43rd Ward

As part of our 2023 Election Coverage, Streetsblog Chicago sent a questionnaire out to every candidate running for alderperson.

After more than two years of relentless Not In My Back Yard pushback to the Dickens Greenway proposal, Alderman Michele Smith has finally signed off on the project.

On Tuesday night Alderman Michele Smith of the 43rd ward convened a public meeting over Zoom about the two-years-old proposal to convert part of Dickens Avenue in Lincoln Park into a "Neighborhood Greenway." Chicago Department of Transportation bicycle and pedestrian program manager David Smith presented plans for the greenway and answered questions from the audience. It was a well-attended meeting with 166 people in attendance when the Q & A period began around 90 minutes into the meeting. At the beginning of the meeting it was clear that many people had already formed their opinions about the greenway.

The traffic-calmed corridor got great use and had an excellent safety record, but some drivers griped about having to adjust their habits, and some residents complained about the aesthetics.

Doing a Slow Street on Dickens is a great way to test out the neighborhood greenway concept without making permanent infrastructure changes.

The safety problems on Clark Street between North Avenue and Lincoln Park West are well known. The roadway is too wide, leading too many drivers to speed. Back in 2011, Bike Walk Lincoln Park co-organizer Michelle Stenzel wrote that Clark Street needs a road diet: