriers a couple inches closer to the curb;)

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on January 5, 2012 at 5:32am

Might as well just be driving on the sidewalk...

Permalink Reply by Mike Zumwalt on January 5, 2012 at 6:41am

People from Salt Lake city came to look at it.

Detroit's closing it's underground salt mines and cleaning the Chicago streets for it's supply.

The Morton factory has stopped production and opened a recycling center.

Jeff Schneider said:

There is an insane amount of salt on Kinzie tonight. It's like riding on a beach.
Permalink Reply by Juan 2-3 or more mi. on January 22, 2012 at 11:21am

Thank you pizza delivery! I guess I should have ridden the sidewalk, it was much more ridable anyways!

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