Hey there, Streetsblog readers. After introducing our new Map of 2024 CDOT Bikeway Installations on Monday, I put it to use Tuesday afternoon. I visited our first round of Chicago Department of Transportation projects that have been completed this year, or are currently underway, based on CDOT's Planned Bike Projects spreadsheet.
As was the case with Bike Lane Week last year, my goal is not to pedal the entire length of every route. Instead, I'm just trying to get some idea of what each new facility is like.
I planned to attend a Tuesday evening public meeting on Evanston's Chicago Avenue project, which calls for extending the suburb's Chicago Avenue protected bike lane south to the city of Chicago border. The hearing took place at Robert Crown Community Center, 1801 Main St. Therefore, I planned Tuesday's Bike Lane Fest trip to take me from Streetsblog Chicago HQ in Uptown, to the north-of-the-border hearing, and back again. I'll post a writeup the PBL meeting in the near future.
The installed or in-progress Far North Side bikeways I checked out Tuesday. Green = protected bike lanes, blue = Neighborhood Greenway side-street route, red = non-protected bike lanes. Image: John Greenfield via Google Maps
Since I visited the northeastern-most part of Chicago today, I came up with thie following plan for this year's project. The Windy City is sort of shaped like half a clock, with the Loop at the center, and the disc sawed in two along an imaginary line approximately between 11:00 and 5:00, i.e. the Lake Michigan shoreline. So I'll check out the new bikeways in vaguely wedge-shaped chunks of territory, moving around our municipality in a clockwise manner, day by day.
To give you a better sense of how the new bikeways shown my Google Maps screenshot fit in with the existing bike network, here's the section of the city covered in this post, as shown on CDOT's 2024 Chicago Bike Map, released earlier in the year, before many or most of the 2024 bikeways were completed. Blue = bike lanes (black outlines means they're protected lanes), green = Neighborhood Greenway side street routes, gray = off-street trails.
Below is a relatively concise roundup of what I saw on Tuesday. I took all the photos and shot the video. If there's no image but just a quick description of a new bikeway in bold that's linked, just click on that text, and you'll be taken to our previous article that talks about the project.
Neighborhood Greenway (NG) on Leland in Uptown and Lincoln Square, classified by CDOT as "underway"
NG on Leland in Uptown and Lincoln Square, looking west from Clark. Learn more about the project here.New curb bump-out at Leland/Leavitt, looking west. There are many along this corridor.The plan for the new Leland NG's two-way protected bike lane segment between Western and Lincoln, where Leland is a main street. It doesn't appear that much progress has been made on this segment yet, or the block-long of Virginia at the west end of Leland. Image: CDOTLooking west on Leland at Western.Leland near Artesian, looking west, with a new curb bump-out.Leland near Campbell, looking west.New bumpout at Leland/Rockwell, looking southwest. The Leland NG currently stops/starts here.
NGFrancisco in Lincoln Square
Crossing island at Lawrence/Francisco, looking northwest.Two-way bike lane on Francisco north of Lawrence, looking northwest, leading to and from the North Shore Channel Trail.Francisco connects with the North Shore Channel trail at Ainslie, looking northwest.New layout at Ainslie/Francisco, looking south, prevents drivers from using Francisco, a residential street that is now one-way northbound south of Ainslie, as a "cut-through" route for crosstown trips. Read more about the project here.
NG on Rockwell in Lincoln Square
The Rockwell NG at Winnemac, looking north.
NG onAinslie in Lincoln Square
The Ainslie NG, looking east from Rockwell.
Protected bike lanes (PBL) and raised bike lanes on Lincoln Avenue in Lincoln Square(classified by CDOT as "installed," but they're actually "underway")
The new raised bike lanes on Lincoln are starting to take shape. Looking south on the west side of Lincoln Avenue, just south of Argyle, looking southeast.New concrete curb PBL on Lincoln Avenue between Berwyn and Foster, looking south. Photo: John Greenfield
NG on Winnemac Avenue in Lincoln Square
Looking east on Winnemac Avenue from Lincoln Avenue.Looking east at Winnemac Park from the Winnemac Avenue NG.
Video: Riding west from Winnemac Park on the Winnemac Avenue NG to Lincoln Avenue.
No-protected bike lanes (NPBL) on California in Lincoln Squareand West Ridge
A scooter rider in a dashed NPBL on California near Gregory in Lincoln Squre and West Ridge, looking north.I stopped for a break before the Evanston meeting, at Wolfy's, a longtime hotdog stand, California/Peterson, looking east in this photo. Re: the bicycle rider in this image, note that it's illegal for people 12 and over to ride bikes on sidewalks in Chicago. But in fairness, Peterson is a dangerous five-lane highway here, So it's understandable that this person wanted to avoid riding on it.
NPBL on Howard in Rogers Park
After the community meeting, riding a NPBL installed on the Chicago side Howard, near Winchester, looking east.
NGs on Kenmore and Winthrop in Edgewater and Uptown
There doesn't seem to be much difference between the new NGs and the old street layout on Kenmore (shown, looking north from Glenlake) and Winthrop, featuring NPBLs on side streets, except for these new green stripes at some intersections. However, it's likely this "green carpet" is helpful for reminding motorists to watch out for bike riders crossing the intersection.
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In addition to editing Streetsblog Chicago, John has written about transportation and more for many other local and national publications. A Chicagoan since 1989, he enjoys exploring the city and region on foot, bike, bus, and train.
