Back in February, when the Chicago Department of Transportation announced that Stony Island, between 69th and 77th streets, would be the site of the city's first cycle track, the news was met with ambivalence. "Put the first cycle track somewhere else," wrote Steven Vance, a leading voice in the cycling community, and he offered a list of 15 alternatives. The transit planners must have been listening, because on Saturday, citing a newsletter from Ald. Brendan Reilly, WBEZ reported that Kinzie Street — one of the 15 on Vance's list — would instead pioneer the newfangled bike lane. (The Tribune reports that Stony Island was dropped because too few cyclists use the route.) Unlike typical bike lanes, where cyclists ride between parked cars and moving traffic, cars will park a couple of feet away from the sidewalk on Kinzie, and cyclists will be protected from traffic and swinging driver-side doors. According to Vance, the bike lane will run 0.53 miles from Milwaukee and Desplaines to Wells St. Construction is set to begin within the next two weeks. Photo by Steven Vance.
· New bike lanes coming to Chicago [WBEZ]
· Chicago’s first protected bike lane to go in on Kinzie Street [Steven Can Plan]
Filed under:
Loading comments...