non sequitur Friday

I know I'm not the only one who's tired of rain.

Divvy bikes and how to park them

 Since the weather's been getting a bit warmer, I'm happy to see more people riding Divvy bikes around the neighborhood. The downside is that people don't always leave the e-Divvy bikes in the best places when they've finished their trips.

Plenty of blocks don't have sign posts. Other than bike racks, that's the best place to lock up away from a Divvy station. If it's feasible to lock up to a fence, that works too. I'm seeing too many left like this one, in the middle of a sidewalk.

Divvy on sidewalk, 100th and Longwood

I've been hearing neighbors grumbling about situations like this. Lots of people use this crosswalk, and it's not very considerate to leave a bike in a spot like this. Also, a bike can get blown over and damaged in high winds. We've had plenty of those lately. 

Divvy locked to stop sign

When I ride one home, I lock it to the stop sign on the corner. It's out of the way and secured so it can't blow over or get knocked over. 

If you use Divvy, please be considerate and lock it to a publicly accessible fixed object (bike rack, sign post, etc.) when you're done with your trip if your destination isn't close to a Divvy station. If there is no good place to lock up, don't block the sidewalk.

The Major Taylor Trail needs some TLC

Many of us have used and appreciated the Major Taylor Trail for years. Much of the pavement on the off-street sections is now about 20 years old and in need of some TLC.  Portions of the on-street sections are even worse.

Going north from 95th St., there are spots where the edge of the trail is crumbling away. Some spots have plants growing through.

Just north of 95th St.

Cracks in trail surface

Crumbling edges with plants growing through

From 87th St. to the north end and 83rd St. trailhead in Dan Ryan Woods, there are deteriorated areas in need of repair.

Crumbling edges

Long cracks

On the connector from Major Taylor to
loop trail (near 85th), one side of the trail is crumbling.

The on-street section from 97th to 105th has its challenges. It needs repairs as well as signage and pavement markings. There are a few utility cuts that have been left in rough condition - not such a big deal for cars, but a potential hazard for cyclists.

On streets anywhere in the city, crack sealer should be much more widely used, not saved for special occasions. 

East of Vincennes, 105th St. has been a disaster for years and a hazard to riders, causing several crashes that I've witnessed. It's in desperate need of repaving.

There are plenty of cracks and ridges in the trail surface between 105th and 107th. These will become very hazardous if not repaired within the next few years.

From 107th to 127th, there are many areas in need of repair.

Just north of 119th where a fence was removed, the edge of the trail has crumbled away, creating a real hazard.

The trail has an on-street section from the Metra Electric tracks at 121st to a spot north of 122nd. It's been a cratered disaster for well over 10 years and is in desperate need of repaving. 

ADA curb ramps at 127th need some TLC, too. On the north side of the street, it's totally crumbled away. On the south side, the pads need to be bolted down again.

From 127th to the river, conditions are fairly good up to 128th Pl, then the trail condition gets rougher from there to the bridge.

I hope that CDOT is planning on resurfacing in the near future and that they're coordinating with the park district and forest preserve district. This trail is a real asset to the city. It's used by more people each year - for walking, biking, jogging and other uses.  We all need to have safe conditions there.

non sequitur Friday

Variations on a theme...

non sequitur Friday

Variations on a theme

Major Taylor Trail cleanup on 4/23 for Earth Day

We are having an Earth Day cleanup on Saturday 4/23, 9 am to noon - multiple locations.  We will meet up on the west side of the Jewel parking lot at 95th and Ashland, adjacent to the trail, and divide up into groups to work at additional locations. Here's a map link for the start location.

Here's the signup link with more information.