The Chainlink

Southwest side bike issues

We've had some discussion lately about the need for more bike facilities on the southwest. Folks have spoken up about Archer and other streets.  I welcome your constructive comments and ideas here. 

The next Mayor's Bike Advisory Council meeting is coming up in a few weeks. If you have issues you'd like me to raise there, please speak up here!

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Permalink Reply by Felipe Iniguez on June 24, 2015 at 3:22pm

Hey Anne,

This sounds great. I had the same thought after seeing a bunch of cyclists riding down Archer. I think the intersections around Archer/Rockwell or Archer/Western would be great.

 

I'd be willing to do this.

 

By the way, thanks for starting this thread. It's nice to bond over an area of the city that has long been neglected.

Permalink Reply by Filka Bean on June 24, 2015 at 4:14pm

I'd definitely like to know more and chip in.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on June 25, 2015 at 9:34pm

Another opportunity for input: Active Trans survey about where folks want bike lanes - in English and Spanish.  Please take it if you haven't already.  If you have, share it with your friends.
www.activetrans.org/bikesurvey 

Permalink Reply by Cara on July 2, 2015 at 12:16pm

Bike lanes on Archer would be great- I've seen a lot of people riding on sidewalks in the area. On Ogden, the side part of the boulevard (is there a name for this?) is nice to bike on, except the traffic signals are really poorly synced. Lanes on Pulaski or Kedzie would be so great, as would any kind of bike network around the Midway orange line station.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on August 31, 2015 at 9:01am

Got any new or ongoing issues for me to report at the next MBAC meeting? 

One thing I've noticed - lack of bike lane sweeping.  The northbound lane on Vincennes has been bad all summer. I made a 311 request a few weeks ago. It's not looking any better yet.

What about other bike lanes you ride regularly?

Permalink Reply by Maurice on August 31, 2015 at 12:28pm

Aside from the obvious need on Archer itself, it might help if it were easier to turn north and take alternate routes.  I find myself going out of my way to turn north on Halsted during rush hour because of the striped lanes and bollards crossing the river.  Those are great, and I'd love to see them elsewhere.

 

Canal is an obvious place to put them.  Maybe Loomis too, though that crossing seems much less dangerous than Canal due to traffic volume and lane configuration.  Ashland and Clark are motorist speedways.  Even if you ride all the way to the end of Archer at State before heading north, the bike lane on State abruptly ends north of 18th, so there's no easy way to get from there to the Dearborn lane.

 

But I guess that's no longer a strictly "Southwest" issue.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on August 31, 2015 at 1:26pm

I agree that Canal and Loomis are useful and that Loomis is the safer option of the two for the reasons you state. The huge amount of retail development along Canal near Roosevelt and the intermodal yard further south (just ahead on the right in street view - link below) make Canal problematic for efficient transportation.

I often use Wabash to reach either 14th or 9th, then cross over the Plymouth Ct. and make a slight dogleg on Polk to reach the start of the Dearborn lane.  It has less traffic than most of the other options and minimizes time dealing with bus traffic.

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.8457473,-87.6383488,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1swUVKXJLS8o6RUyMDw0y83A!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on August 31, 2015 at 1:27pm

I also feel that, because there's such a need for a safer crossing in this area, the Loomis bridge should have steel plates on the grated deck.  They were recently added on Halsted and are very helpful there.

Permalink Reply by Cara on August 31, 2015 at 6:11pm

Yess!!! Steel plates on Loomis would be great.

Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on August 31, 2015 at 6:58pm

I was on a ride yesterday and also did the Boulevard Lakefront thing last week, both of which went over the bridge at Loomis.  I walked my bike both times.  Loomis is a great street.  The bridge is frightening!

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on September 1, 2015 at 6:20am

Been getting enough feedback on that bridge lately that it stands out as a priority to work on.

Permalink Reply by Maurice on August 31, 2015 at 5:10pm

I just feel that you're kind of screwed if you don't turn north on Loomis or Halsted.  Despite numerous auto options, the bike options all suck for various, unjustifiable reasons:

- State:  As you noted, you have to go even further east to safely get to the Dearborn lanes (west) because the bike lane just disappears at 18th.  I guess the city ran out of white paint or something.  At least extend it to 14th so we can jog over to Plymouth.

- Clark:  Large volume of speeding cars with zero accommodation for bikes.  Dark tunnel filled with speeding cars is only one lane in one direction.

- Canal:  Shitty river crossing, busy retail and wholesale properties, striped lane doesn't appear until you're north of 18th then suddenly disappears for bus parking then reappears as the extremely dangerous parking "protected" lane north of Roosevelt, cars and trucks constantly parked in the bike lanes around the main post office, etc.

 

If I were DRIVING to Dearborn, I could easily take Canal or Clark to Harrison.

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