Bikeways News

Five weeks until spring: Get ready for more than 16 miles of new bikeways!

Spring officially begins on March 20 this year, just five weeks away. As Chicagoans know, construction crews return to the streets when spring arrives. We're excited about that because it means the city will get back to work installing new bikeways, making our streets safer for everyone.

What can we look forward to this spring? The city's Streets for Cycling Plan 2020 (PDF) calls for more than 16 miles of new bikeways by May 2013!

The plan is a roadmap to guide the development of a citywide network of bikeways, but the inclusion of a street in the plan does not mean that a bikeway project has been approved by the alderman or necessary government agencies.

Making the plan a reality will still require advocacy and outreach to keep bikeway projects moving forward -- and we're depending on supporters like you to speak up with us. With the state putting down roadblocks for projects like these, you can help right now by telling Gov. Quinn to end the state's obstruction of safer streets for biking.

We've updated our Chicago Bikeways Tracker map so you can see what projects from the plan have been completed and what's proposed for installation by May. Here are a few highlights.

• Spoke Routes on Milwaukee and Vincennes -- The Streets for Cycling Plan 2020 calls for a network of bikeways connecting neighborhoods to downtown, called Spoke Routes. The design of Spoke Routes could include barrier protected bike lanes, buffered bike lanes or conventional bike lanes, depending on street limitations and approval from the alderman and other agencies. Expect to see segments of the Spoke Route network installed this spring on Milwaukee, between Elston and Kinzie, and on Vincennes, between 103rd and 84th. Active Trans would like to see barrier protected bike lanes installed on these streets to provide the greatest level of safety for everyone on the street.
• Crosstown Bike Routes on Halsted and Broadway -- Crosstown Bike Routes will provide connections across the city and between neighborhoods on long stretches of major streets. Just like with Spoke Routes, the kind of bikeways and the level of safety we'll see on these streets may vary. New bikeways are planned this spring for Halsted between Harrison and 26th, Halsted between Garfield and Pershing, and Broadway between Montrose and Foster.
• Buffered bike lanes on Wells and Clybourn -- Last year, buffered bike lanes were installed on Wells from Wacker to Chicago. We expect to see those buffered lanes extend further north this spring, up to North Avenue. Also, following the resurfacing of Clybourn last year, we're anticipating buffered bike lanes this spring on the entire length of the street, from Belmont to Division.

To learn more about ways you can help support these projects this spring, make sure to sign up as a Neighborhood Bikeways Campaign supporter here.

Wheeling adopts plan for improving walking, biking and access to transit

Congratulations to the Village of Wheeling for adopting an active transportation plan!

Nearly 250 people from the north suburban community helped shape the plan: Local residents, business owners, elected officials, and representatives from the schools, park districts, bike clubs and community organizations all provided valuable feedback. 

The plan contains guidance on where improvements for walking and biking are most needed, what types of improvements to make, policies to encourage coordinated planning of future bike and pedestrian facilities, maintenance plans for existing facilities, and programming ideas for encouraging people to walk and ride in Wheeling. It's all there!

Active Trans was pleased by the amount of enthusiasm within Wheeling for the plan. Already, members of the village board have discussed moving ahead with some of the plan's recommendations.

The recently-adopted plan was a year-long project lead by the Active Transportation Alliance in partnership with the Village of Wheeling, with support from TranSystems, a transportation design and engineering firm, and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning.

Photo above shows one of the community meetings where Wheeling residents provided their input on the plan. 

Chicago media puts public support for biking on display

We know that people want safer streets for biking. A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration survey found that 71 percent of Americans would like to bike more, but fewer than half feel their community is safe for bikes.

While controversy often tends to be what attracts attention, there's also no shortage of press coverage demonstrating the strong public support for new bike lanes in Chicago. Over the past week, there's been a strong showing of support in the form of an op-ed in Crain's Chicago from Donald Wilson of DRW Trading Group, a front-page story in the Chicago Tribune that gave Active Trans the last word, a column by Greg Hinz in Crain's, and even an editorial from the Chicago Sun-Times stating that "The opening Friday of the Loop’s first protected bicycle lane is a reminder there’s a better way to design the city’s transportation system."

Below are some highlights of supportive press coverage since Chicago's first protected bike lane was installed. Share links to your favorite positive news and commentary in the comments. 

The photo features a neighbor of the new protected bike lane on Dearborn giving a thumbs up for the project. 

Image Gallery: 

Construction underway for new bikeways!

Construction of the Dearborn Street protected bike lane is now officially underway! While we've been anticipating some of the bikeway updates described below, we also had a couple exciting surprises this autumn.

Check out a map of Chicago's newest bikeways and follow our progress toward 100 miles of protected bike lanes on our Chicago Bikeways Tracker.

Dearborn bikeway construction begins!
More than 4,500 people signed Active Trans' petition in support of the first protected bike lane through the Loop. Needless to say, many people have been anxiously anticipating its installation. The city kicked off construction this past weekend, starting with new bicycle traffic signals (see photo of wrapped pole right), but we'll be waiting for the first sign of striping on the street before we add this to our official Chicago Bikeways Tracker tally.

The signals will not be operational until the bikeway is completed, but it's an exciting sign that this project is now becoming a reality, thanks to the support and leadership of Mayor Emanuel and 42nd Ward Ald. Brendan Reilly. When completed, this will be a 1.25-mile two-way protected bike lane between Kinzie Street and Polk Street.

Franklin and Desplaines autumn surprises
Earlier this month, the city announced a new buffered bike lane for Franklin Street from Harrison Street to Wacker Drive. This project is intended to fit with the timing of the Wacker Drive project as it comes to a close and as Franklin is returned to a northbound one-way street.

This past weekend, striping started on a new southbound protected bike lane on Desplaines Street, from Fulton Street to Harrison Street. The two-way segment of Desplaines between Fulton and Kinzie Street/Milwaukee Avenue will also be updated with improved bike lanes. Desplaines can provide a great alternative route south into the Loop for northwest side residents -- particularly important during the Wells Street bridge closure.

Clark and Halsted buffered bike lanes
New buffered bike lanes have been incorporated into street resurfacing projects on Clark and Halsted Streets. You now have more breathing room when biking on Halsted between Division Street and North Avenue. And the new and improved bike lanes on Clark Street will be completed within the next couple weeks, providing safer passage through Wrigleyville and Lakeview, from Addison Street to Diversey Parkway.

King Drive buffered bike lanes
Biking in Bronzeville will get safer when the city finishes upgrading the bike lanes on King Drive to provide some buffer space, for 3 miles between 26th and 51st Streets. Striping started earlier this month.

Grand Avenue and Kinzie Street
Because of the potential construction impact of the Wolf Point development project on the Kinzie Street protected bike lane, Ald. Reilly shared the news that the city is considering relocating the Kinzie protected bike lane to Grand Avenue. Learn more here.

Bikeways for School and Roscoe?
Ald. Tom Tunney is now exploring potential bikeways for School and Roscoe Streets through the 44th Ward. These streets would provide a missing east-west connection through Lakeview and would be great candidates for Neighborhood Greenways. If you live in the 44th Ward and support the idea, please be sure to contact Ald. Tunney to let him know!

Image Gallery: