Sunday, July 22, 2012

Lakefront Trail gets new signage and striping

by Michelle Stenzel

It's summer in Chicago, and that means peak season for traffic on the Lakefront Trail. The Lincoln Park neighborhood's section of the LFT from North Avenue to Diversey is among the heaviest used portions, usually filled with beachgoers, runners, bicyclists, and strollers.
Chicago's popular Lakefront Trail on a Friday afternoon in July, at Fullerton Avenue. (Photo: Bike Walk Lincoln Park)
Lots more after the jump!
(Continued)
Segway riders, ice cream vendors, bicyclists and men pulling on socks on the Lakefront Trail at North Avenue Beach.
(Photo: Bike Walk Lincoln Park)
When you add in ice cream vendors, in-line skaters and Segway riders, things get hectic! There are a few basic rules of using the trail, but until now, there's been little signage to remind people of the rules.

However, last week, a campaign called Share the Shore was launched by the Friends of the Lakefront Trail, a coalition spearheaded by the Active Transportation Alliance. The Share the Shore campaign focuses on educating trail users on basic etiquette, encouraging people to use it in a single file or two across only, to shift to the right when travelling slowly, and to call out "On your left!" before passing. The messages are stencilled onto the trail in red, white and blue paint.
Share the Shore campaign's stencilled reminder: "Speak Up, On Your Left".
(Photo: Bike Walk Lincoln Park)
"Share the Trail, Single file" reminder on the Lakefront Trail south
of the North Avenue chess pavillion. (Photo: Bike Walk Lincoln Park)
This on-pavement signage is a nice addition to the trail. For now, the stencilling seems to reach from Ohio Street Beach to just a little past Diversey. There's still a lot of work to be done in upgrading LFT signage with more permanent fixtures, but a little improvement is still worth noticing!

Another improvement we've seen recently is re-striping of some of the basic lane markings on the trail. Weather and wear takes its toll, and the new vibrant stripes look great.

Bright yellow paint was re-striped on the trail helps warn users of the drop off danger, while the white stripe helps guide slower traffic to the right, theoretically. (Photo: Bike Walk Lincoln Park)
New asphalt and new striping at the Lakefront Trail near the Theater on the Lake. (Photo: Bike Walk Lincoln Park) 
Thanks, Chicago Park District, and keep going! We could use this restriping on the entire 18-mile trail length.
_________________________
We're on Twitter @BikeWalkLP

No comments:

Post a Comment