Chicago Real Estate Blog

Cycling in the City (Part II)

In view of recent fatal biking accidents in Chicago, it’s plain to see how important it is for everyone on the road to abide by the rules. Even with strict codes and special bike lanes on heavy-traffic streets, there is still plenty of opportunity to make Chicago an even more bike-friendly city.

The Bike 2015 Plan is a multi-part project that aims to increase bike use in Chicago while simultaneously decreasing the number of bicycle-related injuries by 50%. Specific proposed initiatives include installing a 500-mile bikeway network and 5,000 new bike racks, appointing designated bicycle enforcement officers with the Chicago Police Department, and offering education programs for both motorists and bicyclists.

Just this month the city started construction on a portion of Bike 2015 that will add 72.5 miles of bikeways to Chicago streets. The improvements comprise of new bike lanes, marked shared lanes (for narrower streets), colored bike lanes, and designated bike routes with direction and distance info to popular destinations.

The city’s Bike 2015 developments are an expansion of a well-established base of bikeways. There are currently 165 miles of signed bike routes, 108.5 miles of bike lanes, and 11 miles of shared lanes already in existence in Chicago, not to mention the ever-popular 18-mile lakefront bike trail. The lakefront path is used year-round, but once the weather gets nice that thing is the number one travel route for bikers, joggers and inline skaters.

More on helpful biking tips, future programs, and a downtown bicycle center with it all in the last installment of Cycling in the City (coming next week).

Posted at 09:20AM May 16, 2008 by Spencer Mason in General  |  Comments[0]