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Uptown, girl! Installation of the Uptown Extension protected bike lanes on Clark from Montrose to Winnemac is slated to start today
On Friday, I responded to a recent People for Bikes article alleging that Chicago is the milk carton kid among large U.S. cities who should be creating high-quality, low-stress cycling networks: missing in action.
August 18, 2025
Yes, Chicago has a long way to go to become truly bicycle-friendly. But People for Bikes’ recent post, using our city as a poster child, is a joke.
Let me start out by stating the obvious. Everyone who rides a bicycle in Chicago, or doesn't because they don't feel safe doing so, knows that our city is a less-than-ideal place for cycling.
August 15, 2025
Response to another awful People for Bikes rating: Chicago cycling conditions aren’t *that* bad. But here’s what we need to do to make them better.
For the fifth year in a row, Chicago gets a dismal ranking. Let's worry less about whether the PFB report is accurate, and more about how to create a truly bike-friendly city.
June 25, 2024
People for Bikes explains why its 2024 City Ratings will likely give Chicago another dismal ranking
"It's very encouraging to see this increase in bike ridership in Chicago," said PFB's Martina Haggerty. "And what we know is that that will only grow as the City builds more protected bike lanes, and fills in those gaps in the network, and reduces speeds."
June 17, 2024
CDOT built it, they came: New report shows Chicago leads the nation in biking growth
The study's findings contrast with People for Bikes studies that repeatedly ranked Chicago as one of the very worst large U.S. cities for cycling.
May 28, 2024
As usual, People for Bikes’ rock-bottom Chicago ranking is silly. But pushing us to lower speed limits and build a citywide protected bike lane network makes sense.
Another year, another flawed report from the advocacy group People for Bikes rating Chicago as one of the very worst big American cities for biking.
July 20, 2023
Once again, People for Bikes ranks more car-centric, less bikeable cities above Chicago
While it's rankings don't reflect reality, the PFB ratings do offer some useful constructive criticism for Chicago. Biking here would benefit from a lower speed limit and connected protected bike lane network.
July 5, 2022
Glass-half-full Bike League report highlights Chicago’s successes in promoting cycling
LAB did a good job of laying out some of the things that CDOT has gotten right when promoting cycling, while noting that we still need a lot more miles of protected bike lanes.
January 28, 2022
People for Bikes is wrong: Chicago isn’t a worse bike city than Jacksonville or Omaha
Yes, Chicago got screwed by People for Bikes' flawed rating system. But we still have lots of work to do need to make cycling as safe, enjoyable, and normalized as it is in truly great cycling cities.
January 27, 2022
Chicago’s 30 mph speed limit, lack of connectivity again lead to low People for Bikes rating
People for Bikes and the Active Transportation Alliance agree that Chicago should focus on lowering the default speed limit and building a network of protected bike lines to encourage more cycling.
July 19, 2021
