Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about Brendan Reilly

Victory! The right to bike on the riverwalk is preserved. Now about those “No Biking” signs…

By John Greenfield | Oct 8, 2019 | No Comments

Thanks in part to Streetsblog's advocacy on the issue, Alderman Reilly never followed through on his threat to ban cycling on the promenade, and the city is looking at ways to accommodate biking. Now the no biking signs need to come down.

"Where to Bike Chicago" author Greg Brozo wrote to the city to advocate for maintaining bike access on the riverwalk.

Citizens, including noted author Greg Borzo, urge the city to keep the riverwalk open to bikes

By John Greenfield | Sep 5, 2019 | 6 Comments

Borzo proposed said he supports limiting the riverwalk bike ban to peak hours. “This is how bikes are handled on the ‘L’ — and it works perfectly well."

Alderman George Cardenas. Photo: Chicago Sun-Times

No, Alderman Cardenas, Your Southwest Side Ward Doesn’t Have “Plenty of Bike Lanes”

By John Greenfield | Aug 20, 2019 | 15 Comments

In some alternate-universe Chicago, Cardenas' 12th Ward is crisscrossed with bike lanes, and his ally Brendan Reilly hasn't done multiple things to block downtown bike and pedestrian access.

A man bikes (slowly) on the Chicago Riverwalk earlier this week. Photo: John Greenfield

Friday FOIA Fun: More Interesting Info on Ald. Reilly’s Riverwalk Bike Ban

By John Greenfield | Aug 2, 2019 | 5 Comments

City emails reveal that riverwalk planners made conflicting claims about whether the promenade was designed to be bike friendly or not, and an official referred to John as a "militant biker."

Deconstructing Ald. Reilly’s Radio Interview About His Riverwalk Bike Ban Ordinance

By John Greenfield | Jul 26, 2019 | 7 Comments

Although Reilly's claim that the riverwalk was intended as a pedestrian-only space is revisionist history, his comments about the need for a road diet on Upper Wacker are spot-on.

Emails Show CDOT Pushed Back on Reilly’s Riverwalk Bike Ban as “Too Extreme”

By John Greenfield | Jul 11, 2019 | 6 Comments

The transportation department rightly argued that the ban would violate the spirit of Chicago's promise to the feds that the riverwalk would be available for bike commuting.

Pencil It in: Reilly’s Riverwalk Bike Ban May Get a Committee Hearing Next Thursday

By John Greenfield | Jul 5, 2019 | 2 Comments

Although the bike ban isn't on the agenda for the next meeting yet, two aldermen recently said it will get a hearing, and Ald. Reilly could add it to the docket next week. We'll keep you posted.

Here’s the Director’s Cut of the “Secret History of the Riverwalk Bike Ban” Article

By John Greenfield | Jun 28, 2019 | 7 Comments

Emails reveal how the threat of a cyclist revolt convinced the city to end the de-facto prohibition. Here's a longer version of John's Reader column with additional quotes from the email trove.

According to Sasaki Associates, which helped design the riverwalk, the slightly obtuse angles of the path were intended to help accommodate cycling. Photo: John Greenfield

Here Are Seven Times the City Said the Chicago Riverwalk Would Accommodate Biking

By John Greenfield | May 30, 2019 | 14 Comments

Here's clear evidence that banning cycling on the riverwalk would be an unfair bait-and-switch.

Michelle Duster, great-granddaughter of Ida B. Wells; South Loop alderman Sophia King;
downtown alderman Brendan Reilly; Illinois lieutenant governor Juliana Stratton; Cook county board president; mayoral candidate Toni Preckwinkle; and west side alderman Walter Burnett. Photo: John Greenfield

All’s Well That Ends Wells? Trailblazer Gets a Street Name, Fascist Tribute Remains

By John Greenfield | Feb 11, 2019 | 8 Comments

Today Congress Drive was renamed for civil rights icon Ida B. Wells, but aldermen King and Reilly originally called for renaming Balbo Drive, which honors Mussolini's air commander.

Signs and markings on the offramp from the Lakefront Trail to the riverwalk encourage people to bike to the promenade, but other signs threaten prosecution if they ride there. Photo: John Greenfield

Eyes on the Street: Mixed Messages on the Riverwalk

By John Greenfield | Oct 15, 2018 | 14 Comments

While signs and markings on the Lakefront Trail lead cyclists to the riverwalk, signs at the promenade warn that they'll be prosecuted if they ride there, even though it's still legal to do so.

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