Are bikes getting squeezed out of the Humboldt Park road diet? on VWYF
http://votewithyourfeetchicago.blogspot.com/2010/10/tale-of-two-roa...
This week Vote With Your Feet looks at two of the city's upcoming "road diet"
projects which aim to beef up safety by slimming down streets. A streetscape project
in Lincoln Square serves up a nice slice of the roadway for bicyclists, but will cyclists
in Humboldt Park get their piece of the pie?
Keep on biking, walking and transit-ing,
John Greenfield
A Tale of Two Road Diets
New “road diets” aim to beef up safety by slimming down streets, but will bicyclists get their piece of the pie?
by John Greenfield
[This article also appears in Time Out Chicago magazine, www.timeoutchicago.com.]
Cities across the country are seeking to improve safety through the so-called road diet—narrowing or removing street lanes to calm traffic and create more space for pedestrians and bicyclists. “A major benefit is reducing vehicle speeds and focusing attention on the other public-way uses,” says Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) spokesman Brian Steele.
Now the city is planning to give Lawrence Avenue in Lincoln Square and Humboldt Drive through Humboldt Park a traffic tummy tuck. “It’s a shift in the way [the city is] thinking about streets,” says Active Transportation Alliance’s Adolfo Hernandez. “The aldermen for both projects have been very supportive. Taking away a lane of traffic is not easy to do—it takes political will.”
The $12 million Lawrence streetscape project, tentatively scheduled to start next year, stretches between Western and Ashland Avenues and will slim the avenue from its current four travel lanes to one lane in each direction with a center turn lane, Steele says. This “four-to-three conversion” will provide space for wider sidewalks, curb bump-outs, pedestrian refuge islands and new bike lanes.
The streetscape also will provide more space for sidewalk cafés and make it easier to pedal to the lake, says Dan Luna, 47th Ward chief of staff. “Lots of people have been contacting our offices requesting safer bike routes,” he says.
Eric Holm, manager of On the Route Bicycles (2338 W Lawrence Ave), applauds the change. “Lawrence is pretty intimidating for beginning riders,” he says. “Adding bike lanes means more people will be riding past our store and shopping here.”
The Humboldt Park road diet is proving to be a bit more controversial. Since August 23, CDOT has been working on Humboldt Drive from North Avenue to Division Street, the high-speed roadway dividing Humboldt Park. It temporarily changes the four-lane street into two travel lanes with a center lane used as a combination left-turn lane and pedestrian refuge area, using orange traffic barrels to keep moving cars out of the center lane. After CDOT analyzes the effects on traffic speed and behavior, Steele says, the changes may become permanent next year.
Roberto Maldonado, 26th Ward alderman, helped push for the project after his office received many complaints about speeding traffic and difficulty crossing the street, says Maldonado’s chief of staff, Kathleen Oskandy. “A lot of them were from young moms with baby strollers,” she says. Although residents proposed adding stoplights, stop signs and speed humps, Oskandy says federal constraints on the historic boulevard limited those options.
Not everyone is enthusiastic about the experimental setup, which, unlike the Lawrence road diet, does not include the addition of bike lanes. Oskandy says there was initial talk of including them, “but the first plan of attack was to slow down the traffic, so bike lanes might have added to the confusion.”
Drivers we talked to felt comfortable with the new configuration, but cyclists didn’t. During a half-hour period on a recent Tuesday afternoon, a handful pedaled on the asphalt paths that run parallel to Humboldt Drive, but no one attempted to ride in the newly slimmed street. “I’m a little afraid to bike in the street now,” said Jim Stablein, 58. “Cars can’t squeeze by you.”
Although the city-issued Chicago Bike Map designated this segment of Humboldt Drive for years as a cycling-friendly street, CDOT removed it from this year’s edition, recommending a stretch of nearby Kedzie Avenue as the safer route. As a result, the two-mile stretch of Humboldt (called Sacramento Boulevard south of the park) between Armitage Avenue and Franklin Boulevard is virtually the only segment of Chicago's 28-mile historic boulevard system that is not recommended as a bike route. Since Humbolt is no longer a recommended route, it's not under consideration for bike lanes, says CDOT bikeways engineer David Gleason.
That’s unfortunate, says Todd Gee, president of the nonprofit alt-transportation org Break the Gridlock. “The new travel lanes aren’t wide enough for cars to safely pass bicyclists. It’s fantastic they’re doing something about speeding and making it more pedestrian friendly, but it’s disappointing that they’re not accommodating bikes.”
Ash Lottes, who takes her son to pre-school by bike via the park, says she met with Maldonado on September 21 to discuss the possibility of adding bike lanes and sidewalks along Humboldt. She provided the alderman with blueprints for alternate street configurations that would include bike lanes.
“He told me that he has no intention of adding a bicycle lane or any other accouterments on that stretch because ‘the road is too dangerous for pedestrians,’” she says. Lottes recently posted on the local bike website thechainlink.org, asking members to lobby Maldonado for bike lanes on Humboldt. “To me the road seems too dangerous for pedestrians because there are no sidewalks, crosswalks or bike lanes.”
This week Vote With Your Feet looks at two of the city's upcoming "road diet"
projects which aim to beef up safety by slimming down streets. A streetscape project
in Lincoln Square serves up a nice slice of the roadway for bicyclists, but will cyclists
in Humboldt Park get their piece of the pie?
Keep on biking, walking and transit-ing,
John Greenfield
A Tale of Two Road Diets
New “road diets” aim to beef up safety by slimming down streets, but will bicyclists get their piece of the pie?
by John Greenfield
[This article also appears in Time Out Chicago magazine, www.timeoutchicago.com.]
Cities across the country are seeking to improve safety through the so-called road diet—narrowing or removing street lanes to calm traffic and create more space for pedestrians and bicyclists. “A major benefit is reducing vehicle speeds and focusing attention on the other public-way uses,” says Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) spokesman Brian Steele.
Now the city is planning to give Lawrence Avenue in Lincoln Square and Humboldt Drive through Humboldt Park a traffic tummy tuck. “It’s a shift in the way [the city is] thinking about streets,” says Active Transportation Alliance’s Adolfo Hernandez. “The aldermen for both projects have been very supportive. Taking away a lane of traffic is not easy to do—it takes political will.”
The $12 million Lawrence streetscape project, tentatively scheduled to start next year, stretches between Western and Ashland Avenues and will slim the avenue from its current four travel lanes to one lane in each direction with a center turn lane, Steele says. This “four-to-three conversion” will provide space for wider sidewalks, curb bump-outs, pedestrian refuge islands and new bike lanes.
The streetscape also will provide more space for sidewalk cafés and make it easier to pedal to the lake, says Dan Luna, 47th Ward chief of staff. “Lots of people have been contacting our offices requesting safer bike routes,” he says.
Eric Holm, manager of On the Route Bicycles (2338 W Lawrence Ave), applauds the change. “Lawrence is pretty intimidating for beginning riders,” he says. “Adding bike lanes means more people will be riding past our store and shopping here.”
The Humboldt Park road diet is proving to be a bit more controversial. Since August 23, CDOT has been working on Humboldt Drive from North Avenue to Division Street, the high-speed roadway dividing Humboldt Park. It temporarily changes the four-lane street into two travel lanes with a center lane used as a combination left-turn lane and pedestrian refuge area, using orange traffic barrels to keep moving cars out of the center lane. After CDOT analyzes the effects on traffic speed and behavior, Steele says, the changes may become permanent next year.
Roberto Maldonado, 26th Ward alderman, helped push for the project after his office received many complaints about speeding traffic and difficulty crossing the street, says Maldonado’s chief of staff, Kathleen Oskandy. “A lot of them were from young moms with baby strollers,” she says. Although residents proposed adding stoplights, stop signs and speed humps, Oskandy says federal constraints on the historic boulevard limited those options.
Not everyone is enthusiastic about the experimental setup, which, unlike the Lawrence road diet, does not include the addition of bike lanes. Oskandy says there was initial talk of including them, “but the first plan of attack was to slow down the traffic, so bike lanes might have added to the confusion.”
Drivers we talked to felt comfortable with the new configuration, but cyclists didn’t. During a half-hour period on a recent Tuesday afternoon, a handful pedaled on the asphalt paths that run parallel to Humboldt Drive, but no one attempted to ride in the newly slimmed street. “I’m a little afraid to bike in the street now,” said Jim Stablein, 58. “Cars can’t squeeze by you.”
Although the city-issued Chicago Bike Map designated this segment of Humboldt Drive for years as a cycling-friendly street, CDOT removed it from this year’s edition, recommending a stretch of nearby Kedzie Avenue as the safer route. As a result, the two-mile stretch of Humboldt (called Sacramento Boulevard south of the park) between Armitage Avenue and Franklin Boulevard is virtually the only segment of Chicago's 28-mile historic boulevard system that is not recommended as a bike route. Since Humbolt is no longer a recommended route, it's not under consideration for bike lanes, says CDOT bikeways engineer David Gleason.
That’s unfortunate, says Todd Gee, president of the nonprofit alt-transportation org Break the Gridlock. “The new travel lanes aren’t wide enough for cars to safely pass bicyclists. It’s fantastic they’re doing something about speeding and making it more pedestrian friendly, but it’s disappointing that they’re not accommodating bikes.”
Ash Lottes, who takes her son to pre-school by bike via the park, says she met with Maldonado on September 21 to discuss the possibility of adding bike lanes and sidewalks along Humboldt. She provided the alderman with blueprints for alternate street configurations that would include bike lanes.
“He told me that he has no intention of adding a bicycle lane or any other accouterments on that stretch because ‘the road is too dangerous for pedestrians,’” she says. Lottes recently posted on the local bike website thechainlink.org, asking members to lobby Maldonado for bike lanes on Humboldt. “To me the road seems too dangerous for pedestrians because there are no sidewalks, crosswalks or bike lanes.”
Views: 158
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Gin on
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Well said, Mark! I emailed Geoffrey Baer about this. Have not heard back. (which I understand, of course ;-)
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Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on
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I absolutely agree. I'm glad to hear that the alderman is interested in the issue and that Active Trans is on the case. If Geoffrey Baer is interested in helping the cause, that would be even better.
Mark said:Creating bike lanes on the entire boulevard system can be relatively inexpensive and quick to implement, especially compared to long-term projects like the Bloomingdale Trail and the Navy Pier flyover. All of these projects are important and we should all advocate for all of them. The boulevards were designed for all citizens to enjoy the greenery, not to become mini-expressways used exclusively by cars. The extra capacity of 2-3 lanes adds to the high and unsafe speeds. Bike lanes can be a win-win solution to calm traffic while allowing more users to enjoy our nation's oldest boulevard system. I agree that there are "car streets" such as Western that are not appropriate for bike lanes. We should not gove up on the boulevards as being "car streets". I think Geoffrey Baer's show "Biking the Boulevards" is a great way to draw attention to this movement.
Mike Zumwalt said:After recently moving to HP I find this road terrible to cross, thankfully they have the underpass and why would such a wide road be put in the middle of a park like this?
Nothing ruins a day in the park like an Ambulance screaming through or some guys on bikes cruising at 50 mph.
As far as biking some roads are better left to the cars, Western, LSD, North Ave., Sheridan.
Get support rolling for making the Bloomingdale trail into bike/pedestrian use and you've got a sweet section of no cars at all.
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Permalink Reply by Active Transportation Alliance on
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First off, we want to applaud Alderman Maldonado for wanting to make Humboldt Blvd. and access to the park safer through traffic calming efforts.
We also want to give a public shout out to Chicago Dept. of Transportation for trying new initiatives. This is the first time CDOT has used barricades, etc. to test out traffic calming efforts before they are implemented.
The alderman and CDOT also conducted a survey that received more than 100 responses.
Chainlink discussion here.
Active Trans has been working with Ald. Maldonado, CDOT, Sam Schwartz Engineering, the Humboldt Park Advisory Council and the Logan Square Neighborhood Association on Safe Park Zones efforts including this road diet.
Safe Park Zones are similar to School Zones and Safe Routes to School efforts that create safe and easy access to parks for pedestrians, bicyclists and transit riders.
Please keep in mind that this barricade “test” is not final and there will be some upcoming public meetings where Ald. Maldonado and CDOT will be available to receive input.
Active Trans’ perspective is to push for bicycle accommodations when they will be included in a larger bike network. This half-mile section of Humboldt, unfortunately, doesn’t currently connect to Chicago’s larger bike network. And we do feel that traffic calming, safety improvements and access for pedestrians will provide some benefit and increased safety for bicyclists.
There is a long-term (3-5 year) possibility of extending the bike network in this area and we would definitely advocate for this. Such an effort would take a coalition of alderman, the public, nonprofits, CDOT, etc. We do work with and have connections to other alderman and community groups in this area.
For the here and now, we are interested in this community/neighborhood gaining the traffic calming, safety and access that the road diet provides.
Again, this is not final, and there will be upcoming public meetings for input. Active Trans will communicate these to our members in the 26th ward and post them on Chainlink too.
We’ve been talking to Gin about this and know that she’ll be making a big bike push, of course.
Sincerely,
Adolfo Hernandez,
Active Trans, Advocacy & Outreach Director
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Thank you, Adoldo, for sharing this update. I do see a lot of short and long term possibilities here and am immensely relieved that there will be a chance for public input into the final design.
Folks, he has covered pretty much what I wanted to share with the forum, besides the thought that we should keep positivity reinforcing what Maldonado is trying to do. Just one more design idea for now, before hunkering down for my son's 4th birthday party weekend. . .
Given the service roads north and south of the park, I do think we can make a case for the provisional bike-ability of the corridor. Perhaps the traffic calming project between North and Div could include striped "shoulders" (ie, unmarked bike lanes). You could then take the service roads to the not official bike lanes.
As another poster pointed out, bike lanes have benefits to other users as well. They provide a buffer between the curb and car traffic, and improve sight lines for motorists to see crossing peds. I have not busted out my tape measure, but I am pretty sure there is room on that stretch for 5 foot "shoulders," a car travel lane in either direction and a center turn lane with multiple ped refuge areas.
Bike on,
Gin
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