Saturday, May 19, 2018

Friends of the Major Taylor Trail meeting on Monday 5/21

If you're interested learning more about future events and helping to work for better conditions on the Major Taylor Trail, please join us on Monday night (5/21, 7 to 8:30 pm) at Ridge Park fieldhouse.

https://www.thechainlink.org/events/friends-of-the-major-taylor-trail-meeting-998

Thursday, May 17, 2018

no Metra service on Beverly sub-line this weekend (5/19 and 5/20)

You may have noticed bundles of railroad ties along the tracks recently. Metra is planning some major construction. 

In addition to the projects listed on this page, they are planning a weekend of major construction on Saturday 5/19 and Sunday 5/20 when they are running NO trains on the Beverly sub-line.  Trains will only run on the main line that weekend, so the nearest stops will at 95th/Vincennes and 103rd/Vincennes.  

There will also be construction from now through 6/8 that may cause delays on mid-day trains. Smoother Metra rides are coming soon.

Monday, May 14, 2018

Whistler Woods habitat restoration workday on Sat. 5/19

It's great to get outdoors. Volunteers are needed this Saturday 5/19 from 10 am to 1 pm for a habitat restoration workday - brush cutting and bonfires.  Snacks and water will be available. (3rd Saturday of the month will be the new regular day.)


Hiking boots or other boots or shoes that offer good support and traction are a good idea. When you arrive, look for volunteers along the lefthand side of the main parking lot, near the end of the parking lot. If you have work gloves, bring them, otherwise gloves will be available.  

How to get there:   Whistler Woods is just east of 13400 S Halsted in Riverdale.

By bike: if you're coming from the north, ride the Major Taylor Trail south until it ends in Whistler Woods and continue to the parking lot to find the volunteers.

By car: take Halsted to Forestview (13400S) - parking lot is the first left turn after you turn east onto Forestview.

From I-57, exit at eastbound 127th, then turn right on Halsted, then continue to 13400S and follow the directions above.

From I-94, exit at westbound 130th.  Continue past the viaduct, right (northbound) on Indiana, then continue left on 127th. Follow the directions above.

By transit:  Pace 352 Halsted bus

Sunday, May 6, 2018

no Metra service in Beverly and Morgan Park on 5/19 and 5/20

You may have noticed bundles of railroad ties along the tracks recently. Metra is planning some major construction.  

In addition to the projects listed on this page, they are planning a weekend of major construction on Saturday 5/19 and Sunday 5/20 when they are running NO trains on the Beverly sub-line.  Trains will only run on the main line that weekend, so the nearest stops will at 95th & Vincennes and 103rd & Vincennes.  

There will also be construction from now through 6/8 that may cause delays on mid-day trains. Smoother Metra rides are coming soon.

Thursday, May 3, 2018

more bike share launches in the neighborhood

In addition to the LimeBike launch on Tuesday, 2 additional companies have gotten the green light from the city to start operating in the same service area (south of 79th St.) as LimeBike. (LimeBike is the bright green and yellow bike. There were some at County Fair last night, remaining after Tuesday's launch shown in the photo below.)

LimeBikes
Pace bikes appeared in the neighborhood yesterday. I spotted 2 of them by the 95th St. Metra station. Those are the white bikes with blue wheel rims.

Pace bikes
I had my first Ofo bikes sighting at the 99th St. Metra station on my way home tonight. Those are the bright yellow bikes.

Ofo bikes
Each bike share company offers a distinct style of bike. LimeBike has e-assist. Pace and Ofo are regular pedal bikes without e-assist. To use each company's bike, you need to have their specific app on your smart phone. The terms of service and fee structure vary somewhat from one company to another. Because the bike itself is more expensive and the e-assist battery requires charging from time to time, LimeBike costs a little more than the regular pedal bikes. It's worth reviewing the terms of service and checking out the style and size of the bike to see if that particular company's service suits you. Take a test ride or two and see if you like it.

For now, the city is allowing both free-locking bikes (rear wheel lock with no attachment to secure bike to a lock or pole) and bikes with built-in locks for securing to a lock or pole. For each type of bike, you are responsible for the bike from the time you unlock it with the app to when you lock it at the end of your ride.

So far I've done test rides on LimeBike. That bike makes a distinct tone when you lock it to let you know that it's secure and your trip is closed out.  I'd imagine that the others do something similar.

I used a LimeBike to ride home from Metra after work tonight. The basket is a nice size for a small grocery run, buying a container of ice cream or a six pack, retrieving a takeout order, bringing home books from the library and many other uses.

What types of trips do you think you might take using bike share? Have you tried any of the bike share bikes yet? Please share your experiences in comments.