Currently the city of Chicago is planning an expansive new initiative to make biking in the city safer and more attractive. The “Bike 2015” Plan offers to “establish a bikeway network that serves all Chicago residents and neighborhoods” and to “make all of Chicago’s streets safe and convenient for bicycling.”There is currently no proposed or recommended bike lane for Broadway Ave. from Diversey to Loyola, on the map or on the Bike 2015 website. Broadway Ave. is one of the largest thoroughfares on the North Side of Chicago and goes through two of the city’s most populated neighborhoods. There is no viable alternative for fast commuting in that area without going West on Clark St.
Broadway is not pedestrian friendly and even less friendly to bicyclists. Even a shared bike lane would be extremely helpful for people who commute through Uptown and Edgewater and make it safer for bicyclists and pedestrians in general.
Join the campaign here.
"Broadway is not pedestrian friendly and even less friendly to bicyclists."
ReplyDeleteSo why put a bike path there?
Clark St. works really well . . . in fact, it's the best street for going downtown north to Howard St and vise-versa.
Rather than bike on Broadway, I just go over two streets east to Kenmore. (If youre heading south, use Winthrop.) Pretty clear riding from the Uptown area all the way up to the Loyola campus on both these streets.
PS: Signing petitions gets your personal info on more mailing lists than it actually affects meaningful "change."
Don't listen to BillyJoe's "ps". He's just trying to keep people from "acting up"
ReplyDeleteHi, I wrote the original campaign on the point.
ReplyDeleteI also take Kenmore/Winthrop when I bike but that ends at Wilson St, and for the most part I don't feel it's very fast or efficient if you're not biking for enjoyment (but rather for transportation).
I am also not advocating a complete bike lane, but a shared bike lane would help people who already bike on Broadway and make it more comfortable for bicyclists in general.
You can direct any comments/suggestions to me on my campaign page as well.
Also I doubt the Department of Transportation would have a mailing list to send people. This is not an online petition but rather one that goes directly to the Bike 2015 people.
Thanks.
Vadim
Is there enough room on Broadway for two car lanes, two sidewalks of parking, AND two bike lanes?
ReplyDeleteThe stretch from Belmont to Montrose is already really tight. I avoid this now and head west to Sheffield and then link up to Broadway and Montrose before heading north on Broadway.
I've biked down this stretch on Broadway and it just makes me nervous. The cars have nowhere to go to give cyclists space. They have to either veer into oncoming traffic, be patient with you, or nearly touch their mirrors to your handle bars.
In my view, you'd have to eliminate one side of the street parking to get the bike lanes properly spaced.
CDOT should reconfigure Broadway from Montrose to Devon with one driving lane in each direction with a center left turn lane (maybe with median planters in certain areas). This would leave enough space for a bike lane on either side.
ReplyDeleteEven driving down Broadway now is chaotic, let alone biking. This configuration would calm traffic and make Broadway more pedestrian-oriented - safer for bikes and pedestrians.