Raised Bike Lanes in Chicago

Last spring, I got a Bicycling magazine that mentioned that Chicago had built raised bike lanes.  Here in Milwaukee, our bike planners are considering the idea and I'd like to find out from anybody that's used these lanes as to their benefits and drawbacks.  I'd like to know whether the City of Chicago has had any difficulty with street sweeping or snow clearance.  Because Milwaukee has a similar climate to Chicago, such information would be reliable in our decisions to build such a lane.

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Permalink Reply by Barry Niel Stuart on September 8, 2010 at 10:56am
I don't think it listed any streets.
Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on September 8, 2010 at 10:58am
Neither have I, but I've seen some colored bike lanes -like on Milwaukee Ave. heading downtown just before it crosses the Kennedy so that cars pulling right to jump on the onramp REALIZE there are bikes there and not to just drift over onto the bike lane a block early scattering bikes like bowling pins.

That is kind of a neat idea but I suppose it is just too expensive to do for the busybodies at the city. They just spent all their (make that our) money buying SUV's for all the cops.

Serge Lubomudrov said:
Hmmm . . . if the city has done anything of the sort, I haven't seen it.
Permalink Reply by Mike Zumwalt on September 8, 2010 at 3:27pm
On another site I saw a pic of bike lanes totally separate from cars with parking type barriers making it difficult or impossible for bikes and cars to mix.

Funny as I had a "Fuck you' moment with a car honking at me to move out of the way this morning because she was on her way to spend 45 minutes at 10mph on 90/94.
That part of the Milwaukee is wide enough to accommodate street parking, a bike lane, and 2 more cars as well as the additional 4 feet width that is standard in car lanes, but yet she felt the need to honk for me to move out of the way and ask why I was so stupid that I can't ride my bike where I was supposed to?
Permalink Reply by Samantha on September 8, 2010 at 3:49pm
I haven't seen any separated bike lanes O.o....
Permalink Reply by Active Transportation Alliance on September 9, 2010 at 3:43am
We don't believe that there are any raised bike lanes in Chicago currently. They are part of the Bike 2015 Plan but have not been implemented at this point. http://bike2015plan.org/

Specifically: http://bike2015plan.org/chapter1/chap1_obj3.html

Thanks,
Ethan, with Active Trans

Serge Lubomudrov said:
May be Active Trans guys know something?
Permalink Reply by Eduardo on September 9, 2010 at 4:32am
Do you mean the elevated bike path, Bloomingdale Trail? Here's an article from May 2009.

http://www.re-nest.com/re-nest/travel/chicago-rail-to-be-transforme...
Permalink Reply by David on September 9, 2010 at 4:40am
If I'm not mistaken, they were part of the Bike 2010 plan also.

In the Bike 2015 plan, the measure for raised lanes includes "Identify 3-5 potential locations by 2006". Does anyone know if this was done, and if so, what were the locations?

Active Transportation Alliance said:
We don't believe that there are any raised bike lanes in Chicago currently. They are part of the Bike 2015 Plan but have not been implemented at this point. http://bike2015plan.org/

Specifically: http://bike2015plan.org/chapter1/chap1_obj3.html

Thanks,
Ethan, with Active Trans

Serge Lubomudrov said:
May be Active Trans guys know something?
Permalink Reply by Chucko on September 9, 2010 at 7:18am
If I recall correctly that article was more about the ideas that Chicago was floating for the citywide bike plan. At some point Daley and some others looked to ideas from Europe. I think they were also looking at lights timed to bike speeds, bike lanes that are inside rows of parked cars, and painted lanes.
Permalink Reply by Barry Niel Stuart on September 9, 2010 at 7:32am
No, I was referring to elevated bike lanes on the city streets. If the idea works in Chicago, other cities like Milwaukee would be prone to giving it a try.

Eduardo Acosta said:
Do you mean the elevated bike path, Bloomingdale Trail? Here's an article from May 2009.

http://www.re-nest.com/re-nest/travel/chicago-rail-to-be-transforme...
Permalink Reply by BalloonBiker on September 9, 2010 at 7:49am
I feel like I remember riding on some lanes like that in Madison. At the very least Madison had seperated bike lanes around the university. Madison also has lights in the downtown area just for bikes, plus exceptions on one way streets for cyclists...not to mention a ton of off street bike trails. I think that would be a better inspiration than Chicago.
Permalink Reply by Barry Niel Stuart on September 9, 2010 at 7:55am
These lanes aren't separated by a barrier, but they're raised a few inches higher than the car lanes.

Samantha said:
I haven't seen any separated bike lanes O.o....
Permalink Reply by mindfrieze on September 9, 2010 at 8:12am
I believe the only raised bike lanes installed in the U.S. are in Bend, OR and Eugene, OR. For a little more info, see the case study on the Eugene installation.

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