Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about The 606

Faced with the prospect of teens skateboarding near their homes, neighbors decided that this featureless lawn is a "lovely" community asset. Image: Google Street View

Neighbors’ Fears of Attracting “A Different Element” Helped Kill the 606 Skate Park

By John Greenfield | May 4, 2017 | 25 Comments

It’s funny how a plain, green lawn suddenly becomes “fabulous” when the alternative is a bmx and skateboard park that would provide healthy recreational opportunities for teenagers from diverse backgrounds.

The police ATVs take up half the width of the paved path. Image: Steven Vance

Video: Police on Noisy ATVs Have Begun to Invade the Bloomingdale Trail

By John Greenfield and Steven Vance | Apr 14, 2017 | 15 Comments

As I discussed last week, the 14th Police District’s plan to patrol the Bloomingdale Trail, aka The 606, on all-terrain vehicles makes no sense. They have virtually no benefits over patrolling the path by bicycle, since bike are much more maneuverable (a huge advantage when the trail is crowded), cycles with saddlebags have almost as […]

A police officer drives an ATV on the Lakefront Trail. Photo: Milosh Kosanovich

There is No Reason for the Police to Use ATVs on the Bloomingdale Trail

By John Greenfield | Apr 4, 2017 | 22 Comments

The Bloomingdale Trail, aka The 606, was intended to be an oasis of calm in the hectic city. So it’s completely wrongheaded that the Chicago Police Department will soon be patrolling the path with all-terrain vehicles.

The hardest-shirking machine in snow business: The 606 Snowplow

Streetsblog Chicago’s Exclusive Interview With The 606 Snowplow

By John Greenfield | Dec 20, 2016 | 11 Comments

The Chicago Park District continues to do a bang-up job of clearing the Lakefront Trail. When I rode it on the North Side Monday afternoon in the wake of last weekend’s snowstorm – the second snowfall in as many weekends — the pavement was generally dry as a bone. Last I heard, the trail on […]

The north Lakefront Trail was in great shape yesterday evening, but not The 606. Photo: John Greenfield

Why Is the Lakefront Plowed but Not the Bloomingdale?

By John Greenfield | Dec 16, 2016 | 18 Comments

The park district's diligence with clearing the lakefront trail makes a lot of sense. The same should be true with The 606, but it's not.

Celebrate The 606 at Its One-Year Anniversary Party Next Month

By John Greenfield | May 13, 2016

It’s hard to believe it’s been less than a year since the Bloomingdale Trail, also known as The 606, debuted last June 6th (6/06). The elevated greenway already seems like a Chicago institution, and it’s a little hard to remember a time Wicker Park, Bucktown, Humboldt Park didn’t have a ribbon of recreational space running […]

Other Reasons Why The 606 Gets More Ridership Than the Major Taylor Trail

By John Greenfield | May 11, 2016 | 5 Comments

The Chicago Tribune’s new transportation columnist Mary Wisniewski, a former Sun-Times transportation reporter, is off to a good start. She’s written a number of article that show an interest in promoting sustainable transportation, rather than the windshield perspective that has been all-to-common in the mainstream media. For example, her articles about bicycling have asked *what* […]

Outgoing 606 Project Manager Discusses The Trail’s Impact on Neighborhoods

By John Greenfield | Apr 6, 2016

The Trust for Public Land’s Chicago director Beth White announced last week that she will be leaving Chicago to take a new job as president and CEO of the nonprofit Houston Parks Board, beginning in June. White is best known here as the woman who led the development of the $95 million, 2.7-mile Bloomingdale Trail […]

Residents Want to Ensure the Paseo Trail Won’t Be a Route to Gentrification

By John Greenfield | Mar 23, 2016 | 35 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 […]

Active Trans May Launch a Petition Drive to Keep The 606 Open 24/7

By John Greenfield | Mar 14, 2016 | 10 Comments

Even Though The 606 Is CMAQ-Funded, It Doesn’t Have to Be Open 24/7

By John Greenfield | Mar 11, 2016 | 21 Comments

Although the Chicago Park District says nonstop commuting on the Bloomingdale Trail, aka The 606, is legal during park curfew hours of 11 p.m. to 6 a.m., the Chicago Police Department disagrees, and they currently clear the path of all users at 11. Some bike advocates have asked if it’s even legal to close the […]

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