Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Michelle S on August 7, 2012 at 7:34am

Done.

 

Lee, you may want to specify whether/which information that you're asking for will be made public, or how it will be used, etc. Some may hesitate to participate without knowing more information.

 

Thanks for providing this method of supporting the proposed lanes.

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Permalink Reply by Juan 2-3 or more mi. on August 7, 2012 at 8:58am

Awesome! I use that route every other morning.

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Permalink Reply by Active Transportation Alliance on August 8, 2012 at 7:14am

Michelle -- Thanks for the feedback. I've added a note at the bottom of the petition page to be more clear about what could be shared with City officials.

And for everyone -- We've updated our Chicago Bikeways Tracker to map out the newly-announced plans for new bikeways on Dearborn and Kinzie. Imagine being able to bike from North & Elston all the way to Printer's Row on safer streets with protected bike lanes! http://www.activetrans.org/bikeways/tracker

- Lee Crandell, Active Trans

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Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on August 8, 2012 at 8:03am

It does seem rather odd for the right wingers to get so wacko over infrastructure as inexpensive as bike lanes.

Dearborn will be a very welcome addition.  This has been needed for a long time.

Jeff Schneider said:

Just yesterday on evening drive time radio on WLS, they were ridiculing bike lanes and bicycling in general.  To be honest, they were more light-hearted about it than the right-wing radio guys usually are (not so much big hate, just amusement at the goofiness of the idea of riding a bike in the city).  Still, it really bugs me that ultra-cheap bike infrastructure is such a lightning rod for the right wingers.

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Permalink Reply by MagMileMarauder on August 8, 2012 at 8:12am

I hope the paint on these lanes are maintained. Wells' and Southport's bike lanes are in dire need of a repaint.

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Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on August 8, 2012 at 8:18am

Eventually they adjust, but like seeing african americans off the plantation, or women in the boardroom (not serving coffee) seeing a bike lane reminds the right that their cherished traditions such as wrecking the planet or enslaving people are not fair or sustainable and are being replaced. It irks them to be on the losing side of history.

Anne Alt said:

It does seem rather odd for the right wingers to get so wacko over infrastructure as inexpensive as bike lanes.

Dearborn will be a very welcome addition.  This has been needed for a long time.

Jeff Schneider said:

Just yesterday on evening drive time radio on WLS, they were ridiculing bike lanes and bicycling in general.  To be honest, they were more light-hearted about it than the right-wing radio guys usually are (not so much big hate, just amusement at the goofiness of the idea of riding a bike in the city).  Still, it really bugs me that ultra-cheap bike infrastructure is such a lightning rod for the right wingers.

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Permalink Reply by Thunder Snow on August 8, 2012 at 8:32am

It's the inevitable backlash against change and entitlement:

"Gabe Klein is now the transportation commissioner for Chicago, but until 2011 he was the head of transportation in Washington, DC, where he not only put in miles of bike lanes and implemented a highly successful bike-share program, but also revived a streetcar system that faced opposition as stiff as the bike lanes in New York had. 'The backlash in New York City had little or nothing to do with bikes,' he told me. Instead, Klein said, it was simply a normal reaction to a change in infrastructure."

"Mia Birk, who works for urban design consultants Alta Planning and was formerly the bicycle-program manager for Portland, Oregon, agreed. 'In my experience,' she said, 'it is normal for there to be a backlash to changing built infrastructure and doing things a different way, particularly as it relates to people driving. Seattle had a huge controversy; Toronto, too. I see it again and again.'"

 "Tom Vanderbilt, author of the New York Times bestseller Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says about Us), said, 'A Harvard researcher talks about the 'four stages' of social norm change: silly, controversial, progressive, then obvious. In the first stage, we had a sort of reflexive denial: New York isn't Europe, that won't work here, etc. I think we're somewhere between the second and third stage when it comes to cycling in New York; opponents are finding they can't make viable arguments against cycling as a transportation mode on safety or traffic-flow reasons, so now it's more about the left-wing, Copenhagenizing cabal.'"

"In the fourth stage, Vanderbilt explained as I joined him on a weekend ride out of the city to the pretty town of Nyack, on the Hudson River, changes such as bike lanes are widely considered not just positive elements but so desireable as to be obvious needs."

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Permalink Reply by Active Transportation Alliance on August 17, 2012 at 1:53am

Thank you to everyone who has signed the petition in support of protected bike lanes in the Loop. With your help, we passed the one-week mark Tuesday and we’ve already collected over 2,500 signatures as of this morning. Let’s keep up the momentum!

As a grassroots movement, our voice only grows stronger if people like you tell your friends, and your friends tell their friends, and so on. That’s how we’ll win better bikeways. Help us get to 5,000 signatures by continuing to spread the word!

Share your story

Carrie wants protected bike lanes in the Loop to "extend the zone of safety” she experiences on Kinzie Street. Send her video to your friends and family along with your own story and a link to our petition: http://tinyurl.com/LoopBikeway

Carrie: Extend the Zone of Safety! from Active Trans on Vimeo.

 

Join us for a Loop Bikeway Volunteer Night Aug. 30

Volunteer to help us grow the campaign by chalking bike lanes downtown and collecting petition signatures before a Millennium Park concert. It’ll be a fun time hitting the streets and engaging the public! Join us Thur., Aug. 30, 5:30-7:30 p.m., starting at Active Trans' office (9 W. Hubbard St., Ste. 402) before heading out to Millennium Park and downtown streets. Please RSVP to lee@activetrans.org.

 

What supporters are saying

We’ve been reading your comments from the Loop protected bike lane petition about why protected bike lanes in the Loop are important to you. Here are some highlights:

“As a senior citizen, I have grown wary of biking anywhere near congested areas. I used to do this a lot when I was younger, and now that I'm on Social Security I need this low-cost, healthful form of transportation even more. I would love to be able to make use of these safer pathways.”

“Many of my employees bike to work. In the year that I have worked downtown 3 have been hit by cars not yielding to bikes. This is absolutely necessary!”

“My husband commutes to work via bike everyday. I would like to not worry about him so much. I also believe that the more bike friendly our city, the less congestion all commuters will have to deal with.”

“I would like to ride to work, but the rush hour traffic in the loop is too daunting. I would use the protected bike lanes.”

“The Loop is a scary place to ride. I avoid it. Protected bike lanes would make me feel safe to ride downtown.”

“I would ride my bike downtown, getting exercise and reducing congestion, if more protected bike lanes were there.”

“I'm an avid cyclist, but I avoid the Loop because it is one of the most dangerous places in the city to bike. Please help make the Loop more accessible to cyclists and all residents of Chicago.”

Tell us why protected bike lanes in the Loop are important to you when you sign our petition.

- Lee Crandell, Active Trans

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