You should LIKE Bikes on the Ike - Let's get a dedicated bike path on the redevelopment of I290

Please LIKE Bikes on the Ike. http://on.fb.me/iWODGl 

 

As many of you may know (or not know), the Eisenhower Expressway is getting a complete makeover.  The planning commission is looking for ideas to better the congestion.  One leading suggestion is to just add another lane.  Really?  Another lane?  And they think that will help ease congestion.  We think it will just add more cars.


Let's all band together to try and get a dedicated bike lane in and out of the City on the Eisenhower (1-290).  Once these improvements are made, so be Chicago for the next 100 years or so.  Let's be the progressive, forward-thinking, sustainable City we know we can be.  Let's be a model City for the entire country. 

 

Join the cause, call and email your local officials, Rahm Emanuel, the Dept of Transportation.  You can find out specific names and addresses on the Facebook Fan Page. 

 

Please LIKE Bikes on the Ike.  Do so at http://on.fb.me/iWODGl and please spread the word.

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Permalink Reply by Duppie on May 20, 2011 at 6:36am
Sorry. I shall make amends....

H3N3 said:

You've been told to like this plan.

You've refused to do so.

Your words ring hollow, "Duppie."

Clearly you are a mortal enemy of improving bicycle infrastructure.

Duppie said:

It's an interesting assumption, people commuting long distance by bike. I also think it is highly unrealistic that this would attract enough riders to make it worth the investment.

 

The commute from let's say Elmhurst to downtown is 17-18 miles. Realistically that would take a experienced commuter a minimum of 1.5 hours (including changing clothes), more likely 2 hours. You can travel that distance on Metra in half the time or less. I doubt that there are more than a few people willing to make that trek by bike on a daily basis.


I'm all for improving bicycling infrastructure, but let's be real about where we can make improvements: people commuting shorter distances (3-7 miles?) and people running errands in their neighborhood or the next neighborhood over. That is where we can make big gains in changing the mode share. Not in long distance commuting.


Davo said:

"TRR" +1

I think bike lanes down/around/neer I190 wound be a great Idea. There are talks for a section of LSD to have something like this. Whats the difference? The idea would be for long commuter lanes so people riding in from the burbs or far west of town would streight trhoughfare and not have to navagate side roads.  IMO it is a "Field of Dreams" scenario: If you build it, cyclists will use it.

Permalink Reply by Duppie on May 20, 2011 at 7:14am

Bobby,

Do you have a link that details the impact of the rail-to-trail conversion? I'd be interested to see some numbers around the increase in long-distance commuting.

 


Bobby's Bike Hike- Chicago Tours said:

Minneapolis and Portland have successfully implemented rails-to-trails and their program has proven commuters will choose to ride long distances as long as it's set up properly. 

 

Duppie said:

It's an interesting assumption, people commuting long distance by bike. I also think it is highly unrealistic that this would attract enough riders to make it worth the investment.

 

The commute from let's say Elmhurst to downtown is 17-18 miles. Realistically that would take a experienced commuter a minimum of 1.5 hours (including changing clothes), more likely 2 hours. You can travel that distance on Metra in half the time or less. I doubt that there are more than a few people willing to make that trek by bike on a daily basis.


I'm all for improving bicycling infrastructure, but let's be real about where we can make improvements: people commuting shorter distances (3-7 miles?) and people running errands in their neighborhood or the next neighborhood over. That is where we can make big gains in changing the mode share. Not in long distance commuting.


Davo said:

"TRR" +1

I think bike lanes down/around/neer I190 wound be a great Idea. There are talks for a section of LSD to have something like this. Whats the difference? The idea would be for long commuter lanes so people riding in from the burbs or far west of town would streight trhoughfare and not have to navagate side roads.  IMO it is a "Field of Dreams" scenario: If you build it, cyclists will use it.

Permalink Reply by Bobby's Bike Hike- Chicago Tours on May 20, 2011 at 7:55am

We witnessed first hand on a few recent visits to the Twin Cities.  The western suburbs of Minneapolis to the downtown had a tremendous amount of bike traffic and ridership.  We counted hundreds of bicyclists commuting each morning via bicycle, and one of their trails is right next to I-94.  The trail extends some 15 miles west from the City.  Again, though, we're not generalizing long rides for our stance, we just want to see a multi-use corridor for cars, cta, and bikes.

 

I can give you one quick article i found, i can dig up more later today.  We're too busy now with people wanting to take bike tours today, taking advantage of the weather. 

 

http://www.mndaily.com/2011/03/24/minneapolis-add-vast-bike-trails 

 

 


Duppie said:

Bobby,

Do you have a link that details the impact of the rail-to-trail conversion? I'd be interested to see some numbers around the increase in long-distance commuting.

 


Bobby's Bike Hike- Chicago Tours said:

Minneapolis and Portland have successfully implemented rails-to-trails and their program has proven commuters will choose to ride long distances as long as it's set up properly. 

 

Duppie said:

It's an interesting assumption, people commuting long distance by bike. I also think it is highly unrealistic that this would attract enough riders to make it worth the investment.

 

The commute from let's say Elmhurst to downtown is 17-18 miles. Realistically that would take a experienced commuter a minimum of 1.5 hours (including changing clothes), more likely 2 hours. You can travel that distance on Metra in half the time or less. I doubt that there are more than a few people willing to make that trek by bike on a daily basis.


I'm all for improving bicycling infrastructure, but let's be real about where we can make improvements: people commuting shorter distances (3-7 miles?) and people running errands in their neighborhood or the next neighborhood over. That is where we can make big gains in changing the mode share. Not in long distance commuting.


Davo said:

"TRR" +1

I think bike lanes down/around/neer I190 wound be a great Idea. There are talks for a section of LSD to have something like this. Whats the difference? The idea would be for long commuter lanes so people riding in from the burbs or far west of town would streight trhoughfare and not have to navagate side roads.  IMO it is a "Field of Dreams" scenario: If you build it, cyclists will use it.

Permalink Reply by Kelly on May 25, 2011 at 4:57am

When I lived in China they actually had pedestrian sidewalks next to the lanes of the highway. There was a concrete wall about 5ft tall and then some sort of plexiglass wall making the barriar well over 9ft total. The plexiglass cut down on the wind effect and some of the noise. The air pollution there is horrible so I'm not sure if cyclists in Chicago would be affected or not.

Not the ideal situation, but a designated lane was nice to have.

 

2cents

Permalink Reply by Adam "Cezar" Jenkins on May 25, 2011 at 7:35am
Not everyone commutes into downtown. A bike path almost anywhere will increase ridership. Many services are right off express ways.
Permalink Reply by Chris Hainey on May 25, 2011 at 8:34am
If you've ever had to sit at a standstill on the Ike during either the morning or afternoon rush, you've probably encountered the numerous Cook County Sheriff's police cars using the shoulder as an express lane to the 1st Avenue exit in Maywood. I'd bet a bike rider starting from either the Junction downtown or the Strangler in Hillside could make it to the opposite end by using the shoulder faster than any car in the traffic lanes. Arriving alive might be a problem...
Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on May 25, 2011 at 8:39am
I love the smell of sarcasm in the morning.  ;)

Bobby's Bike Hike- Chicago Tours said:

Hilarious!  LOVE IT!



H3N3 said:

I disagree.  Adding lanes has been shown to alleviate congestion on major arteries.  

Sometimes the benefit even lasts well beyond the first week after reopening, into the second.

Peenworm Grubologist said:

What's funny is lane addition to alleviate congestion is something they've been trying since expressways were invented and it never, ever works. Then they start reaching peak lanes and the fluid dynamics of cars having to move across so many lanes starts making traffic worse all by itself.

 

I don't think anyone needs to be so literal-minded as to assume this means the lane is necessarily on the expressway itself with no barrier between car and bike, don't be silly. This could be excellent.

Permalink Reply by Mark Kenseth on May 25, 2011 at 2:59pm
Read up on Anthony Downs' "Triple Convergence Theory". 

H3N3 said:

I disagree.  Adding lanes has been shown to alleviate congestion on major arteries.  

Sometimes the benefit even lasts well beyond the first week after reopening, into the second.

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