Jackson Boulevard

Yes, the article was sensationalistic and inaccurate, and didn't quote anyone in the neighborhood who rides bikes. But when it comes to effective community input in POC neighborhoods, it had a point.

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.

Kevin Zolkiewicz sent us these photos on Saturday showing the new pedestrian crossing signals pointing diagonally across the intersection of State Street and Jackson Boulevard, right outside DePaul University's Loop campus. We're waiting for confirmation from CDOT, but it looks like these signals are designed to work as part of an exclusive pedestrian phase -- known as a pedestrian scramble or Barnes Dance -- in which people on foot can cross the intersection in any direction. This treatment is common in Los Angeles, Seattle, and Tokyo.