One Little Victory: CDOT Installs Posts to Deter Parking in Washington Bike Lane

It just goes to show, if you want to keep your local bikeway in good shape, it can't hurt to set up a Twitter account for it. In recent years folks have been tweeting on behalf of the Dearborn, Clinton, and Halsted bike lanes, drawing attention to issues such as illegal parking and poor snow clearance.

Last July someone launched a Twitter account to highlight a very specific bikeway problem: chronic issues with drivers parking illegally in the short stretch of the Washington Street bike lane between Wabash and Michigan avenues. To be exact, the problem is on the very short segment east of the alley between Washington and Michigan, one of the few stretches of Washington in the Loop where the bike lane lacked physical protection.

The new posts on Washington haven't completely solved the illegal parking issue -- some drivers are going around the bollards, choosing to ignore the obvious cues that they're not supposed to park there. More posts or, better yet, concrete curbs would largely stop that.

But it's great to see that some online activism spurred CDOT to address the issue. It might be worth trying this approach to draw attention to bike lane problem spots in other parts of the city.

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