Divvy in Evanston and Oak Park

The recent DNA Info article isn't quite accurate with respect to Divvy's big picture. Bike share systems function best, both for users and from a customer service perspective (ability to perform routine service on bikes and redistribute between stations when needed) when there is a large contiguous network of stations. The system has been expanded in waves, with new service areas adjacent to existing ones. Beverly was not passed over. The Divvy system simply hasn't expanded this far southwest yet. Most locations in Beverly and the 19th ward are at least 5 miles from the nearest existing stations (69th and Halsted, near a popular cafe).

Those of you who were aware of B-Cycle's tiny attempt at a downtown bike share system will understand that bike share does not function well as a tiny island of only a few stations.

There are 4 enormous differences between these suburbs and Beverly in relation to Divvy and biking in general:

1. Distance to existing network of stations. Evanston: 1 mile to the nearest station in Rogers Park. Oak Park: 3 miles to the nearest station in Garfield Park. A lot fewer infill stations are required to establish a contiguous network of stations compared to our Beverly-to-Englewood distance.

2. Both suburbs have comprehensive bike plans that have been years in the making. They have networks of established bike routes getting year-round use and lots of bike racks in their business districts.  Momentum towards the Evanston bike plan started over 10 years ago. Oak Park's bike plan was introduced several years ago, but the groundwork was laid earlier. (2008 version)  (2014 update with resource links)

3. Both suburbs applied jointly with CDOT to get federal transportation money to buy bikes and stations. They put up money for the local match required for the federal grant.

4. The number of people riding bikes in Evanston and Oak Park is many times the number I regularly see on Beverly and Morgan Park streets.

I am encouraged that our alderman, BAPA, Beverly Arts Alliance and others are motivated to bring Divvy to the 19th ward.  For Divvy and increased bike use to succeed here, we will need to work towards better bike infrastructure (on-street bike routes), education and incentives, and more bike parking as needed. This will require time, persistence and patience.

Please don't give up on the idea of getting Divvy here. I encourage you to suggest station locations through the Divvy web site after checking the map for existing suggestions. If there's an existing suggestion in the location you want (green bubble), please click SUPPORT to show that you want it, too.

Please do it with the understanding that it is likely to take a few more waves of system expansion for the service area to reach us.

sustainable transportation vision (and the lack of it) in local wards and municipalities

Initiatives to promote bicycling as a healthy, sustainable form of transportation have the potential to transform the Chicago area. If more people feel safe when riding to their destinations instead of driving, quality of life in our neighborhoods improves: less road rage, less pollution (air, water and noise), better health, and a stronger local economy. Businesses can serve more customers with less car parking when more customers arrive by bike and on foot instead of driving. We've seen progress in the last 10 years, but there is still plenty of room for improvement.

A cross section of Chicago wards currently have ongoing bike events and/or plans: 19, 25, 27, 28, 30, 32, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, and 49.

The 49th ward (Alderman Moore) is on the verge of starting one of the more ambitious neighborhood greenway plans, thanks to resident voting under participatory budgeting.

Former Alderman Bob Fioretti (2nd ward) had bike events, and made bike infrastructure an important priority. Under new Alderman Brian Hopkins (ward remap), that has disappeared. The 14th and 15th wards had ward bike events under previous aldermen, but don't anymore.

I met Alderman Sawyer (6th ward) at a Slow Roll ride last year and talked bikes with him. He spent the morning riding with us and talked with quite a few riders.

Under former Alderman Colon, the 35th ward got an active transportation plan to promote walking and biking, as well as the city's first on-street bike parking corral. I'm hopeful that new Alderman Ramirez-Rosa will continue the momentum that was established under Colon.

The 26th ward did a safety study, but modifications to the streets since then have been a mixed bag with respect to safety and biking. (Note: useful info on infrastructure concepts starting at page 20 at the safety study link above.)

The 3rd ward has a great community bike program: Bronzeville Bikes, which includes a neighborhood co-op, the Bike Box.

Alderman Reboyras (30th ward) introduced an ordinance in an attempt to modify Chicago law to allow people 65 and older to legally ride bikes on sidewalks. He hoped to make conditions safer for seniors who ride. Under current law, only children 12 and under are allowed to ride on sidewalks.

In the 33rd ward, Alderman Mell has worked for bike and pedestrian improvements.

I talked with Alderman Burnett (27th ward) at an Active Transportation Alliance event a few years ago. While he doesn't appear to have an active ward program to promote biking and bike infrastructure, he is aware of relevant issues.

Many current and former south side aldermen don't seem to get the idea that many residents want or need to ride - for transportation that is healthy and affordable, or for recreation. This includes the 7th ward (Sandi Jackson), 5th ward (Leslie Hairston) and 8th ward (Michelle Harris).

I'm encouraged that some of our south side aldermen now say they want Divvy, though they don't necessarily understand that improving bike infrastructure in their wards to make biking safer would be important to Divvy's success there.

Participatory budgeting is becoming an important tool in getting community input and allocating funding for bike projects, such as the proposed greenway in the 49th ward mentioned above.

The list of Chicago area municipalities that have bike plans and are in some phase of implementation includes: Evanston, Oak Park (2008  2014), Skokie, Blue Island, Berwyn, and Schaumburg,

The Cal-Sag Trail is a great example of cooperation between municipalities. When it is complete, it run 26 miles from Lemont to Burnham and Calumet City, connecting with many existing trails and boosting local and regional bike tourism.  

The growing importance of bike transportation and bike-related tourism cannot be ignored. It must be included in economic planning for our city and region. Watch for more on these topics.

Evanston vs. Hyde Park

This blog posting gives an apt analysis of Evanston's redevelopment and how its lessons might be applied in Hyde Park. The comments add a lot to this one.