Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jamais716 on December 6, 2012 at 7:10am

Jackson bike lane is striped from Ogden all the way to Green!  It's not protected, but buffered and it's a pretty wide lane.

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Permalink Reply by Jamais716 on December 7, 2012 at 5:46am

Previously it only went from Western to Ogden.

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Permalink Reply by Kevin on December 7, 2012 at 7:55am

Has anyone heard of any plans to put a bike lane in on a westbound street somewhere between or near Washington & Jackson, running along roughly the same east-west distance?  Washington, along with the new additions to Jackson provide two nice routes into the loop, but outbound routes are lacking.

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Permalink Reply by Jamais716 on December 10, 2012 at 6:44am

Haven't heard anything.  Adams might be a good choice since it's pretty quiet west of Halsted, but the road's not as wide.

I prefer no bike lane to one that disappears in a bad spot.  Rode in on Jackson bike lane this morning and realized when it stopped at Halsted that not only was I stuck on the left side of the street where cars aren't expecting bikes to be if there's no lane markings, but the lane also disappears right before the highway entrance/exit ramps that are also on the left side.  

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Permalink Reply by morebanjo on December 10, 2012 at 7:19am

Yeah, it's on the left, and as Jamais said it's a pain in the ass where it ends at Halsted.  Half the cars waiting  at the light with you at Halsted gun it for the Kennedy on-ramp, and cars are turning left onto Jackson from the off-ramp.  Pretty disconcerting because I'm not used to checking for cars coming up on my right side. Unless they continue the bike lane past Halsted, I'll probably shift from the left to the right side of Jackson right before Halsted in the future.  Has this happened anywhere else besides Jackson and Dearborn?

Madison or Randolph seem like decent options for westbound outroute.

Cameron Puetz said:

Is the new Jackson bike lane on the left? I hoped CDOT had learned not to use this nonstandard design after the much (and rightfully so) criticized Dearborn lane. I'd also rather have no lane than a poorly designed lane that stands you in a difficult position.

Jamais716 said:

Haven't heard anything.  Adams might be a good choice since it's pretty quiet west of Halsted, but the road's not as wide.

I prefer no bike lane to one that disappears in a bad spot.  Rode in on Jackson bike lane this morning and realized when it stopped at Halsted that not only was I stuck on the left side of the street where cars aren't expecting bikes to be if there's no lane markings, but the lane also disappears right before the highway entrance/exit ramps that are also on the left side.  

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Permalink Reply by Gort 12-mile Pinklegneep on December 12, 2012 at 11:41am

It was pretty bad when it just crossed from the right side to the left when it hit Damen, particularly because it also makes a blind run across a parking lot entrance across from Malcolm X College, where cars coming in can't see you because of the row of parked cars, and the cars going out don't know to look for you. 

I took Jackson to the loop yesterday, and just stayed on the right side because it was preferable to getting corralled ridiculously. 

What's funny is as I recall Jackson had a normal bike lane already, which was sane and everything. I have no idea why they did this one up as they did. 

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Permalink Reply by Leah Jone on December 12, 2012 at 12:43pm

The end of the lane at Halsted is going to be brutal, but they used a full car lane and turned Jackson from 3 lanes to 2 car lanes + bicycle lane. it is wide and roomy, but passengers aren't used to looking for bikes, so watch for doors.

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Permalink Reply by Jason W on December 14, 2012 at 6:19am

I rode it for the first time today, and I too echo the sentiments above. I see no point in it being on the left. Does anyone know why it was done that way?

And yes, it just ends at halsted, which is right before the exit of I90/94, also on the left. So basically it dumps you into a stream of suburbanites who just got off a highway, are pissed about traffic, and are late for work. It is my most regular route, and I highly recommend taking the right lane at Halsted.

Here is a pic for anyone who hasn't ridden it.

http://www.use.com/1504f689d6dc3efaa715

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