Eyes on the Street: Mixed Messages on the Riverwalk

By now regular Streetsblog Chicago readers know the drill. The Chicago Riverwalk was originally conceived and pitched to the federal government as a bike facility and appears as an off-street trail on the city’s bike map. But downtown alderman Brendan Reilly introduced an ordinance last month that would ban cycling on the riverwalk at all times. The Active Transportation Alliance has come out against Reilly’s proposal, noting that converting a lane or two of six-lane Wacker Drive, upstairs from the riverwalk, to create protected bike lanes would be a good solution for addressing congestion on the promenade.

It’s likely (though not a sure thing) that the legislation will be discussed at the next City Council Committee on Pedestrian and Traffic Safety meeting on Thursday, October 25 at noon in Room 201A of City Hall, 121 North LaSalle. We’ll let you know if the ordinance appears on the agenda, so if you’re able to show up you can voice your opposition to this misguided law that would essentially ban biking on a bikeway.

If the ordinance passes in committee, it will move on to the full council for a vote. If all 50 alderman approve it you can say goodbye to your favorite low-stress route from the Dearborn protected bike lane to the Lakefront Trail.

Despite the fact that it’s currently legal to bike on the riverwalks, this summer the Chicago Department of Fleet and Facility Management, which manages the promenade, posted signs exhorting “Share the riverwalk: Walk your bike.” Last week Streetsblog reader Dan Korn alerted us that new placards had been posted at all the major riverwalk entrances threatening prosecution against people who ride their bike on the riverwalk.

What makes this new signage even more problematic is that there are also signs and marking that invite people to bike on the riverwalk. An offramp from the Lakefront Trail features bike route signage directing cyclists to the promenade, as well as green pavement with bike symbols and arrows.

It’s only when you get to the underpass below Lake Shore Drive that leads to the riverwalk, you encounter one of the signs that warn that you need to dismount, or else face a fine or jail time.

Let’s say you’re meeting up with friends at the riverwalk location of City Winery, near State Street, to sip merlot inside one of their geodesic domes. Do they really expect you to walk your bike an entire mile to get there?

For what it’s worth, when I cruised up and down the riverwalk at a moderate speed today during the evening rush, I encountered several security guards, and none of them told me that I shouldn’t be biking on the promenade. (That did happen when I was cycling on the riverwalk on a warm Thursday evening a few weeks ago.)

The mixed signals sent by the bike-friendly signs and markings leading to the riverwalk, and the bike-hostile signs elsewhere on the riverwalk, are confusing. But if Reilly has his way, the message will be clear: Cyclists will no longer be able to use a facility that was designed and funded with them in mind. Consider contacting your alderman (find your ward here) to ask them to oppose the riverwalk bike ban.

Did you appreciate this post? Consider making a donation through our PublicGood site.