Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about Loop

Loop Link buses at Washington and Dearborn. Photo: John Greenfield

CTA Documents: Loop Link Has Yielded Only Minor Speed Gains

By John Greenfield | Oct 17, 2018 | 23 Comments

While Loop Link was supposed to double bus speeds, that hasn't happened, partly due the lack of prepaid boarding and lane enforcement. But that doesn't mean the project is a failure.

Drivers Struck 296 People in Reilly’s Ward in the Last Year, No Reported Riverwalk Crashes

By John Greenfield and Steven Vance | Oct 3, 2018 | 6 Comments

The car-pedestrian crashes included 48 cases with incapacitating injuries, but there have been no media reports of serious bike/ped crashes in the ward. So why is Alderman Reilly focused on banning bikes on the riverwalk?

The new one-block stretch of bike lane on the east side Michigan between Washington and Randolph makes biking on the six-lane avenue a bit less intimidating. Photo: Twitter user @jimsey

CDOT is Filling in the Gaps Between the Washington and Randolph Bikeways

By John Greenfield | Jul 27, 2018 | 13 Comments

New green paint, a dedicated bike signal, and -- gasp! -- a bike lane on Michigan help facilitate the transfer.

Pedestrians cross Lake Shore Drive at Monroe. Image: Google Street View

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Take it to the Bridge: Is an Overpass Needed at Monroe/LSD?

By John Greenfield and Steven Vance | Oct 20, 2017 | 22 Comments

After Streetsblog Chicago ran a post pointing out the dearth of east-west bikeways in the city, and another correctly predicting that that the Navy Pier Flyover completion might be delayed, a local transit planner asked us an interesting question. “I am writing to understand why, in addition to the lack of east-west bike lanes, there […]

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Rehabs Planned for Quincy, Cottage Grove Stations

By John Greenfield | Apr 24, 2017 | 5 Comments

The city held events to announce plans for improvements to two different historic Green Line stations: the Quincy stop in the Loop, and the Cottage Grove station.

Trucker Fatally Strikes Man, 59, on Eight-Lane Stretch of Congress Parkway

By John Greenfield | Dec 6, 2016 | No Comments

A truck driver ran over and killed a 59-year-old man last week in the Loop, according to the police.

The Final Segment of the Chicago Riverwalk Set to Open This Weekend

By John Greenfield and Steven Vance | Oct 19, 2016 | 7 Comments

If all goes well, starting this weekend you’ll be able to walk most of the way from the Ogilvie Center to Michigan Avenue on a car-free, if somewhat circuitous, route. At a media preview of the final section of the Chicago Riverwalk expansion this afternoon, Mayor Emanuel said he’s confident that the new recreational space, […]

Take a Virtual Ride on the New Randolph Protected Bike Lane

By John Greenfield | Oct 18, 2016 | 13 Comments

An important new downtown bikeway recently became rideable. The Randolph protected bike lane runs from Michigan to Clinton, making an already-popular westbound route out of the Loop safer. The project involved a road diet. One one the three travel lanes on Randolph was converted to make room for the bike lane and its striped buffer. […]

Eyes on the Street: The Randolph Protected Bike Lane Starts to Take Shape

By John Greenfield | Jul 26, 2016 | 11 Comments

The Loop Link bus rapid transit corridor on Washington Street includes a concrete-protected bike lane between the island bus stations and the curb. But the construction of the raised, curbside bus platforms and dedicated bus lanes on Madison Street involved the removal an existing bike lane. The Chicago Department of Transportation plans to replace the […]

Eyes on the Street: Dearborn Detour Suggests Salmoning on Lake Street

By Steven Vance | May 19, 2016 | 19 Comments

The City of Chicago has made notable progress on expanding its network of protected bike lanes into more community areas and communities of color than it had before Rahm Emanuel became mayor, but it seems nothing is better about the way bicyclists and pedestrians are accommodated around construction projects. The city has even beefed up detour rules contractors […]

Eyes on the Street: On the First Day of Loop Link

By John Greenfield | Dec 21, 2015 | 31 Comments

Like kids unwrapping presents, travelers in downtown Chicago had some shiny new infrastructure to try out Sunday morning. The Loop Link bus rapid transit system debuted on a day when weekday traffic wasn’t an issue, although the central business district was packed with holiday shoppers. Monday will be the first big test of the system. […]

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