Share 'Messy side street or busy clear street with no bike lane?'

My commute is from Rogers Park to Skokie. I consider myself largely lucky because I take Howard west and Dodge (California) north, to Oakton west. It's all a bus route (CTA 97) so it's usually clear. Howard and Dodge both have bike lanes.    But on my way home, I have a decision to make. It's after 6, after dark and Oakton is a high traffic situation with no bike lanes. In the daytime I'm not so…