Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about protected bike lanes

Cutting the ribbon on the new 119th Street protected bike lanes. Left to right: Randy Newfeld and Brandon Goodall from SRAM; Bobby Berry from Friends of the Major Taylor Trail; Biagi, Austen, Taylor; Paul Fitzgerald from Friends of Big Marsh; Rynell. Photo: John Greenfield

CDOT announces major bikeway push, still no plans for a cohesive protected network

By John Greenfield | Sep 22, 2021 | No Comments

Obstruction from aldermen, plus an emphasis on quantity over quality, means this plan isn't going to result in the cohesive, citywide protected bikeway network we need.

Some people biking on Clark are using the sidewalk rather than take their chances in the half-finished, car-clogged bike lanes. Photo: John Greenfield

Clark bike lanes in Edgewater are coming along, but not without their issues

By Courtney Cobbs | Sep 10, 2021 | No Comments

The half-finished, inconsistent design, which slaloms between three different layout, is creating lots of confusion.

SUV driver critically injured Little Village activist, transportation advocate Chris Didato

By John Greenfield | Sep 2, 2021 | No Comments

The case lays bare just how much farther we have to go to achieve Didato's goal of a better city for walking and biking.

Treatments to the Logan/Western intersection. Image: CDOT

After 2 cyclist deaths, Logan/Western is finally getting road diet, protected lanes

By John Greenfield | Sep 1, 2021 | No Comments

It's great that these needed improvements are coming to Logan/Western at last, but tragic that they weren't done before two young men lost their lives.

Bikign on Milwaukee Avenue in Wicker Park. Photo: John Greenfield

1st Ward PB election revives the idea of protected lanes on Milwaukee in Wicker

By Courtney Cobbs | Sep 1, 2021 | No Comments

A proposal to strip parking on Milwaukee to make room for protected bike lanes has renewed discussions about the project, last proposed in 2017.

45th Ward aldermanic candidate John Garrido and Gladstone Park Chamber of Commerce president Dave Wians at a 2014 community meeting, holding stack of petitions against the Milwaukee protected bike lane proposal on the Far Northwest Side. Photo: John Greenfield

A brief history of Chicago protected bike lane proposals killed by parking pushback

By John Greenfield | Aug 24, 2021 | No Comments

There are political and logistical hurdles to removing parking to make room for protected bike lanes in Chicago, but there's reason to believe the tide may be turning.

New dashed bike lanes on Armitage Avenue in Logan Square. Photo: Michael Burton

Dashed bike lanes: Better than nothing, or total trash?

By John Greenfield | Aug 23, 2021 | No Comments

Are they a pragmatic, better-than-nothing approach on streets where stripping parking is seen as a nonstarter. Or are they a depressing capitulation to car culture?

Cyclists riding in dashed bike lanes on Damen Avenue in Lakeview near Liza Whitacre’s "ghost bike" memorial. Photo: John Greenfield

Unsurprisingly, People for Bikes gave Chicago a low scores for bike-friendliness

By Courtney Cobbs | Jul 15, 2021 | No Comments

A recent People for Bikes assessment of Chicago's bike friendliness gave the city low scores. Read about the factors that lead to the low marks.

Housepainter James Woods rides in the Lake Street protected bike lane on the West Side soon after it was installed several years ago. Conditions have degraded significantly since then. Photo: John Greenfield

Active Transportation Alliances renews call for a protected bike lane network

By Courtney Cobbs | Jun 1, 2021 | No Comments

The Active Transportation Alliance analyzed Chicago's progress on creating an all-ages, all abilities cycling network and renewed the call for a network of protected bike lanes.

The car-centric status quo on Hubbard Street in the West Loop. Image: Google Maps

The Hubbard bikeway backlash reflects the problems with how Chicago installs bike lanes

By Courtney Cobbs | Feb 1, 2021 | No Comments

Hubbard Street bike lane pushback is the same old saga: Drivers get upset about the potential loss of parking spots while cyclists have to keep worrying about their personal safety.

Will the earmark for bikeway upgrades include physical protection, like the new plastic curbs on Milwaukee Avenue in Logan Square? Photo: John Greenfield

Lightfoot’s capital spending proposal includes earmarks for sidewalks and bikeways

By Courtney Cobbs | Nov 18, 2020 | No Comments

$112 million will go towards sidewalk repairs and $49 million for “improvements to bike lanes, priority bus routes, and pavement markings.”

Still from Kyle Davison's video showing drivers improperly parked in the curb lane, where cyclists are supposed to be riding, due to the lack of "No Parking" signs.

Another Milwaukee Avenue bikeway issue: Missing “No Parking” signs endanger cyclists

By John Greenfield | Oct 6, 2020 | No Comments

While a hardware store owner who's unhappy about the new Milwaukee protected lanes in Logan has gotten a lot of press, there's another bikeway issue happening just up the road.

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