Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Lanterne Rouge on September 13, 2012 at 4:44am

Hey - I've been using Bryn Mawr as my main route ever since you had shown me your commute plan. 

I find that my feelings are mixed; When school was first in session, both lanes heading eastbound were badly backed up enough that I took to the sidewalk to gain some time. Ever since then, the right turn lane is pretty empty, so I can cruise through without the fear of being doored (as I used to feel when that was for street parking. 

My only issues are in the morning, as I'm heading west past Kimball and heading towards the NEIU campus and the four lane striping begins. I end up having to 'take the lane' which happens to be the straight lane. Because the left most lane is left turn into campus only, I end up having cars speed past me and right hook in front of me before the stop sign. Very frustrating. I'm usually at this spot by 6:30 AM, so it's not too busy, but I can only imagine how unsafe or unsettling this may feel at full-blown rush hour.

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Permalink Reply by Crazy David 84 Furlongs on September 13, 2012 at 5:15am

Yes.   I noticed this also.   I suspect that it was fattened up because of the closure on Foster and the delays at peak school times for NEIU casued by the student parking lots.   This is the primary feeder into the campus from the West.   The light at Pulaski and Bryn Mawr has always been exciting (the cars turning left pay NO attention to the oncoming bicycles...)  and now those blocks are also pretty exciting as well.  I hope its temporary because otherwise you are left with nothing but pretty bicycle unfriendly streets east-west streets for quite a few blocks. 

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Permalink Reply by Madopal (16.5 mi) on September 13, 2012 at 5:22am

Yeah, Jim....the traffic in the morning was what made me switch from there to the Berwyn->Northshore Channel trail or Damen->Wilson->Northshore Channel Trail.  Felt much safer with the morning traffic.  I don't mind taking it later on the way home, but if they opened up Bryn Mawr, there's really no shoulder to speak of, so that route becomes much more dangerous.  When I was riding it last week, there was an AT&T van that was going about 20 in the eastbound left lane.  I was over, but I had a line of traffic behind me trying to get around the van (who I was keeping pace with).  As the pavement gets more & more broken as you get near the curb, it's not a fun place to ride, so you're forced to block traffic.  Plus, you get the usual speedy folks trying to get around before the lane goes away.  Nothing like drivers using the right lane as a passing lane.  Whee.

It just seems like something completely counter to Mayor Emmanuel's stated goal, and the way the lane is set up looks like a complete afterthought.

Jim S said:

Hey - I've been using Bryn Mawr as my main route ever since you had shown me your commute plan. 

I find that my feelings are mixed; When school was first in session, both lanes heading eastbound were badly backed up enough that I took to the sidewalk to gain some time. Ever since then, the right turn lane is pretty empty, so I can cruise through without the fear of being doored (as I used to feel when that was for street parking. 

My only issues are in the morning, as I'm heading west past Kimball and heading towards the NEIU campus and the four lane striping begins. I end up having to 'take the lane' which happens to be the straight lane. Because the left most lane is left turn into campus only, I end up having cars speed past me and right hook in front of me before the stop sign. Very frustrating. I'm usually at this spot by 6:30 AM, so it's not too busy, but I can only imagine how unsafe or unsettling this may feel at full-blown rush hour.

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Permalink Reply by Lanterne Rouge on September 13, 2012 at 8:03am

Madopal - your new route is the northshore trail to Pratt and westward, right?

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Permalink Reply by Madopal (16.5 mi) on September 13, 2012 at 8:13am

Yeah, the short way west is to take Bryn Mawr around Rosehill, catch Bowmanville to Berwyn.  Berwyn across Western/Lincoln, then to Victoria.  Easier to go up a few blocks to catch the trail (Catalpa, I think).  Then take the trail north to Pratt, and Pratt over.  The problem with that route is that it can't easily be done going back east.  Berwyn is one way (we chatted about this, I think).  So what I started doing was just taking the trail to the end at Lawrence, hopping across Lawrence to Victoria, winding the back streets there to Wilson.  Wilson east to Damen and Damen back north. 

It's about a mile or so longer, but it beats winding through Berwyn the wrong way (I have a back way of doing this by taking the trail to Bryn Mawr, then once past Lincoln I wind through the back streets and ride the sidewalk along Berwyn to cross with the crosswalk light at Western....it's a pain, but safer than riding the wrong way on Berwyn).

I don't remember if it was ActiveTrans, but someone recently had a poll on street routes, and the one way/cemetery problems around Rosehill really make it difficult to find a good, safe route.

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Permalink Reply by Madopal (16.5 mi) on September 13, 2012 at 8:17am

Yeah, David, that's my fear as well.  I don't know if Ethan is cruising this thread today, but I emailed Active Trans to see if anyone knows anything.  It makes the stretch from Pulaski to the university very dangerous, and with the lack of good east/west roads that far north, I'd think the city/Active Trans would know that any cyclists out that way can't afford to lose any options.

David crZven said:

Yes.   I noticed this also.   I suspect that it was fattened up because of the closure on Foster and the delays at peak school times for NEIU casued by the student parking lots.   This is the primary feeder into the campus from the West.   The light at Pulaski and Bryn Mawr has always been exciting (the cars turning left pay NO attention to the oncoming bicycles...)  and now those blocks are also pretty exciting as well.  I hope its temporary because otherwise you are left with nothing but pretty bicycle unfriendly streets east-west streets for quite a few blocks. 

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Permalink Reply by Crazy David 84 Furlongs on September 13, 2012 at 10:06am

The NEIU website says:

To accommodate the additional traffic on Bryn Mawr, street parking on much of Bryn Mawr has been eliminated by the City of Chicago through the completion of the project in mid-October. Street parking is not available on the south side of Bryn Mawr between Pulaski and the NEIU access road or on the north side of Bryn Mawr between Pulaski and Central Park. These areas are tow zones, and the City of Chicago is enforcing this parking ban.

I hope that this is right and this is temporary.   It would be a great chance, after the repaving, to put Bryn Mawr on a diet once Foster re-opens.
Madopal said:

Yeah, David, that's my fear as well.  I don't know if Ethan is cruising this thread today, but I emailed Active Trans to see if anyone knows anything.  It makes the stretch from Pulaski to the university very dangerous, and with the lack of good east/west roads that far north, I'd think the city/Active Trans would know that any cyclists out that way can't afford to lose any options.

David crZven said:

Yes.   I noticed this also.   I suspect that it was fattened up because of the closure on Foster and the delays at peak school times for NEIU casued by the student parking lots.   This is the primary feeder into the campus from the West.   The light at Pulaski and Bryn Mawr has always been exciting (the cars turning left pay NO attention to the oncoming bicycles...)  and now those blocks are also pretty exciting as well.  I hope its temporary because otherwise you are left with nothing but pretty bicycle unfriendly streets east-west streets for quite a few blocks. 

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Permalink Reply by Madopal (16.5 mi) on September 13, 2012 at 10:36am

There we go, then.  I didn't even think of checking the NEIU site.  At least we know it's not a permanent widening.

Thanks, David.  I hope that they extend the bike lane out there as well.  There have to be some students coming from the west who would welcome it as well.

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Permalink Reply by Night Owl on September 13, 2012 at 4:08pm

Might be the New York DOT trick - "this is a temporary change...that never goes away."  They do that all the time.

David crZven said:

The NEIU website says:

To accommodate the additional traffic on Bryn Mawr, street parking on much of Bryn Mawr has been eliminated by the City of Chicago through the completion of the project in mid-October. Street parking is not available on the south side of Bryn Mawr between Pulaski and the NEIU access road or on the north side of Bryn Mawr between Pulaski and Central Park. These areas are tow zones, and the City of Chicago is enforcing this parking ban.

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Permalink Reply by Lanterne Rouge on September 14, 2012 at 1:45am

Is anyone else skeptical that the sewage project on Foster won't be done by mid October? My wife uses the 92 foster bus to get to work and it's wreaked incredible amounts of havoc on her scheduling. It's very frustrating. 

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