Oh Dearborn! A virtual tour of Chicago's first 2-way protected bike lane

Did you blink yesterday? If so you missed CDOT painting the "game-changing" new 2-way protected bike lane on Dearborn Street from Polk Street to the Chicago River. The striping is already complete, although the lane won't be ready to ride until the flexible posts, signs and bike-specific traffic signals are done. Here's a virtual tour of the new facility so far:

http://gridchicago.com/2012/oh-my-dearborn-the-2-way-protected-bike...


Keep moving forward,

John Greenfield

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Permalink Reply by Grace Van Moer 8.25 mi on December 14, 2012 at 3:55am

In general, I think CDOT has done a good job with the Dearborn bike lanes with the signals, street paint, bollards.  But the "Watch for bikes" signage?  Not so much.  This one is at the nw corner of Dearborn & Madison.  Tiny and placed in a location where peds are not likely to look.  Bikers - watch out for the peds, they won't be looking for you for the first few weeks.

Permalink Reply by Deet 4.5mi on December 14, 2012 at 4:04am

I rode it in this moring very cool, i wish they would get the decking put on the bridge, but other than that very nice.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on December 14, 2012 at 4:10am

It's a good idea to watch for peds anyway.  These lanes aren't designed for speed.

Where there is paid parking, it's a good idea to watch for people crossing the lane to get to/from the parking slip machines - another way we need to share the road. 

And hopefully down the road those machines will get moved so that they're in the buffer zone next to the parking lane.  *hint hint*

Grace Van Moer said:

In general, I think CDOT has done a good job with the Dearborn bike lanes with the signals, street paint, bollards.  But the "Watch for bikes" signage?  Not so much.  This one is at the nw corner of Dearborn & Madison.  Tiny and placed in a location where peds are not likely to look.  Bikers - watch out for the peds, they won't be looking for you for the first few weeks.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on December 14, 2012 at 4:10am

The plates are coming.

Deet said:

I rode it in this moring very cool, i wish they would get the decking put on the bridge, but other than that very nice.

Permalink Reply by Cheryl on December 14, 2012 at 5:45am

My exact thoughts when I read that. I bike to & from work and errands because it's generally quicker.

Duppie said:

"We need to get in, get out," Romano said. "I wish I had time to pedal around, but I have kids at home to feed."

What makes this deliveryman think that bicyclists 'pedal around'? Clearly he has never spoken to a bicyclist. Almost all of my biking is done because I have to go places and it just the fastest way to get there.

Permalink Reply by daWillinChi on January 2, 2013 at 11:24am
After riding it three/four times, I can say that I have avoided this bike lane.
All of those times, I've had to dodge people walking and not looking, people just standing, taxi cabs standing, people standing waiting for lights, cars swerving in and out of the lanes.... Etc.
You may argue that's the same as everything else. I agree, but on this lane if I were going south bound, it's hard for me to swerve out of the way. Northbound isn't exactly easy either.
I want to obey the rule and stay in my lane, but the aggravations the above mentioned caused me, I'd rather take the open street with a sharrow anytime.
Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on January 2, 2013 at 11:29am

I agree completely. Just this morning, a man was sitting in his parked SUV, blocking the entire lane and refused to move it out of the way. I also nearly ran over a woman who was dashing across the lane on a don't walk sign because I was swerving out of the way of a different woman who was standing in the southbound lane. Eventually, someone – biker or pedestrian – is going to get hurt and opponents will start calling for its removal, citing how dangerous it is. CPD must step up its enforcement of the bike lane or it will not survive.

Just Will said:

After riding it three/four times, I can say that I have avoided this bike lane.
All of those times, I've had to dodge people walking and not looking, people just standing, taxi cabs standing, people standing waiting for lights, cars swerving in and out of the lanes.... Etc.
You may argue that's the same as everything else. I agree, but on this lane if I were going south bound, it's hard for me to swerve out of the way. Northbound isn't exactly easy either.
I want to obey the rule and stay in my lane, but the aggravations the above mentioned caused me, I'd rather take the open street with a sharrow anytime.
Permalink Reply by blair on January 2, 2013 at 11:36am

Any update on the bridge plates?  Still waiting on those?

Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on January 2, 2013 at 11:37am

As of 8:30 this morning, they were not in place.

122782_ said:

Any update on the bridge plates?  Still waiting on those?

Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on January 2, 2013 at 11:44am

All this swerving! You guys don't have brakes or what? The lanes have been more or less working fine for me so far. Perhaps I've just been lucky...

Adam Herstein said:

I agree completely. Just this morning, a man was sitting in his parked SUV, blocking the entire lane and refused to move it out of the way. I also nearly ran over a woman who was dashing across the lane on a don't walk sign because I was swerving out of the way of a different woman who was standing in the southbound lane.

...

Just Will said:

After riding it three/four times, I can say that I have avoided this bike lane.
All of those times, I've had to dodge people walking and not looking, people just standing, taxi cabs standing, people standing waiting for lights, cars swerving in and out of the lanes.... Etc.
You may argue that's the same as everything else. I agree, but on this lane if I were going south bound, it's hard for me to swerve out of the way. Northbound isn't exactly easy either.
I want to obey the rule and stay in my lane, but the aggravations the above mentioned caused me, I'd rather take the open street with a sharrow anytime.

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