The Chainlink

Dearborn 2-way bike lane. Is it working?

I don't ride it often, but it seems to be an invite for pedestrian-bike collisions.

It's invisible if you approach mid-block, and walkers step right into the path of the bikes.

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Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on October 2, 2013 at 4:22pm

If you're headed to the Lake Front Trail, try taking the riverwalk on the south bank. Just walk your bike on the north sidewalk of Wacker at Dearborn over to the ramp near State.

Permalink Reply by Duppie on October 2, 2013 at 4:27pm

Yes, Somebody, but not me, needs to report this to Active Trans. Pronto!...

Skip Montanaro 12mi said:

Okay, I'll accept that there are problems. Have any been reported to Active Trans or other organizations? If there is no feedback, how will the powers-that-be know there are problems?

The thread Adam posted was last updated in August 2011.

As for no eastbound lanes, I agree there is nothing in the Loop proper. I use Illinois whenever I want to take the LFT home: Franklin->Orleans->Illinois->Dearborn->north to Alaska

Permalink Reply by Skip Montanaro 0mi on October 2, 2013 at 8:55pm

I've done that once. Not for me. Nobody expects cyclists there. Besides, didn't some guy go into the river recently?

Adam Herstein (5.5 mi) said:

If you're headed to the Lake Front Trail, try taking the riverwalk on the south bank. Just walk your bike on the north sidewalk of Wacker at Dearborn over to the ramp near State.

Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on October 2, 2013 at 9:00pm

I've done it a few times. There usually aren't a ton of people there and I ride slowly anyway. I've seen other people riding, as well. Plus, there are a few bike rental places along the walk, so I know bikes are allowed there. It can be a nice break from the craziness of the Loop and River North.

Skip Montanaro 12mi said:

I've done that once. Not for me. Nobody expects cyclists there. Besides, didn't some guy go into the river recently?

Adam Herstein (5.5 mi) said:

If you're headed to the Lake Front Trail, try taking the riverwalk on the south bank. Just walk your bike on the north sidewalk of Wacker at Dearborn over to the ramp near State.

Permalink Reply by Alex Z on November 6, 2014 at 7:53am

Yesterday around 2:45 there was a line of trucks parked in the Dearborn PBL just south of Washington. I called 911 to report it, though I wasn't optimistic as the number of vehicles led me to assume something "official" was happening.

 

At 3:15, when I walked by again, some of the trucks had been moved, and, while others remained, someone had set up an "alternate route" for bikes through what is normally the parking area, using traffic cones.

 

I thought the use of cones to "re-route" the bike lane was a great solution and shows that work can be done in PBLs without disrupting everything.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on November 6, 2014 at 9:05am

Glad to hear they did a reroute. I suspect that the trucks were related to set-up for Christkindlmarkt. Yes, they're starting set-up a bit early this year.

Permalink Reply by Tricolor on November 6, 2014 at 10:57am

Considering it doesn't open until after Thanksgiving that's really early.

Permalink Reply by Maurice on November 6, 2014 at 11:15am

I guess I was too optimistic last year.  I still see tons of pedestrians standing and walking in this lane.  It's common for a pedestrian, stopped by a red light, to take exactly one extra step past the curb and into the lane without looking for no apparent reason.  It's also been reported in other threads by me and others that cars not only pull out disregarding the lane and park in the lane, but also drive in the lane when they deem it more convenient for them.

 
In another thread, somebody posted a link to copenhagenize.com, which contains a lot of useful data on bike lane design.  One of the articles I read indicates that two-way lanes were rejected as a best practice in Europe years ago because they experience more conflicts than two separate one-way lanes.

 

 
Maurice said:

Agree that pedestrian and motorist compliance tends to improve as time passes

Permalink Reply by Alex Z on November 6, 2014 at 11:42am

In general my experience on Dearborn has been very positive. Having a mellow attitude and expecting pedestrians to step out helps a lot. To me it feels by far the safest way to get through the loop, especially over the river.
 
Maurice said:

I guess I was too optimistic last year.  I still see tons of pedestrians standing and walking in this lane.  It's common for a pedestrian, stopped by a red light, to take exactly one extra step past the curb and into the lane without looking for no apparent reason.  It's also been reported in other threads by me and others that cars not only pull out disregarding the lane and park in the lane, but also drive in the lane when they deem it more convenient for them.

 
In another thread, somebody posted a link to copenhagenize.com, which contains a lot of useful data on bike lane design.  One of the articles I read indicates that two-way lanes were rejected as a best practice in Europe years ago because they experience more conflicts than two separate one-way lanes.

 

 
Maurice said:

Agree that pedestrian and motorist compliance tends to improve as time passes

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on November 6, 2014 at 11:47am

I still see some of this. I've also noticed that more peds are looking first before making mid-block crossings. For a while, I've been using polite but firm requests for people to step back, or wait before stepping off the curb. It seems to be helping somewhat. I ride Dearborn most often between Congress and Monroe.
 
Maurice said:

I still see tons of pedestrians standing and walking in this lane.  It's common for a pedestrian, stopped by a red light, to take exactly one extra step past the curb and into the lane without looking for no apparent reason. 

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on November 6, 2014 at 1:33pm

Someone posted on Twitter today that the trucks are for Chicago Fire location filming and showed a lane marked w/cones as a detour for the bike lane.
 
Alex Z said:

Yesterday around 2:45 there was a line of trucks parked in the Dearborn PBL just south of Washington. I called 911 to report it, though I wasn't optimistic as the number of vehicles led me to assume something "official" was happening.

 

At 3:15, when I walked by again, some of the trucks had been moved, and, while others remained, someone had set up an "alternate route" for bikes through what is normally the parking area, using traffic cones.

 

I thought the use of cones to "re-route" the bike lane was a great solution and shows that work can be done in PBLs without disrupting everything.

Permalink Reply by Maurice on November 6, 2014 at 3:02pm

My standard response is, "please don't stand/walk in the bike lane."  I don't ride that way if I'm in a hurry, so my responses are never angry.

 

The pedestrians usually ignore my request, though they occasionally apologize.  Only one guy tried to pick a fight.

 
 
Anne Alt said:

For a while, I've been using polite but firm requests for people to step back, or wait before stepping off the curb.
 
Maurice said:

I still see tons of pedestrians standing and walking in this lane.  It's common for a pedestrian, stopped by a red light, to take exactly one extra step past the curb and into the lane without looking for no apparent reason. 

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