Southwest side bike issues

We've had some discussion lately about the need for more bike facilities on the southwest. Folks have spoken up about Archer and other streets.  I welcome your constructive comments and ideas here. 

The next Mayor's Bike Advisory Council meeting is coming up in a few weeks. If you have issues you'd like me to raise there, please speak up here!

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Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on September 11, 2015 at 5:27am

Thanks for letting me know about the current problems. I will follow up on that.

Permalink Reply by Jim Reho on September 11, 2015 at 2:42pm

That is a particularly tough bridge to ride over.  I myself don't like doing it on anything less than 700X28s, and I'm a little concerned even with those.  Of course, I am kind of a chicken.

The Halsted bridge has always seemed easier for some reason. 

Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on September 12, 2015 at 11:33am

28's are about as narrow a tire as anyone should be riding in a city such as Chicago what with the chronically messed up road surfaces, steel bridges and snow. Even with 28's that bridge is a bit squirrelly when wet, but with wider tires I've never had a problem on it.

That said, I'll be super happy to see the plates!

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on September 12, 2015 at 11:44am

The grating is a bit different on each of those bridges. Also, it's in tougher condition on Loomis, with some chunks missing.

Since Halsted got bike lanes with plates over the grated portion of the bridge, it's gotten even better.

I don't have a problem riding Loomis with my mountain bike (26x1.75" tires). Doing it on a folding bike with smaller wheels (20x1.5") or road bike with skinny tires is a totally different story.  I was glad to get the news about Loomis getting plates next year.

Permalink Reply by Dean Bekken on September 11, 2015 at 4:38pm
There are no bike lanes from Monroe to Washington on Ogden
Permalink Reply by George Tafelski on September 12, 2015 at 6:28am

I use Archer all the time starting at Pulaski and until you get to the dedicated lane just south of Halsted the ride is just terrible. 

The dedicated lane needs to be extended to at least Cicero.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on September 12, 2015 at 11:42am

Archer definitely isn't easy to ride. I've repeated to CDOT what we got through the original Streets for Cycling 2020 outreach: that there's a real need for bike lanes on Archer. It would be great to see them go as far as Central.

Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on September 14, 2015 at 6:05am

Yes, that would be great, but it would be even better to see bike lanes go all the way to the City limits as described in the Streets for 2020 Spoke Route plan:

I quote page 28 of: http://www.chicagobikes.org/pdf/2012%20Projects/ChicagoStreetsforCy...

for reference.


Spoke Routes
Thousands of people commute to Downtown Chicago on a daily basis by
bike. Some of these commuters come from the edges of the City as well as
the suburbs. Providing designated commuting routes to the Loop will make it
safer and more convenient for employees to bike to and from work.
Spoke Routes are direct routes in and out of the Loop that will provide a safe,
continuous bikeway and connect all areas of Chicago with the downtown.
The primary goal of the Spoke Route network is to increase bicycle commuting
citywide.
The seven Spoke Routes are:
1. Clark Street
2. Milwaukee Avenue
3. Lake Street/Randolph Street
4. Archer Avenue
5. Vincennes Avenue
6. South Chicago Avenue
7. State Street/Wabash Avenue

The design of the Spoke Routes will follow the same process as the Crosstown
Routes:
• Barrier protected bike lanes (preferred treatment)
• Two-way barrier protected bike lanes
• Buffer protected bike lanes
• Bike lanes or marked shared lanes
In addition, spoke routes may include enhanced intersections, colored
pavement, improved surface conditions, bike signals, and improved traffic
signal timing for bicycling. Additional treatments will be considered to brand
and promote the routes as the Spoke Route network is developed.

Permalink Reply by Jim Reho on September 12, 2015 at 5:46pm

Amen to all that!

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on September 12, 2015 at 11:49am

FYI - part of this week's MBAC news was that CDOT plans more public outreach over the winter to prioritize and fine tune development of the route network that came out of the original S4C public outreach.  Stay tuned for more info when it's available.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on September 12, 2015 at 11:56am

If you see ongoing issues with debris, broken glass, grass clippings, etc. in bike lanes, please mention them here and I can direct those requests to the right person.

I've made previous attempts to get the lanes on Vincennes cleared via 311 reports and that channel seems ineffective.

Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on September 12, 2015 at 1:02pm

I've had mixed results with 311. They do a great job with graffiti removal, but I recently gave up on 311 with clearing up a huge mess of tree debris on Loomis (the section north of the canal and south of Cermak). I contacted the alderman's office (Alderman Solis, 25th Ward) via their web form and got a more or less immediate reply. The debris got cleaned up very quickly and an aldermanic staffer even followed up to make sure I was happy. I'm not even a resident of that ward. YMMV of course.

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