Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by vxla on July 22, 2009 at 4:45pm

There's a group of OP commuters (the OPACC group on Yahoo! groups) that can give you route suggestions, etc. I used to commute down Lake Street, but there's other routes (Logan west winding around to crossing Grand and going south down Austin, taking Diversey east or west, Augusta, etc.).

Overall it's not too bad, especially during normal commuting hours. Late at night I've had a few things yelled, but not much else. The [retracted] Cycle Club* will tell you horror stories, but I highly recommend not giving those stories much attention.

good luck!

* - I'm sure you'll figure out what that certain club is sometime.

Permalink Reply by vxla on July 22, 2009 at 4:48pm

Hmm, I dunno why that posted twice or why I can't edit my post.

Anyway - I should have mentioned that the only issue I've ever had with OP is that it is kinda "far" in terms of a bike commute. I've always liked a bike commute that's under 30 minutes (because it turns into 45 or 50 minutes in the winter during snow or heavy winds), but with all the traffic on Lake Street in the morning and several indirect routes (Lake -> California -> Fulton -> Oakley -> Grand) are quite bumpy. Augusta isn't so bad compared to that.

Permalink Reply by Jared on July 22, 2009 at 6:00pm

I was mugged in Oak Park for all of $10. I was probably just in the wrong place in the wrong time. I was sort of glad it happened in what I considered a "safe" neighborhood in so that I'm aware it can happen anywhere. I'd imagine being on a bike may make you somewhat safer than walking, not that you'd be walking the route anyways.

Permalink Reply by Karlis Kandero on July 22, 2009 at 7:18pm

Kids with rocks. I used to have to bomb down west lake street late night. I learned never to bike past an empty lot just before an overhead green line train. Kids would be ready with handfulls of rocks for the train but they'd switch targets to me real quick!

Permalink Reply by dav on July 23, 2009 at 12:54am

I would suggest trying your commute route in a car to gauge the neighborhood, then follow what your gut tells you. That way you will know what the neighborhood is like after dark.
I rode Augusta from the city through Oak Park a couple of times this summer. Other than a few hollers about my bright vest and dorky helmet the rides were without incident.

Permalink Reply by on2wheels on July 23, 2009 at 2:56am

I occasionally commute from oak park to the city, I own a condo on the southern end near 290. I have ridden in on Augusta, Washington, Lake and All the way up to armitage. Armitage was the best neighborhoods, Augusta was pretty bad and Lake was hit and miss. I like washington the best - a minimal amount of bars and liquor stores as hangouts. Also it is one way so you can move across lanes without worrying about oncoming traffic.

That said, as a general rule I stay away from between Western and Austin when it is dark. Augusta is the border of oak park, and you will find that each side of it is night and day - houses, trees, people, streets etc... I may be overly safe - but it is a personal choice. I have only been harassed once on augusta by someone running out into the road. They could have easily knocked me down. Now when I see a group of kids/people I try to take the lane and put distance between.

I wish I could be a badass and whip out a ulock/wrench at the first sign of trouble, but like most of us, I am not that kind of person.

But there is strength in numbers, and if you are riding in a group I think you have an exponentially better chance of not getting harassed.

Permalink Reply by heather s on July 23, 2009 at 3:51am

I used to live in Logan Square and felt perfectly safe most of the time, and I think that doing something such as avoiding anywhere from Western to Austin sounds a bit drastic... that's a lot of the city! But I myself would probably avoid, say, Homan to Austin after dark. I lived in La Grange a few years ago and rode through Oak Park (I tried Washington, Madison, Lake, Augusta, and Division at various times) on my way to work in the city, but if I couldn't make it before nighttime I would just take the green line from California to Oak Park and keep riding from there. I hate to stereotype entire neighborhoods and everyone who lives there based on a few bad experiences with a few individuals, but I care about keeping myself out of danger. I have had things thrown at me (rocks, and water balloons are popular in the summer), people lunging at me as if to knock me off, and I also feel that people pass too closely and don't yield at stop signs as much as they might in other areas where there are more cyclists. All of those things have ALSO happened in other areas, including the blocks around where I live. It takes many incidents to form a pattern of behaviour.

If you decide to do this, I also think that Washington heading east is pretty good. The bike lane is wide and you can pick up a lot of speed and get home fairly quickly. I don't recommend Lake Street at all. I usually end up taking Division, but that's a bit farther north from where you work so might not be very convenient. Also I would consider how late you'll be coming home--particularly in the winter, 6pm dark is different than 11pm dark.

Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on July 23, 2009 at 4:50am

Logan Square is a bad neighborhood?

Who knew...

Most of the advice given is good, learn the area and use good judgment on where to ride; remember that in a dense urban area 2 blocks one way or the pother can make all the difference.

But more then any of the other advice is this: Pay attention to your surroundings and look at things with a wary eye. When I ride at night in areas that are not the best, and even those that are better, I keep an eye out for groups near the road and people who look rowdy and react/prepare accordingly. Maybe I am profiling and judging but it keeps me feeling safe so I'm OK with that...

Cary mace, and not in your bag, but somewhere you can get to it.

Permalink Reply by LesYpersound on July 23, 2009 at 6:30am

It's an odd feeling seeing the neighborhood/s I grew up in called "bad" while gentrification is creeping in more and more every month and i occasionally get looked at sideways by the white people moving in as if these neighborhoods aren't where i belong. yeah yeah chainlink isn't my livejournal...

Anyway--on2wheels, great advice. I also prefer those wide one-way west side streets.

Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on July 23, 2009 at 6:41am

There are some great points in here. I don't commute that way, so I can afford to be less direct. When I ride to Oak Park or thereabouts I usually take 16th street if I'm south, or stay north of Division or so if I'm north.

The only actual bad experiences I've had riding through the west side have been close calls with careless or indifferent drivers. I don't think enough bikes pass through there to keep drivers aware of our existence.

Oh, and I was profiled by the CPD two years ago this week. I was riding through North Lawndale or perhaps East Garfield Park on some residential streets. I saw some police activity and as I'm passing by I'm flagged down by one of of the police. I spend the next twenty minutes being searched and interrogated. Apparently white people only pass through that neighborhood to get drugs. I was pretty unhappy at the time as you might imagine. I had no drugs on me, but I could have had several pounds of anything in my panniers which the police never bothered to examine.

heather stratton said:

I used to live in Logan Square and felt perfectly safe most of the time, and I think that doing something such as avoiding anywhere from Western to Austin sounds a bit drastic... that's a lot of the city! But I myself would probably avoid, say, Homan to Austin after dark. I lived in La Grange a few years ago and rode through Oak Park (I tried Washington, Madison, Lake, Augusta, and Division at various times) on my way to work in the city, but if I couldn't make it before nighttime I would just take the green line from California to Oak Park and keep riding from there. I hate to stereotype entire neighborhoods and everyone who lives there based on a few bad experiences with a few individuals, but I care about keeping myself out of danger. I have had things thrown at me (rocks, and water balloons are popular in the summer), people lunging at me as if to knock me off, and I also feel that people pass too closely and don't yield at stop signs as much as they might in other areas where there are more cyclists. All of those things have ALSO happened in other areas, including the blocks around where I live. It takes many incidents to form a pattern of behaviour.
If you decide to do this, I also think that Washington heading east is pretty good. The bike lane is wide and you can pick up a lot of speed and get home fairly quickly. I don't recommend Lake Street at all. I usually end up taking Division, but that's a bit farther north from where you work so might not be very convenient. Also I would consider how late you'll be coming home--particularly in the winter, 6pm dark is different than 11pm dark.

Permalink Reply by Erin on July 23, 2009 at 11:06am

Thanks to everyone for the great advice on routes; very helpful! And for the record, I did not say that either Logan Square or Humboldt Park were "bad" neighborhoods--I actually live in Logan Square and love it--I referred to recent threads about bicyclists who were injured in neighborhoods that could be viewed as potentially dangerous (e.g., recent thread about the guy who was attacked on the Diversey bridge by the Lathrop homes, which I believe is Logan Square). I'm not casting aspersions on any neighborhood, just trying to be safe as I bike from one to another. Again, thanks for the input and advice!