As summer unofficially drew to a close on Labor Day Weekend, the Active Transportation Alliance held its 23rd annual Bike the Drive last Sunday, September 1. As always, it was an epic event, where many thousands of people enjoyed riding bicycles on eight-lane DuSable Lake Shore Drive, free from the sound, sight, smell, vibrations, and danger of car traffic.
The drive was open to people on bikes from 6:30 to 11:30 a.m. on the 15-mile stretch between 59th Street in Hyde Park and Hollywood Avenue in Edgewater, the highway's northern terminus. Roughly 15,000 people participated.
One of them was Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who also rode in the 2023 Bike the Drive. Last year, only a few months into his administration, he posted on Twitter promising "abundant access to safe active transportation options."
Mayor Johnson's 2023 Bike the Drive post.
This year, the mayor tweeted a similar video, but nowadays his record on sustainable transportation is a little more controversial. He controls the Chicago Department of Transportation, and in July CDOT signed off on the Illinois transportation department's proposal to preserve the status quo by rebuilding the highway without transit-only lanes. Last month hundreds of people showed up for the Save Our Lakefront Rally outside of CDOT and IDOT's Redefine the Drive open house, demanding a people-friendly DLSD layout.
"There's no better place to ride your bike along a lakefront than in the city of Chicago," said Johnson in his 2024 Bike the Drive video. "But I also want the people of Chicago to know that I'm committed to making sure that the mode of transportation for bikers and pedestrians is a priority. No matter if it's just today or every single day. You have my commitment. Let's enjoy the rest of the summer, get out on our bikes, and enjoy the city of Chicago. Thank you."
Participating in the entire 30 miles of Bike the Drive in one go is optional. The entry locations for the ride were at Grant Park, Bryn Mawr Avenue, Fullerton Avenue, Oakwood Blvd, and the Museum of Science and Industry. The rest stops were at Bryn Mawr, Grant Park, and the museum.
The main festival location for the event was at Butler Field, on the west side of the highway between Monroe Street and Jackson Boulevard. The festivities included live music, a beer garden, and kids' activities. The latter were helpful, because many families participated in the ride.
One of the people who showed up with their family was Connie E., who preferred not to give her last name. While her husband and daughter had done Bike the Drive before, she and her son had not. The fact the highway is opened to cyclists was "definitely what brought us out," she said. "It's an iconic street, and it has great views... We wanted to take advantage of that."
In contrast Douglas Boehm, who rides his bike almost daily, rode solo on Sunday. He said he enjoys both the sights and meeting new people. "I rode for ten miles talking to some guy I had never met in my life and just chatted," he said "It's fun to see all the people out, all the kids out, their families. The variety of people who come in for this."
John A., who also preferred to go by his last initial, took a similar approach as Boehm. "I found a guy who was going about the same pace as me, and we rode back," he said. "When you find somebody to pace with, it makes the whole ride go super-fast. And actually, on the way back from the South Side, I found a guy who pushed me to go faster because I wanted to catch up to him. When he'd pass me, and that made the ride kind of motivating. "
"There's always a group of women on the South Side, probably around 35th Street, one of the checkpoints, and they're always playing music over some loudspeaker," John A. added. "It's great. It's so motivating. I love them. They're there every year."Â
Bike the Drive, as seen from the Near South Side.
Boehm said the weather was especially nice this year. In contrast to the high temperatures of the previous week, on Sunday the thermometer never went up above the 70s, which some consider to be the perfect temperature for a bike ride. The only thing that wasn't perfect about this year's weather was the stiff headwind faced by northbound riders, although pedaling south with a tailwind was exhilarating.
What was the best way to deal with the headwind? "Lower torque, steady pedaling," said John A. "Making sure the gears aren't shifted to the hardest pedal, but an easier lower- or mid-grade pedal, and... not going too hard, not going too soft, but just a good, steady, comfortable pedal, makes it a lot easier to get through the wind."
The Active Transportation Alliance did some advocacy work at Bike the Drive. They promoted lowering Chicago's default speed limit, currently 30 mph, and asked for people's preferences regarding bike infrastructure. Participants greatly favored protected bike lanes.
The event is the advocacy organization's main fundraiser, crucial for allowing ATA to keep the (bike) lights on, Campaign Organizer W. Robert Schultz noted. "It's a real privilege to be able to [open] a U.S. Highway every year for a couple hours," he said. "We couldn't do this event without the support of volunteers. We have over 300 volunteers helping us out today, so that's been important, and then we get a lot of benefit from [our sponsors]."
It's definitely great that The Active Transportation Alliance and its partners staged such a joyful event. Bike the Drive sheds light on what DLSD might be like if there was less focus on moving steel boxes up and down the lakefront at high speeds, and more emphasis on making our shoreline more accessible and enjoyable.
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