route suggestions - north <-> south side

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Permalink Reply by Duppie on February 4, 2011 at 5:00pm

Halsted Bridge will be closed through December of 2011

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Permalink Reply by MagMileMarauder on February 4, 2011 at 6:04pm

First take this detour to get across the river.

Take Halsted south to W. 26th St -> Turn Left

then 26th east to S. MLK Drive -> Turn Right

MLK Drive south to E. 33rd Pl (not Street) -> Turn Left

E. 33rd Pl east to S. Cottage Grove -> Turn Right

S. Cottage Grove south to E. 40th St. -> Turn Left

E. 40st one block to S. Drexel Blvd -> Turn Right

 

Then you can take S. Drexel, which is a nice calm ride south to Hyde Park.

In my 4 years of commuting from Humboldt Pk, and now Logan to Hyde Park, it's the safest route in my opinion.

Most of these streets have bike lanes, if that is comforting at all to you.

 

Any questions let me know!

 

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Permalink Reply by MagMileMarauder on February 4, 2011 at 6:46pm

I need to make one correction (in bold) for the route I just gave you

 

First take this detour to get across the river.

Take Halsted south to W. 26th St -> Turn Left

then 26th east to S. MLK Drive -> Turn Right

MLK Drive south to E. 33rd St  -> Turn Left -> quick right on S. Vernon -> and  left on E. 33rd Pl.

E. 33rd Pl east to S. Cottage Grove -> Turn Right

S. Cottage Grove south to E. 40th St. -> Turn Left

E. 40st one block to S. Drexel Blvd -> Turn Right

 

I know the directions at around E. 33rd St seem convoluted, but if you look at a map, you'll see why it is.

Also, I've ridden this route (except for the bridge detour part) today and it was in fairly decent conditions considering the storm. In the some portions, the bike lanes are covered with banks of snow, but for the most part you should have a good ride.

 

MagMileMarauder said:

First take this detour to get across the river.

Take Halsted south to W. 26th St -> Turn Left

then 26th east to S. MLK Drive -> Turn Right

MLK Drive south to E. 33rd Pl (not Street) -> Turn Left

E. 33rd Pl east to S. Cottage Grove -> Turn Right

S. Cottage Grove south to E. 40th St. -> Turn Left

E. 40st one block to S. Drexel Blvd -> Turn Right

 

Then you can take S. Drexel, which is a nice calm ride south to Hyde Park.

In my 4 years of commuting from Humboldt Pk, and now Logan to Hyde Park, it's the safest route in my opinion.

Most of these streets have bike lanes, if that is comforting at all to you.

 

Any questions let me know!

 

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Permalink Reply by Amy Y on February 4, 2011 at 7:09pm

Thanks MagMileMarauder!

One Question about Halstead - in my experience during rush hour especially evening Halsted can be a pain to navigate, due to taxi/bus/drunken pedestrians. Is there a good way to go about it? My north side departure/destination is at Halsted/Roscoe.

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Permalink Reply by MagMileMarauder on February 4, 2011 at 7:31pm

Tough Call on that one!

 

It seems like most of that area is quite cluttered with people, students, taxis, buses, etc (drunken or not) That includes most north/south streets like Clark, Broadway, Halsted, and Racine. Racine might be a little less busy, but the street is much more narrower than Halsted, making you more susceptible to dooring. Other than that, I'm not sure what to suggest, except ride slowly in the congested areas!:)

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Permalink Reply by Mike Zumwalt on February 4, 2011 at 8:19pm

This is true but they do have bike lanes and 15-25mph traffic is slower overall than you on bike. I've taken Halsted to Bridgeport and it's easy, though lights make for a stop and go ride, and if it gets bad out you can always bike-n-bus #8.

Amy Y said:

Thanks MagMileMarauder!

One Question about Halstead - in my experience during rush hour especially evening Halsted can be a pain to navigate, due to taxi/bus/drunken pedestrians. Is there a good way to go about it? My north side departure/destination is at Halsted/Roscoe.

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Permalink Reply by Steven Vance on February 5, 2011 at 11:32am

I would suggest Morgan (starting at Lake) instead of Racine. Before you take either, you must look at the map to know where each street gets interrupted and is impassable (like where Racine can't cross Goose Island or the Kennedy).

MagMileMarauder said:

Tough Call on that one!

 

It seems like most of that area is quite cluttered with people, students, taxis, buses, etc (drunken or not) That includes most north/south streets like Clark, Broadway, Halsted, and Racine. Racine might be a little less busy, but the street is much more narrower than Halsted, making you more susceptible to dooring. Other than that, I'm not sure what to suggest, except ride slowly in the congested areas!:)

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