The Lake Street "Protected" lane makes about as much sense as
... the Jackson protected lane doesn't.
Great to see this coming together last weekend.
Name the intersections.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by AM 9.5 on -
I have never had an issue on Washington/Warren, and sometimes I ride in in the dark. I think Lake is way more dangerous. It's darker; the road is not well maintained; there is probably more glass and garbage on Lake than any E-W route; drivers are reckless in weaving between the El structure supports and trying to get around slower traffic and left-turners; the timing of lights encourages high speeds; and when an El goes overhead, you can't hear yourself think, less hear cars behind or next to you.
Washington is wider with a lot of vehicle traffic. I have never felt unsafe. You have more to worry about with drivers not paying attention to you, but frankly that's even worse in the "good" parts of the city.
Trachea said:I rode from OP>downtown for several years. Worst harassment was on Washington. It's a nice bike route, just not safe.
Daniel G said:Well, I ride that part of town at about 7-8 in the morning so that's not a safety issue I have much experience with. The one time I took Lake in from OP, it was totally covered in glass in possibly the least desirable blocks in the city to get a flat tire on. I was given inches of space by anyone on the right side of the pylons in the Garfield Park sections. And metal pylons are just a bad thing to have in or near the road if you're going to wipe out. Washington/Warren is much calmer, all residential, and people seem to respect the bike lane. It's a nice ride, to be honest. I just can't see anyone saying the same thing about Lake.
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Permalink Reply by Paul Oppenheim on -
Can't understand why anyone would complain about the new bike lanes. Our group has used Harrison St. for years with no problems other than glass and some rough pavement, but the Lake St. lanes are a nice alternate. Face it, any streets through the West Side have occasional glass. Goes with the territory.
Paul O
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Permalink Reply by AM 9.5 on
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Took it today - into the wind, which guaranteed a very slow-motion observation, as if I were riding through gelatin. What was good about it was great. What is bad about is mostly fixable.
The good: protected at all points after the El structure narrows west of Western. Bollards keep cars from cutting between the El supports or using the bike lane to pass traffic (I saw one car drive into the bike lane). The roadway is in generally good condition and was recently cleaned. Cars parked in front of the had car wash at Kedzie were correctly parked. Markings are clear, including in right turn lanes.
The bad: about 5 cars parked in the bike lane, including a City of Chicago DOT vehicle in front of the hot dog stand (sorry I couldn't get a photo--was battling the wind to stay upright!). Still too much noise on Lake for my taste. But the bigger issues are this: The right sides of Lake are in terrible shape before and after the bike lane; there are a few rim-eating ruts along the way. Although there was little bottle glass, there was a lot of car debris (pieces of bumper, grill and lights) from cars brushing the El structure and each other. The man issue, however, is that the bike lane ends abruptly in the middle of Garfield Park. It should go all the way to Central to provide a clear route to Oak Park, and there seem to be no reason it can't. Even though the Washington St. bike lane goes further, it too ends abruptly at Laramie. And there are not enough bollards--methinks that they will blend in at dusk or in the dark. And people drive like maniacs on Lake, more so than on other streets.
Just my .02.
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Permalink Reply by Juan 2-8 mi. on
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Recently had the oportunity to ride the Lake street PBL and found it to be my least favorite of all the PBLs the city has installed.
It just did not make any sense why they would not start from the loop and out west where it is dirty and disrespected by pedestrians walking and leaving their trash and drivers using it as parking.
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Permalink Reply by h' 1.0 on -
Don't forget all the west siders using it to park their bikes. Good luck avoiding them when it's dark and the street lights are out.
Juan 2-8 mi. said:Recently had the oportunity to ride the Lake street PBL and found it to be my least favorite of all the PBLs the city has installed.
It just did not make any sense why they would not start from the loop and out west where it is dirty and disrespected by pedestrians walking and leaving their trash and drivers using it as parking.
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Permalink Reply by El Dorado on
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I agree with the poster who complained about the noise from the overhead "El". Thats why I like to use my noise cancellation headphones & I do not have to hear it. It makes my ride much more relaxing.
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