A bevy of reasons to ride your bike for transportation

by Michelle Stenzel

I've been meaning to compile a list of great reasons to start riding a bike for transportation -- or to continue doing it if you're already on board with the idea. But the numerous benefits are already well documented, so instead of reinventing the bicycling wheel, I'm providing a short round up to introduce you to some of the great articles out there. (Also, take a look at this prior post for more resources on stats and research on the benefits of bicycling.)

A bicycle rider in the bike lane on Wells Street. (Photo: Bike Walk Lincoln Park)

This article from Forbes made a big splash in May with the title, “Pedaling to Prosperity: Biking Saves U.S. Riders Billions A Year” because, well it's from Forbes, and they're all about saving and making money. The article points out that 

If American drivers replaced just one four-mile car trip with a bike each week for the entire year, it would save more than two billion gallons of gas, for a total savings of $7.3 billion a year, based on $4 a gallon for gas.

Just one four-mile trip each week! Two miles each way takes 10 minutes by bicycle, going at a leisurely pace. If every driver did this, we'd save $7.3 billion each year. 

Beautiful autumn day in Lincoln Park

It was a perfect day to ride a bike or walk, and enjoy the beauty of "our" park.

The Ben Franklin statue near LaSalle Drive. (Photo: Bike Walk Lincoln Park)

Tree-lined paths are especially beautiful when the leaves change color. (Photo: Bike Walk Lincoln Park)

There's more! --->

Do you know the laws for drivers and bicyclists in Chicago?

by Michelle Stenzel

The Chicago Police Department has a great training video on YouTube about rights and responsibilities of bicyclists in Chicago, and about laws affecting drivers when interacting with bicyclists. Even if you think you already know the laws, as a driver or a bicyclist, I encourage you to take 14 minutes to watch "Traffic Enforcement for Bicyclist Safety", because you may learn something. I know I did. 

For those of you who want to skim instead, here's my Cliff Notes version.

Revisiting the unfortunate Fullerton Parkway bridge redesign

by Michelle Stenzel

The construction on the Fullerton Parkway bridge began in March and is scheduled for completion in December. I had written previously about how the project will be detrimental to people who are walking or riding a bike to the Lake Front Trail in this prior post. The information I had then was from a written description of the project provided to the public, and notes taken at a presentation I attended.

I’ve since obtained the drawings of the planned finished product so you can clearly see how this will be a step in the wrong direction for our city’s walkability and bikeability.

This shows the scope of the project:

This shows the existing conditions from an aerial view:

Can this idea help improve the Fullerton/Halsted/Lincoln intersection?

by Michelle Stenzel

The six-way intersection of Fullerton, Halsted and Lincoln is in need of improvement, that's for sure. 

Crossing it as a pedestrian is a hassle, since the width of each leg is very wide, and the amount of time given to cross is relatively short. Worst of all, if the direction of your travel requires you to cross more than one leg, just to continue walking on the street you're already on, the signals are timed J-U-S-T so that you will always have to wait another entire cycle before continuing on your way.

Google map view of the Fullerton/Halsted/Lincoln intersection.

According to the Chicago Department of Transportation's 2011 Pedestrian Crash Analysis, this intersection is tied for 9th in the city for the highest number of crashes between motor vehicles and pedestrians, with 19 crashes between 2005 and 2009. 

These problematic six-way intersections are common in the city, and Chicago's new Pedestrian Plan contains an intriguing graphic of an intersection that can be improved. The initiative is under the "Connectivity" section of the Plan, which highlights ways to build a more connected network that prioritizes pedestrian access.

Critical Mass: Legal, joyful and fun

by Michelle Stenzel

It turns out, everything I always thought about Critical Mass was pretty much wrong.

Before this year, my only exposure to this monthly event was occasionally seeing the hundreds of people pass on their bicycles, while I was walking on the sidewalk or sitting on my front stoop. The Mass participants always looked like they were having fun, and I enjoyed returning their friendly greetings of “Happy Friday!” 

There's a lot of love shared during Critical Mass rides. (Photo: Bike Walk Lincoln Park)

And yet, I refrained from ever joining the ride, nagged by these thoughts:

1. It’s an illegal activity and I don’t want to be part of that;
2. It creates traffic jams for car drivers, who get really mad, and I don’t want to be the target of their anger;
3. It’s a free-for-all ride that’s spontaneous, with an unplanned route, and who knows when they leave, and where they go?

Wrong, wrong and wrong!

Pedestrians v. cafes: Sidewalk space has to be balanced

by Michelle Stenzel

Chicago’s Department of Transportation released its first-ever Pedestrian Plan recently (download it from the Peds Plan website). I had planned to write a highlights post on it, but it’s 124 pages long, and chock-full of goodness for people walking; in fact, far too much to fit in one post. So, I’m going to borrow a page from the award-winning sustainable transportation website Grid Chicago and do a series of posts highlighting items that are particularly interesting or applicable to Lincoln Park.

First up: Sidewalks that don’t have enough room for people to walk on need to be better planned!

On page 64 of the plan, the initiative is “Ensure clear pedestrian routes on sidewalks” and the description of the problem is:

Sidewalks, like streets, must provide the proper balance of space to allow pedestrians to safely and comfortably use them. Pedestrians share sidewalks with a number of objects, such as bus shelters, newspaper boxes, tree pits, sidewalk cafes and signage. To ensure a clear pedestrian route, policies need to balance the free flow of pedestrian movement while accommodating pedestrian amenities.

This is a big issue in Lincoln Park and Old Town. Of course we all love things like flower planters and sidewalk cafes because they add an element of liveliness to our neighborhood. However, space is at a premium, and the current standards only require a few feet of room left for people walking by a cafe.

People walking on Wells Street have to dodge an obstacle course on the sidewalk, which is already narrowed by
cafe fixtures. (Photo: Bike Walk Lincoln Park)

When you combine the narrowed space created by an outdoor cafe with the presence of trees and tree grates, sign posts, parking meter pay boxes, newspaper boxes and other items, the effective width is often barely enough for two people walking in opposite directions to pass. When it gets to that point, the sidewalk cafe is beginning to detract from the street's walkability.