An old editor of mine at the Chicago Reader gave me a good writing tip: "Let chronology work for you." With that advice in mind, let me share some info about the 18th Street protected bike lane debacle on the Near South Side, in the order that it's been revealed.
On Halloween, Ald. Pat Dowell (3rd) sent an email to constituents that the Chicago Department of Transportation would "pause" in-progress construction of protected bike lanes on 0.4 miles of 18th between Clark Street (100 W.) and Indiana Avenue (200 E.) in her ward. There were already PBLs basically between Wentworth Avenue (200 W) and Canal, including the river bridge.
The language of Dowell's email indicated the transportion department had helped her draft it. "CDOT targeted 18th Street for protected bike lanes to provide a critical lakefront connection for the Prairie District and neighborhoods to the west," the email stated. "While this corridor has had bike lanes for more than 15 years, CDOT did not anticipate the level of disruption the installation of protected bike lanes would cause."
"Alderman Dowell’s office has heard the concerns raised by community members, and the office has been actively engaging with CDOT to reassess the design and placement of the protected bike lane to ensure the safety and accessibility of all people who use 18th St.," the email continued. "CDOT and 3rd Ward staff are actively monitoring the project through construction and during the pause to assess safety and mobility concerns related to the street reconfiguration."
"At this time, the project has been paused while the 3rd Ward Office continues conversations with CDOT regarding the permanent installation. In the interim, crews will be marking the pavement and installing signage as required for safety, and complying with existing contracts... "The 3rd Ward Public Service Office will provide an update on the project as soon as additional information is available."
On November 2, I wrote the CDOT spokesperson asking for more info. "[The ward's statement is very vague," I wrote, asking exactly what the residents have been complaining about. "It it typical construction zone hassles, and the learning curve associated with PBLs, especially before curbs and/or concrete are installed? Are they complaining the design will slow first responders and/or endanger people crossing bike traffic when leaving their cars, like the early pushback to the Augusta Boulevard PBLs in West Town?"
This project also included a protected intersection at 18th and Wabash Avenue (30 E.), a block east of the Chicago Police Department's District 1 headquarters. This feature is rare or nonexistent in Chicago, depending who you ask. "Are they unhappy with the protected intersection design?" I asked.
On November 4, the grassroots advocacy group Chicago, Bike Grid Now! posted video of riding through the construction area. "The 18th Street bridge is one of the few river crossings with a physically-separated bike lane, and the lakefront trail is one of the few off-street paths. Connection like this with a PBL is key to a connected grid of safe streets. Fighting for the bike grid means getting these connections right," they said.
"The interim situation increases the danger for bike riders trying to reach the lakefront from Chinatown, Pilsen, and the west," CBGN! concluded. "We encourage Ald. Dowell to finish the approved safety project immediately, and encourage constituents to contact her office at 773-373-9273 and ward03[at]cityofchicago[dot]org."
Bike Grid also posted an Action Alert on Reddit, which got plenty of comments. "[The backlash is] absolutely because drivers complained about having to wait on 18th at the intersection with Wabash, because they now can't use the bike lane to pass (either to pass a car waiting to turn left or to cut ahead and turn right)," one person wrote. "I have had numerous close calls with drivers in the bike lane on 18th at this intersection, so CDOT's design will work as intended to improve safety. Unfortunately, Dowell wants to give driver convenience the same level of importance as cyclist and pedestrian safety."
As of November 4, I hadn't gotten a reply from CDOT, so I followed up with the spokesperson. They promised to get back to me by the end of the week, but I didn't hear from them again.
Today, Streetsblog Chicago cofounder Steven Vance broke some bad news he saw in Dowell's newsletter again. "The alderperson provided an update today: many of the already installed protections will be removed and planned protections will not be installed."
Here some of Dowell's justification. Read the full email on Bluesky or Twitter. "To maintain safe and workable traffic flow, I insisted that shared turn lanes remain and that additional concrete islands not be installed," she wrote. "CDOT has agreed to keep the bike lanes along the curb and to use temporary flexible bollards, rather than concrete barriers, at intersections, alleys, and driveways. This portion of the project will be completed this season using temporary materials so we can observe traffic and safety impacts throughout the winter before any permanent concrete barriers are installed."
"Along Wabash Avenue, CDOT is extending protected bike lanes," she added. "Flexible bollards will be installed at driveways and alleys, and concrete barriers will be added between parking spaces and the bike lanes to enhance cyclist safety while maintaining vehicle access."
"The initial [18th/Wabash protected] intersection redesign removed turn lanes on 18th Street and added concrete barriers, which created congestion and limited vehicle maneuverability," she claimed. "CDOT will remove the concrete barriers at the southeast and northwest corners and restore the shared bike/turn lane to improve traffic flow and emergency vehicle access."
"To complete this work safely, 18th Street will be closed to westbound traffic during construction," she concluded. "Eastbound traffic will remain open. The closure is scheduled to begin December 1, 2025, and is expected to last up to two weeks, down from a proposed three weeks, weather permitting... As always, I remain committed to ensuring that infrastructure improvements in our ward support the safety, accessibility, and quality of life of our entire community."
De-protecting people on bikes and e-scooters does not support their safety. Moreover the notion that the lack of turn lanes at 18th/Wabash is causing congestion seems dubious, since these streets have relatively low traffic volumes.
"It's frankly insulting the way this is described as maintaining 'safety,' one of Steven's followers responded to the depressing announcement. "It's an obvious tradeoff where making people in cars able to drive faster and more recklessly is traded for pedestrian and bicyclist safety."
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