do you want to see bike routes in the 19th ward?

With the addition of dockless bike share in our ward, Alderman O'Shea seems more open to the idea of creating bike routes to encourage more bike riding and more use of the dockless bikes.  This is a welcome opportunity to give input on a set of bike route ideas that were developed by CDOT during the initial round of public outreach for the Streets for Cycling Plan 2020.

The plan includes different types of routes, ranging from neighborhood greenways (for residential streets) to protected bike lanes on major streets like Vincennes.

Better conditions for riding can encourage development and growth of Safe Routes to School programs so that more kids can walk and bike safely to neighborhood schools. We've all seen how crazy and dangerous streets around schools can be around drop-off and pick-up times. Conditions can be hazardous for the kids themselves, for neighbors, and for anyone who needs to pass through those areas or streets that parents use to get there. I'm sure that many of you have seen the huge difference in morning and afternoon traffic volumes between weekdays when schools are in session and summer weekdays. Walking and biking without all that additional traffic is much safer and more pleasant.

If a lot more kids are walking and biking instead of being driven to school, it's a valuable opportunity for them to learn about navigating their neighborhood, street safety, decision making, and the environment around them. It creates a foundation for many basic life skills.

One of the benefits that many communities have seen from more people getting around by bike instead of car is a boost to neighborhood business districts. As long as there's a place to lock up bikes, and it's a place people can easily reach by bike, studies have shown that making streets more bike friendly can increase revenues. Local and regional bike touring bring more business once the word gets out that riding conditions are good.

Bike rides to visit craft breweries are increasingly popular. Those riders may visit other businesses along the way, in addition to breweries and brewpubs. Attracting a large bike group can bring $$$$ to our business districts. Businesses can serve a lot more customers if they're coming by bike instead of needing a lot of parking spaces. Unique businesses can make a neighborhood a popular destination.

You can take the survey here. The first map below shows an overview of the whole ward, while the 5 areas in smaller detail maps correspond to questions in the survey.

Area 1

Area 2

Area 3

Area 4

Area 5

The survey will be open until 10/31.  We hope that you'll spend a few minutes to take it.

If there are streets in the ward where you would like to be able to ride but you don't because conditions are too dangerous, please include that in comments.

Terrain Fest and Artist Studio Tours on Sun. 9/23

Come out for Terrain Fest on Sunday afternoon 9/23 from 2:00-4:30 pm. It's happening at 95th and Hamilton in conjunction with Beverly Art Walk artist studio tours.

We'll have art and reading activities for kids, music, kids' bike safety demo and more. Representatives from the dockless bike share companies will be there. If you have questions about dockless bike share, you can ask a rep.

If you are interested in seeing bike routes developed in the 19th ward, come out and see a map of proposed ideas and do a survey to let CDOT know where you want bike routes. 

Parents - bring your kids with their bikes and helmets to learn about riding smart and safe.

Thanks to Beverly Bike & Ski, we will have a bike safety check. Stop by and get it checked out.

                                    ------------------------------------

Here's more info about the Artist Studio Tours happening from noon to 5:00 pm on the same date. We highly recommend biking between studios.

Artist Line-Up: (from North to South, 90th to 111th)
Dalton Brown - 9036 S Oakley
Brian Ritchard - 9419 S Leavitt
Jomo Cheatham - 95th and Hoyne
Charlette Hein - 9737 S Hoyne

Sandra Leonard, John Colson, Audrius Pliopylis and
Jean Vanier- Trinity Church, 99th and Winchester
Raymond Broady and Brendan McAlinden - 10357 S. Hamilton
Judie Anderson, 10632 S. Hoyne
Pat Egan, Kathy Figel and Karen Doubek - Art From The Heart studio, 2266 W. 109th
Dan McCabe - 2213 W. 109th St.
Tom Olsen and Jack Denst - 11112 S. Hoyne

Studio Tour After-Party 5-7 pm at the beautiful Wild Blossom Meadery (9030 S. Hermitage Ave.)

getting Divvy into the 19th ward

I originally posted this a few months ago. I'm bringing it back because there has been more discussion on this topic in recent weeks.

I appreciate BAPA's efforts in circulating a petition to let CDOT know that folks in our ward want Divvy.  How many people in the 19th ward have used Divvy in existing locations? How many understand how the system works?

Divvy and other on-demand bike share systems are designed for short point-to-point trips.  Bike share is intended as a form of short-distance public transportation, not for longer recreational rides. This type of system works best when the area covered is large, with many stations spaced 1/4 mile to 1/2 mile apart.

One may buy a 24-hour or 1-year membership, which includes an unlimited number of trips of 30 minutes or less within that membership period. From the time you remove a bike from a station dock, it costs no additional money unless you keep it for longer than 30 minutes. If you ride longer than 30 minutes, there is a small charge; increasing for a trip of 1 hour or more.  The price structure is intended to maximize the number of bikes available at any given time.

Divvy station map

Stations may be placed in front of businesses, libraries, school, at parks, in residential locations, etc.  Where business districts and other non-residential destinations are more than 1/4 mile to 1/2 mile apart, station placement in residential locations may be needed to effectively serve that part of the neighborhood. When stations are too far apart, they may not be convenient to your desired start location or destination, making bike share a less efficient form of transportation.

Much of what we have so far has been paid for by federal grant funding (such as CMAQ and other categories of transportation grant money) and sponsorship by Blue Cross Blue Shield. U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin have been strong allies, supporting bike, ped and transit funding in Congress.  

Continued improvements to bike infrastructure (bike lanes and neighborhood greenways), traffic education aimed at all ages, and better traffic enforcement are all needed for Divvy to succeed in the 19th ward.  Every day I see adults riding on the sidewalk (illegal for riders older than 12) on streets like Longwood Dr. I rarely see any traffic enforcement in the neighborhood, and I often observe drivers going 10+ mph over the speed limit on portions of Longwood, 111th and almost anywhere on Western. If more riders felt comfortable on local streets, Divvy would be much more successful in the 19th ward.

I encourage you to nominate Divvy station locations or vote in support of proposed locations through the Divvy web site.  Voting for specific locations adds substance to the BAPA petition.

We need to overcome anti-bike attitudes and dangerous driver behavior that are prevalent in some areas of the ward. Our alderman has publicly shown hostility to the idea of 19th ward bike lanes in recent years, as quoted in a Tribune article: "Several aldermen also called for better bike lanes ...Ald. Matthew O’Shea, 19th, took a different stance, telling Klein 'if you never put a bike lane in my ward, that’s too soon.'”

I and other south side bike advocates have talked with CDOT commissioner Rebekah Scheinfeld and deputy commissioner Luann Hamilton about demand for Divvy in far south side neighborhoods. They have repeatedly stated their intention to keep seeking grant funding for future expansion to broaden the Divvy service area to cover more of the city. I will keep asking until Divvy expansion to the 19th ward is planned and funded.

If we can achieve better infrastructure and less driver hostility towards cyclists, Divvy could be a very positive addition to the neighborhood.  I hope that funding and political will can come together to make that happen.

where would you like to see bike lanes?

Would you like an opportunity to get in your $0.02 worth about where you'd like bike lanes?  Take the Active Transportation Alliance survey (available in English and Spanish).  Share the link with your friends (www.activetrans.org/bikesurvey).

Streets for Cycling 2020 public meeting on Sat. 6/9 (and webinars)

The City of Chicago launched the Streets for Cycling Plan 2020 several months ago to create a more complete network of bicycling facilities to help all Chicagoans (from school kids to senior citizens) feel safe and comfortable riding their bikes on city streets.

The Chicago Department of Transportation has sought input on where you bike, where you want improvements and what would encourage you to ride for transportation.

Now you can see a draft of the plan at a public meeting or webinar and continue the dialogue. Learn about possible street treatments and bike facilities, remaining challenges and next steps.  This is your opportunity to help fine tune the draft plan.

If you missed the 5/31 and 6/6 public meetings, the next meeting will be held at 77 S. Dearborn (building lobby) on Sat. 6/9, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Open House

If you're unable to attend any of the public meetings, maybe one of the webinars will work for you.

Webinar 1  Mon. 6/11, noon–1 p.m.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at: http://goo.gl/6JRQc

Webinar 2  Wed. 6/13, 6–7 p.m.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at: http://goo.gl/CQSS9

Streets for Cycling 2020 public meeting on Wed. 6/6 (and webinars)

The City of Chicago launched the Streets for Cycling Plan 2020 several months ago to create a more complete network of bicycling facilities to help all Chicagoans (from school kids to senior citizens) feel safe and comfortable riding their bikes on city streets.

The Chicago Department of Transportation has sought input on where you bike, where you want improvements and what would encourage you to ride for transportation.

Now you can see a draft of the plan at a public meeting or webinar and continue the dialogue. Learn about possible street treatments and bike facilities, remaining challenges and next steps.  This is your opportunity to help fine tune the draft plan.

If you missed the 5/31 public meeting, the next meeting will be held at Douglas Park Cultural and Community Center (Ballroom),  1401 S. Sacramento Dr. on Wed. 6/6 from 4–8 p.m.  There will presentations with Q&A at 4:30 & 6:30 p.m.

If you're unable to attend any of the public meetings, maybe one of the webinars will work for you.

Webinar 1  Mon. 6/11, noon–1 p.m.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at: http://goo.gl/6JRQc

Webinar 2  Wed. 6/13, 6–7 p.m.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at: http://goo.gl/CQSS9

Streets for Cycling 2020 public meeting on 5/31

The City of Chicago launched the Streets for Cycling Plan 2020 several months ago to create a more complete network of bicycling facilities to help all Chicagoans (from school kids to senior citizens) feel safe and comfortable riding their bikes on city streets.

The Chicago Department of Transportation has sought input on where you bike, where you want improvements and what would encourage you to ride for transportation.

Now you can see a draft of the plan at Thursday's public meeting (or a later meeting or webinar) and continue the dialogue. Learn about possible street treatments and bike facilities, remaining challenges and next steps.  This is your opportunity to help fine tune the draft plan.

The next public meeting is this Thursday 5/31 at Gary Comer Youth Center (Exhibition Hall, 3rd floor), 7200 S. Ingleside Ave. from 4–8 p.m. There will be presentations with Q&A at 4:30 & 6:30 p.m.

Information on later meetings and webinars will follow.

coming soon to more Chicago neighborhoods

The Streets for Cycling 2020 Plan is in the process of gathering public input for the planning and design of a more complete network of bike routes throughout the city of Chicago.  The added bike routes will take two forms: bike lanes (protected, buffered or regular) and bike boulevards (old name) or neighborhood greenway (new name).

Bike lanes are used on major streets to provide dedicated space for cyclists.  We've been seeing regular bike lanes for a while.  The plan will introduce protected and buffered lanes to the city.  Last year the first protected bike lane was introduced on Kinzie - part of a major bike commute route into the Loop.  The video below shows before and after conditions on this congested street.



The bridge has textured plates to cover the steel grating of the bridge deck.  Sections with parking have the parking lane relocated so that the bike lane is next to the curb, and parking is between the bike lane and traffic lane, with a buffer space to keep cyclists clear of the hazard of opening doors and allow car passengers to get in and out of cars safely.  With these safer conditions, the bike percentage of total traffic has risen over 50% on this section of Kinzie.

Here's an example of a buffered bike lane, another new type of lane that will be introduced in Chicago.  This type is wider than a regular lane, to allow a little more space for cyclists to stay clear of moving traffic and opening car doors.  It may be used where street width isn't sufficient to allow for protected lanes.

On quiet residential streets, neighborhood greenways (also called bike boulevards) use a mixture of traffic calming measures to create routes suitable for riders of all ages and abilities.  The goal is to

Here's a video from Portland, OR, illustrating how a greenway works.  This video from Berkeley, CA, gives additional examples.  For more information, here's an illustration and a text description of a greenway.  The goal is to create greenway routes that are safe to ride for anyone from the ages of 8 to 80 or beyond.

The overall goal of the plan is to create more favorable conditions for a wider range of people to use bicycles for everyday transportation, so that bicycles are a viable alternative to the car for many more people.

Do you ride for transportation now?  Or do you watch other people and hesitate to join them because you feel unsafe on city streets?  This plan is for all of you.  Where would you like to see bike lanes or greenways in the 19th ward?

Public meetings will be announced soon to give a preview of the route network and offer a final opportunity for input.  Please join us - in the meetings and on the road.

Streets for Cycling 2020 Plan - public meeting on 1/25

Do you ride a bike? Would you like to feel safer riding on city streets? The Streets for Cycling 2020 plan is for you!

The city's bike program has gotten a substantial chunk of federal grant money for the purpose of adding bike lanes (protected, buffered or regular), bike boulevards and other improvements to make city streets better for transportation cycling, and reduce traffic congestion. The Dept. of Transportation is seeking input from regular cyclists to determine where these improvements should be added.

One of the program's goals is identifying locations where local cyclists would like to see protected bike lanes on busier streets. Click here to view a video showing the city's first protected lane, so that you can see an example of the concept.

Bike boulevards are another goal. They are residential streets with traffic calming measures, designed to offer safe transportation for cyclists of all ages. Click here to see examples of the concept. 

On Wednesday 1/25, there is a south side meeting at Woodson Regional Library, 9525 S. Halsted, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., with a presentation at 6:30 p.m.

Anyone is welcome to attend this meeting, where they can get more information about the project and offer their ideas on where they'd like to go by bike, and where they'd like to see bike lanes and bike boulevards.

Those who are not able to attend a public meeting are encouraged to interact using the program's Facebook page.  The site will be updated with project news as well as provide opportunities for people to share their ideas.

There will also be 2 webinars available: Friday 2/3 from noon to 1:00 p.m.  and Monday 2/6 from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.   Please note that the webinars require advance registration.

Please share this information with anyone you know who may be interested.

how your ride affects what you see and how you see it

A while back, I was on vacation in Oregon. My reading included Pedal Power: The Quiet Rise of the Bicycle in American Public Life, written by DePaul political science professor Harry Wray, who makes many astute observations about contemporary America. I highly recommend the book.

After getting home, I started thinking about my impressions of Portland, Oregon. I got around primarily on foot and by public transit, with some time on a bike. Before leaving Portland for points south, I got a rental car for going to destinations that were not easily accessible by public transit. Portland was a pleasure to navigate without a car. On my one stop in town after getting the car, parking was a hassle. I was happy once I got away from the car.

At home in Chicago, I try to drive as little as possible. In a densely populated area, the car can be more of a trap than a source of freedom. We've reached a point where congestion and road rage can have a very damaging effect on our physical and mental wellbeing. Endless hours are wasted in traffic jams, creating a greater sense of urgency about reaching one's destination and enough frustration to motivate risky behavior. The current price of gas, combined with congestion, is igniting rage even in otherwise reasonable drivers. As a culture, the pleasure of our journeys has been mostly replaced by grimly creeping in traffic towards the destination.

This morning, I was visiting a few neighborhood destinations by car due to the cold weather.  These are places I usually visit by bike, and the lack of parking I encountered today made me appreciate how much easier these trips are by bike.

Traveling in neighborhoods where I am a minority, I've sometimes been the target of hostility when I am driving. BTW, it's a 20-year-old Honda Civic, not some fancy car. I've been yelled at, spit at, cut off in traffic, and been on the receiving end of nasty racial slurs, all while driving reasonably, without hostility. If I ride my bike in those same areas, at the same times of day, the response is more friendly - a smile, a wave, a little kid riding alongside smiling and just being a kid. If I'm waiting for a bus, the response is usually neutral or friendly. I am not isolated by the car. We are on equal footing.

If one's mode of transportation affects how one is perceived, this can also affect how experiences a place. The bike is a means of transportation that is affordable to all income levels. It promotes interaction with the environmental and is not threatening. In contrast, a car is a bubble around its occupants, more likely to create social isolation, with potential to injure or kill others.

One's mode of transportation tends to affect one's feelings about and reactions to a place. A car junkie's perception is often all about how much time is spent sitting in traffic and how much hassle it is to find parking. There may be beautiful gardens, interesting shops, interesting architecture and other small-scale pleasures along the way. A pedestrian would probably see them and be able to stop and check them out. A cyclist would have a reasonable chance of doing the same. Either might have conversations with others while waiting at lights. A driver would probably miss them entirely, preoccupied with getting through the next light before it turns red, or angry at being cut off by another driver or simply traveling too fast to notice them.

The culture of a place also affects one's perspective. Portland is considered one of the most bike friendly American cities. Its bike infrastructure is a big factor. Chicago is in the next tier of bike friendly cities. Bike infrastructure has vastly improved its bike friendliness compared to 20 years ago. However, infrastructure only goes so far. Portland is a peaceful, mellow place. In my experiences there, road rage was rare. In Chicago, the opposite is true.

We will never be nearly as bike friendly as Portland until Chicago experiences a significant cultural shift away from rage and hostility on our streets. This may happen when enough people get out of their cars if bike and public transit infrastructure continue to improve and expand to meet the demands of increasing ridership. It will require increasing maturity and tolerance on the part of both cyclists and drivers. Too many Chicago cyclists fail to understand that rude and reckless behavior will hurt ALL of us, because it provokes similar behavior from drivers.

Sorry, folks. Sometimes the truth hurts. To get good karma, ya gotta give it - to cars, pedestrians, and other cyclists. Otherwise the bad stuff you dish out will come back to bite you in the a$$ sooner or later. Let's try for peace in our lifetimes on our streets. If enough of us get out of our cars, it can happen.

Now we've got a unique opportunity to get better bike facilities in our neighborhoods.  The city's Streets for Cycling 2020 Plan offers regular people a chance to ask for bike lanes and bike boulevards in locations that matter to them.  The next public meeting happens on Wed. 1/25 at Woodson Regional Library.  I hope you can be there to ask for bike facilities that matter to you.

Streets for Cycling 2020 plan - public meeting on 1/17

Do you ride a bike? Would you like to feel safer riding on city streets? The Streets for Cycling 2020 plan is for you!

The city's bike program has gotten a substantial chunk of federal grant money for the purpose of adding bike lanes (protected, buffered or regular), bike boulevards and other improvements to make city streets better for transportation cycling, and reduce traffic congestion. The Dept. of Transportation is seeking input from regular cyclists to determine where these improvements should be added.

One of the program's goals is identifying locations where local cyclists would like to see protected bike lanes on busier streets. Click here to view a video showing the city's first protected lane, so that you can see an example of the concept.

Bike boulevards are another goal. They are residential streets with traffic calming measures, designed to offer safe transportation for cyclists of all ages. Click here to see examples of the concept.

There are 2 public meetings scheduled in our area in the next 2 weeks. On Tuesday 1/17, there is a neighborhood meeting at Ridge Park fieldhouse, 9625 S. Longwood Dr., from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.

On Wednesday 1/25, there is a south side meeting at Woodson Regional Library, 9525 S. Halsted, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., with a presentation at 6:30 p.m.

Anyone is welcome to attend either meeting, where they can get more information about the project and offer their ideas on where they'd like to go by bike, and where they'd like to see bike lanes and bike boulevards.

Those who are not able to attend one of the public meetings are encouraged to interact using the program's Facebook page.  The site will be updated with project news as well as provide opportunities for people to share their ideas.

There will also be 2 webinars available: Friday 2/3 from noon to 1:00 p.m.  and Monday 2/6 from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.   Please note that the webinars require advance registration.

Please share this information with anyone you know who may be interested.