Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about Evanston

Evanston Protected Lanes Face Backlash While Making Dodge Ave. Safer

By Steven Vance | Jul 28, 2016 | 16 Comments

Evanston installed new protected bike lanes on Dodge Avenue from Howard Street to Lake Street last month, and already some residents are complaining that the lanes have made it unsafe to park their cars. But these fears are unfounded because Chicago has had protected lanes with a nearly identical design for five years. The new Dodge protected […]

What’s Up With Evanston’s Unusual Divvy Station Location Pattern?

By John Greenfield | Jul 21, 2016 | 29 Comments

As I pointed out back in early June when the new Divvy expansion map was released, which included the system’s first suburban docking stations in Evanston and Oak Park, the locations of the ten Evanston stations seemed a little odd. When Chicago originally launched the bike-share system in 2013, a high number of stations were concentrated […]

Cold Comfort: Fines for Shoveling Scofflaws Went Up, But Not Enforcement

By John Greenfield | Jan 11, 2016 | 26 Comments

[The Chicago Reader recently launched a new weekly transportation column written by Streetsblog Chicago editor John Greenfield. This partnership will allow Streetsblog to extend the reach of our livable streets advocacy. We’ll be syndicating a portion of the column on the day it comes out online; you can read the remainder on the Reader’s website […]

Evanston City Council Advances Key Projects From Bike Plan

By Justin Haugens | Oct 1, 2014 | 4 Comments

On Monday night, Evanston’s City Council held a special meeting solely to address four bike infrastructure or policy measures, all of which will implement pieces of the city’s recently adopted Bike Plan. The council advanced new protected bike lanes along Sheridan Road and along Dodge Avenue, in spite of considerable opposition over the latter, while deferring […]

There’s Still Time for Evanston Residents to Voice Support for Safer Biking

By John Greenfield | Sep 26, 2014 | 2 Comments

The Evanston City Council passed an update to the suburb’s bike plan, including plans for a network of protected lanes, on July 28. However, some of these bikeway projects have hit a roadblock, in the form of opposition from two aldermen and a handful of residents. On Tuesday, the Active Transportation Alliance launched an online […]

Requiem for a Librarian: Gigi Galich and the Church Street Protected Lanes

By John Greenfield | Aug 5, 2014 | 15 Comments

[This piece also runs in Checkerboard City, John’s column in Newcity magazine, which hits the streets in Wednesday evenings.] From what I’ve read, it sounds like Gigi Galich, a children’s librarian who died after an Evanston bike crash, was a wonderful lady. Shortly before 9am on the morning of June 30, Galich was bicycling to […]

Davis Street Disagreement Tables Evanston Bike Plan Progress

By Melissa Manak | Jul 24, 2014 | 4 Comments

Last year, the City of Evanston started work on a 2014 Bicycle Plan Update [PDF], envisioning further improvements in its cycling infrastructure. The previous bicycle plan, adopted in 2003, resulted in 38 miles of bicycle facilities and a marked increase in bicycle ridership. The new plan will bring a new focus on “comfortable bike corridors” along Evanston’s […]

Evanston Catches Residents Off Guard by Suggesting Bike Bans

By Steven Vance | May 21, 2014 | 29 Comments

A survey to collect resident feedback about the draft Evanston Bike Plan launched yesterday, and some of the questions have alarmed residents and advocates. The survey has several odd questions, beginning with a requirement that respondents complete a quiz about bicycling laws. What truly alarmed respondents like Wheel & Sprocket store manager Eric Krzystofiak, though, is […]

Believe It or Not, Evanston Mulling More Bike Bans

By Melissa Manak and John Greenfield | May 16, 2014 | 5 Comments

Evanston has a reputation as one of Chicagoland’s most progressive suburbs. That could change if the city’s bike plan update, intended to encourage more pedaling, takes the counterproductive step of recommending banning bikes on some streets. Earlier this month, a public input session for the plan left many locals distressed about the possibility of the […]

New Site Helps You Suggest Locations for Up to 250 More Divvy Stations

By Steven Vance | Dec 10, 2013 | 19 Comments

Divvy and the Chicago Department of Transportation quietly launched a new bike-share station suggestion map yesterday. The new version features design and speed improvements (both versions were built by the software division at OpenPlans, Streetsblog’s parent non-profit). In 2014, Divvy will be expanding its service area with 175 more stations, and CDOT has applied for […]

Eyes on the Street: Bikes Allowed on Ridge Avenue for One Day

By Steven Vance | Sep 30, 2013 | 33 Comments

The city of Evanston transformed Ridge Avenue for two miles yesterday for the annual Bike The Ridge, a car-free open streets event. Normally, Evanston bans bicycle riding on Ridge Avenue, a four-lane arterial through town, but not this past Sunday. Ridge Avenue could go on a road diet, swapping space for cars with space for […]

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