Recent Streetsblog CHICAGO posts about West Town

A traffic diverter in Portland. Photo: Jonathan Maus, Bike Portland

Slow Streets, traffic diverters could address dangerous driving on Erie, Noble in West Town

By John Greenfield | Oct 5, 2020 | No Comments

Residential streets shouldn't be places for drivers to pass through in a hurry. They should be safe, peaceful places for people to walk, bike, play, and live.

Looking southeast on Chicago and Milwaukee. Image: Google Maps

Driver, 90, Strikes Two Cyclists in West Town, Police Arrest One of the Cyclists

By John Greenfield | Apr 24, 2019 | 34 Comments

As the elderly motorist was striking the cyclists, one of them smashed his windshield. The cyclist was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor, but the driver got off with a moving violation.

Ghost Bike Installation Planned for Fallen Cyclist Raul Ortiz-Gomez on October 20

By John Greenfield | Oct 12, 2018 | 3 Comments

Ortiz was struck and killed by an Uber Driver in West Town as he was biking to work last June.

Another Case of Brutality Against a Bicyclist in West Town

By John Greenfield | Oct 5, 2018 | 22 Comments

After courier Brian Bauer caught up with a motorist who tried to run him off the road to hold him accountable, the driver gave him a vicious beat-down.

New curb and concrete island construction on Milwaukee Ave. between Erie and Sangamon.

Eyes on the Street: Construction Crews Pour New Concrete on Milwaukee Bike Lane

By Steven Vance | Jul 16, 2018 | 21 Comments

The curb-protected bike lanes are taking shape.

The crash site from the driver's point of view. Image: Google Street View

Driver Fatally Struck Cyclist Raul Ortiz-Gomez, 41, in West Town

By John Greenfield | Jun 15, 2018 | 22 Comments

Ortiz-Gomez was the second bicyclist killed on Chicago streets in 2018.

Image: Robert A. Davis via Chicago Reader

Black Residents: Private Guards Would Make Ukrainian Village Less Safe for Walking

By John Greenfield | Jan 18, 2018 | 9 Comments

A white resident has proposed hiring a security patrol, financed by neighbors, in response to a spike in crime. But people of color argue that this could make them the target of racial profiling.

A rendering of a bike lane (with a passing lane) on the Chicago Avenue bridge over the Kennedy from the West Town Master Plan.

This post is supported by

Right Now It’s More Important to Install Bus Lanes on Chicago Avenue Than Bike Lanes

By Steven Vance | Jun 21, 2017 | 29 Comments

The new West Town Master Plan, commissioned by the West Town Chamber of Commerce and Special Service Area #29, floats the idea of converting two of the four mixed-traffic lanes on Chicago Avenue in the neighborhood to buffered bike lanes. While that’s a forward-thing idea, it would actually make sense to use that extra right-of-way […]

100 People Honored Lisa Kuivinen at Ghost Bike Installation Ceremony

By Steven Vance | Sep 6, 2016 | No Comments

Nearly 100 family members, friends, and members of the cycling community turned out on Saturday to honor art student Lisa Kuivinen with a “ghost bike” installation ceremony at the site where Lisa was fatally struck last month. Ghost bikes are white-painted bicycles locked at crash sites to memorialize victims and raise awareness of the need for safer […]

Developer Proposes Better Active Transportation Access for Goose Island

By Steven Vance | Jan 7, 2016 | 18 Comments

Property developer Zack Cupkovic said he didn’t really discover Goose Island until four years ago, even though he grew up in the nearby Lakeview neighborhood. The man-made island was created in 1857, when the North Branch canal was completed on the east side of the land mass, separating it from the mainland. When you drive across […]

Recent Chicago Pedestrian and Bicycle Fatalities

By John Greenfield | Jul 29, 2015 | No Comments

Man Fleeing Police Fatally Strikes 13-Month-Old Boy in Stroller Dillan Harris, a 13-month-old boy who was sitting in a stroller, was run over and killed by a driver who was being chased by police in the wake of a gunshot murder, prosecutors said. On Saturday, July 11, at around 1:40 p.m., an off-duty police officer […]

Load more stories