The end of August was a fabulous day for people-friendly streets in Chicago. As I discussed earlier this week, that Sunday morning was another delightful iteration of the Active Transportation Alliance's annual Bike the Drive.
It opened the eight-lane shoreline highway to over 16,000 bicycle riders, providing a taste of what Chicago might be like if our lakefront was less auto-centric. That's key, as sustainable transportation advocates try to stop plans to largely replicate the car-choked status quo when rebuilding North DuSable Lake Shore Drive, instead calling for a more walk/bike/transit-focused vision.
Later that day, there was another joyous, smog-free celebration in Wicker Park on the Near North Side, as a 0.7-mile diagonal stretch Milwaukee Avenue was pedestrianized for the first of three monthly Meet Me on Milwaukee sessions. Thousands more people came to stroll, shop, and hang out in the peaceful roadway, which some call the "Hipster Highway," because it's a popular direct cycling route downtown from some of Chicago's artier neighborhoods.
Longtime Chicagoans may remember that this was not the first time such an event has been held on this stretch of Milwaukee. From 2008 to 2013, Active Trans organized and funded a ciclovía, a Latin American-style car-free event, called Open Streets in various neighborhoods around the city. Compared to similar initiatives in peer cities like New York, the City of Chicago provided relatively little assistance.
That last year, ATA organized a 2.6-mile route on Milwaukee in Wicker Park and Logan Square, but heavy rain put a damper on things. After raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for Open Streets over the years, in 2014 the advocacy group decided to end the program.
Fortunately, this year local Ald. Daniel La Spata (1st), and the Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce decided to resurrect the car-free Milwaukee concept, with help from the Chicago Department of Transportation. On the last Sunday of the month of August, September, and October of this year they're pedestrianizing the avenue between North and Damen avenues, and Division Street and Ashland Avenue. They're "replacing the usual traffic, honking, and vehicle emissions with pedestrians, bikes, live music, outdoor dining, exercise classes, sidewalk sales, and more," according to the ward's Meet Me at Milwaukee webpage.
The event is very easy to reach via the Blue Line O'Hare Branch's Division and Damen stations. The #56 Milwaukee Avenue bus is rerouted during the festivities, and the intersecting side streets are also pedestrianized, so there's no need to dodge drivers on the entire 0.7-mile portion of the diagonal road.
Last Sunday afternoon, many of the shops had items to browse outside. Restaurants and bars without sidewalk cafe licenses were permitted to have outdoor seating areas for event. Judging from the crowds that day, the event appeared to be beneficial for businesses.
WPBCC Executive Director Pamela Maass indicated that was the case. "The launch of Meet Me on Milwaukee exceeded expectations," she said. "Closing the street to cars opened up Milwaukee Avenue in a whole new way – families with strollers, neighbors walking their dogs, skateboarders and bicyclists, and visitors of all ages could move comfortably, while connecting with local businesses in a welcoming, vibrant space. The strong turnout and positive response shows just how much our community values opportunities to experience the corridor in a new way."
See for yourself in the following video, and the gallery of images below that. They strongly suggest that it would be a good idea to hold Meet Me on Milwaukee every Sunday during the warmer months.
Here's a handlebar view of my (very slow) bicycle ride on 0.7 miles of car-free Milwaukee Avenue, from North and Damen avenues to Division Street and Ashland Avenue. As you can see in the video, it was tricky to safely and politely navigate around the heavy pedestrian traffic. So if you don't have six years of bike messenger experience, I suggest doing the trip on foot instead during future Meet Me on Milwaukee sessions.
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