seed gathering and bonfire at Whistler Woods

'tis the season for gathering and scattering seeds.  There's also tree cutting to do.  Join in the work and fun this Saturday 9/26 from 2 to 5 p.m.  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 - parking lot is the first left turn after you turn onto Forestview.  Nearest exit from I-57 is 127th St. From there, take eastbound 127th, then turn right on Halsted.

By transit:  Pace 352 bus.

Questions? Call Chris, 773-746-5223. 

a tale of near misses

I've written previously about bike safety (part 1, part 2), with the goal of promoting safe bicycling as a healthy form of transportation.

On my walk home from Metra on a recent evening, I watched a scenario that made me flinch several times, concerned about the safety of a family on bikes.  A father was riding his bicycle with an infant in a bike-mounted seat, accompanied by his young son (about 6 years old) who was riding his own bike.  As the family crossed Longwood Drive, they were nearly hit by an approaching driver who did not slow down until the last second.  As they continued past Longwood, the boy wobbled on and off the sidewalk and back and forth across the street.

It is legal for children up to age 12 to ride on sidewalks.  Until a child develops basic bike handling skills (able to confidently ride in a straight line and turn without falling), riding on the sidewalk is much safer for that child than being in the street.

The father was trying to ride his bicycle at a low speed to stay close to his son. Dad didn't seem comfortable riding so slowly and wobbled back and forth across the street, often riding on the wrong side against traffic.

The risk of collision with a vehicle is much higher when riding against traffic. Drivers pulling out of parking spaces, turning at street corners or out of driveways are likely to be accelerating and are not expecting to see you directly in front of them. They may not see you in time to avoid a collision.

Drivers don't expect cyclists to be on and off the sidewalk.  If you come off the sidewalk into the path of an approaching vehicle less than half a block away, the driver may not be able to stop in time.

Drivers should always stay aware of what's happening around them, and yield to cyclists and pedestrians who have the right of way.  Staying within the speed limit is equally important.  I often see drivers on Longwood, Western and other local streets going 35-40 mph.  Look at the difference that makes on injuries and fatalities vs. traveling at 30 mph or less.

Injury and fatality rate for peds and cyclists by impact speed

When a cyclist and a vehicle travel head on towards each other, the speed of impact is higher than if the vehicle is overtaking the cyclist, and both parties have much less time to react, so the risk of serious injury or death increases in a head-on collision.  Riding with the direction of traffic (where drivers expect to see you and you have more time to react) is safer.  Using a mirror can help you see traffic behind you.

Please ride and drive safely so that we can all enjoy our neighborhood.  Nearly all crashes are avoidable if we all follow the same rules and stay aware of where others are riding, walking or driving around us.

Seeing families riding safely together is a beautiful thing.  Learning good bike handling and traffic safety skills is a good path to healthy transportation and spending quality time together -  going to school, park or library, shopping, or just enjoying the scenery.

non sequitur Friday

Friends of the Major Taylor Trail meeting on Wed. 9/16

Friends of the Major Taylor Trail will meet on Wed. 9/16 at Ridge Park fieldhouse (1817 W 96th St.), 6:30 to 8:00 pm.

For those who aren't familiar with our group and what we do, we are a non-profit advocacy group working to improve and maintain the Major Taylor Trail and promote its use. We have an active working relationship with the Chicago Park District, Forest Preserve District of Cook County and other non-profits and government agencies. We organize volunteer workdays, bike rides and other events.

We'd love to have your ideas and help with future events and projects. Please join us! Everyone is welcome.

non sequitur Friday

you can become a TreeKeeper

Are you interested in joining the TreeKeepers volunteer program to plant and care for trees in our parks and neighborhoods?  There are 3 class locations this fall. Classes start this month.  Click here for more information.

finishing up the planting at Whistler Woods

Last weekend a group of volunteers got many native plants in the ground at Whistler Woods. On Saturday, Sept. 12 from 10 am to noon, there's another workday to complete this project.

Volunteers are needed to finish seeding, planting, and cutting around big gully draining into the Little Calumet River. These new plants will help pollinators, reduce erosion and filter all kinds of nasty runoff before it reaches the river and, ultimately, Lake Michigan, our drinking water.

When you arrive, look for volunteers along the lefthand side of the main parking lot, near the end of the parking lot.

The new arrivals include rye grasses, asters, false Solomon's seal, sedges, and more,  purchased with funding by ArcelorMittal, the steel company next door to Whistler.

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 - parking lot is the first left turn after you turn onto Forestview.  Nearest exit from I-57 is 127th St. From there, take eastbound 127th, then turn right on Halsted.

By transit:  Pace 352 bus.

Bring a trowel if you have one. Free lunch. Questions? Call Chris, 773-746-5223. 

planting day at Whistler Woods

Here come the plants! 400 baby native plants arrive at Whistler Woods Saturday, Sept. 5

Those plants need volunteers to put them in the ground. It only takes about 2 minutes to dig a hole, stick a plant in, and pat it closed. So we only need 400 people to donate 2 minutes apiece, or 200 people to donate 4 minutes, or . . . Just come.

When you arrive, look for volunteers along the lefthand side of the main parking lot between 10 am and 1 pm. 

Bring a trowel if you have one. Free lunch. Questions? Call Chris, 773-746-5223. 

The new arrivals include rye grasses, asters, false Solomon's seal, sedges, and more,  purchased with funding by ArcelorMittal, the steel company next door to Whistler.

These new plants will help pollinators, reduce erosion (which kills fish and water plants) and filter storm runoff before it reaches the river and, ultimately, Lake Michigan - our drinking water.

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 - parking lot is the first left turn after you turn onto Forestview.  Nearest exit from I-57 is 127th St. From there, take eastbound 127th, then turn right on Halsted.

By transit:  Pace 352 bus.

non sequitur Friday

115th & Western open for bike traffic

After a long, frustrating period of construction, it's now possible to use 115th St. as a bike route across Western again. Yeah!!! This has been one of our best east-west bike routes across Western and we've missed it.  Groups riding from the south often use this route to reach points in Beverly and Morgan Park (shops, restaurants, parks), so now we need to get the word out.

The new sports center has plenty of bike racks, if that's your destination.

Sports center entrance with benches and bike racks

If you're passing through, there's more than one option to use, depending on traffic and whether you're riding solo or with a group. A wide curb ramp next to the driveway makes it easy to get onto the broad sidewalk from Western. At the east (cul de sac) end, another wide curb ramp eases the transition from driveway to eastbound 115th St.  From the sidewalk, a driveway behind the sports center makes it easy to reach 115th at the cul de sac.

Westbound view from cul de sac

Curb ramps at Western

One surprising omission: no reflective posts or signs warning drivers from the east that the street is closed to through traffic. If that's left unchanged, it could cause some nasty surprises.

Westbound view east of cul de sac

I was concerned early about whether the park district would end up with a good design for traffic flow through the site. I liked what I saw. Well done, Chicago Park District!