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Email Shows IDOT Almost Approved A Protected Lane, Changed Their Minds
The Illinois Department of Transportation’s ban on protected bicycle lanes on state-jurisdiction roads is a mystery. As Steven Vance reported in February of this year, the department is prohibiting the Chicago Department of Transportation from installing PBLs on IDOT streets at least until CDOT provides three years of “safety data” on existing protected lanes. Since the city’s first protected lanes on Kinzie Street opened in July 2012, that means CDOT won’t be able to install PBLs on these streets for a year at the very least.
July 19, 2013
IDOT Still Has Time to Make Peoria Street Great
As part of the Circle Interchange project, the Illinois Department of Transportation will rebuild many of the bridges around the confluence of three highways. One of them is the Peoria Street bridge, a vital connection that links two college buildings and West Loop residences north of the Eisenhower Expressway to the University of Illinois at Chicago south of the highway.
July 19, 2013
All Infrastructure Projects Create Jobs, But Not All Are Smart Investments
The Circle Interchange highway expansion project began construction Wednesday. At a press conference on the Peoria Street bridge, Governor Quinn stressed the job creation aspect of the $475 million project. What Quinn didn't mention is that any $475 million infrastructure project would create a lot of jobs.
July 18, 2013
Governor Quinn is On Board With IDOT’s Protected Bike Lane Ban
For years, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has been an enthusiastic supporter of walking, biking and transit initiatives. In 2001 he hiked from the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan to draw attention to the need for universal healthcare, and he later launched the Walk Across Illinois fitness challenge, encouraging residents to walk 190 miles within one year, an equivalent distance.
July 17, 2013
IDOT Exec on Bike Planning: “We’re Trying to Move Away From Old Cultures”
At a public meeting about the first state bike plan last night, staff from the Illinois Department of Transportation said the agency is trying to change its culture, and that starts with separating the bicycle component from its Long Range Transportation Plan into its own planning process. With about 70 participants in the crowd at an auditorium in the Thompson Center, IDOT and its consultant, Alta Planning + Design, explained how the bike plan will be developed, led two public input exercises, and fielded questions.
July 10, 2013
IDOT’s Protected Lane Ban Overshadows Development of State Bike Plan
As the Illinois Department of Transportation launches the public input process for the state’s first-ever statewide bicycle transportation plan, the elephant in the room is IDOT’s prohibition of protected bike lanes on state jurisdiction roads in Chicago. Protected lanes have been proven to improve safety for all road users, based on several years worth of data in other American cities like New York, which has been installing them since 2007.
July 9, 2013
Tuesday: Can’t-Miss Public Meeting on First-Ever State Bike Plan
Next Tuesday, July 9, the Illinois Department of Transportation and its consultant, Alta Planning + Design, will host the first two public meetings to start crafting the first-ever state bike transportation plan. This is not a "bikes as recreation" plan.
July 5, 2013
An IDOT Engineer Discusses the Department’s Ban on Protected Bike Lanes
This February, Steven Vance reported that the Illinois Department of Transportation has been prohibiting the installation of protected bike lanes on state jurisdiction roads in Chicago at least until the Chicago Department of Transportation collects three years of “safety data” on existing Chicago protected lanes. That means the earliest the ban would be lifted would be July 2014, three years after Chicago’s first protected lanes opened on Kinzie. IDOT is not blocking installation of buffered lanes.
June 17, 2013
Bobby Cann’s Killer Charged With Reckless Homicide; IDOT Feigns Concern
Robert "Bobby" Cann was cycling on Clybourn Avenue last Wednesday when he was hit and killed by Ryne San Hamel, 28, of Park Ridge, driving a Mercedes sedan at 50 MPH, with a blood-alcohol content of .127, according to police. San Hamel appeared in court on Saturday where he was charged with reckless homicide, aggravated DUI, misdemeanor DUI, reckless driving, and failure to stay in the lane. He is being held on $100,000 bond and had his passport revoked.
June 3, 2013
The Case of IDOT’s Mysterious Extra Highway Lane
In a move that has baffled and frustrated residents of 400 S Green Street, the Illinois Department of Transportation has apparently ruled out a version of the Circle Interchange expansion project that would avoid building a new, elevated highway ramp above Halsted Street. At an April 3 hearing on the project, IDOT told residents the option to avoid building the flyover, known as Alternative 15.4, was "off the table, not even being considered," according to condo board president David Lewis.
April 17, 2013