PB 1st Ward 2021
#PB1 Contribute to the 1st ward's participatory budgeting!
Wood St (Ellen - Grand)
Budget
$325,000
67 votes
Reference: -PROJ-2021-11-17
Selected
Wood St is a designated bike route in Chicago's bike plan. This proposal would upgrade bike infrastructure from Chicago Ave. to Ellen St. by adding protected two-way bike lanes for a full mile on this street. Wood would be changed from two-way to one-way (northbound) to accommodate these bike lanes and preserve residential parking.
40 comments
Has anyone approached the neighbors that live in and around this area and asked them what they think? I for one (and live yards from Wood Street) think making Wood street a One-Way street is NOT what the neighborhood needs nor wants. I am not opposed to identifying Bike Lanes (and in some instances enforcing them with raised surfaces), but this is exactly what the neighborhood does not want on this street.
Given Wood is the artery for all of East Village, making it one way will just force more traffic into the side streets when people on Pesrson or Iowa want to get to Chicago Ave
Making Wood a one-way North is a crazy idea. You will have three one-way streets in a row that all go north, not fun for the people who live on those streets
Conversation with Paprika R
Dislike. As a biker, having Wood Street is great and it's possible to bike safely in either direction as it's not a super fast-moving road. Not being able to bike South on that street would be extremely frustrating and it's a street that's already shared nicely between bicycles and motorized vehicles.
Oops I saw that it would be two way for biking but I still think it would be worse overall.
Would prefer to see two-way protected (with barriers) bike lanes on major roads before something like this is implemented. Cities like Minneapolis have done this effectively with attractive barriers that keep bikers safe and also add character to the area: https://www.minneapolismn.gov/getting-around/biking/
Wood is the only street that allows traffic in both directions besides Paulina to the East and the only viable alternative to Ashland and Damen. Closing one lane is shortsighted and ignores the fact the this road provides two way traffic to the businesses on both ends from Milwaukee to Grand.
I have lived at Erie and Wood, and have not seen enough bicycle traffic to warrant spending this type of money on a problem that doesn’t exist. We also own a business on Hubbard that Wood feeds into from Wicker park.
If you are looking to make a dedicated one way street more accessible to two way bicycle traffic, Wolcott is a better alternative.
Horrible idea, I have lived on 500 blk of Wood for 2 decades. not enough bike traffic to warrant two dedicated bike lanes. One way northbound is also a poor idea. Wood has become an alternate route to circumvent Ashland, pre covid, Wood st was a traffic jam between 3:30-5:30 M-F. Please reconsider this horrible plan!
Conversation with Daniel Scalpone
As a resident who lives a few blocks from Wood for almost ten years, I enthusiastically support this plan. Often times cars run stop signs and drive too fast on Wood, having extra protection will encourage more biking and could reduce car traffic that frequently is bumper to bumper on North and Milwaukee. For those who dislike the proposal, please consider that this could ultimately reduce congestion with more families who feel the street is safe enough to bike.
So having a much wider bike way on a larger street such as Wolcott is not as appealing? Wolcott is actually wide enough to have have full hard barrier protected bike lanes. If the bike lanes are put on Wood, the only sizable option is bollards and painted lane markings. That would allow Wolcott to become a two way street, with more room for cars to maneuver and increased vehicular traffic on a street that is quite quiet right now.
Wolcott is a good option too and certainly if it came down to having better protection for the bike lane, then yes - it would be a better option. As a biker who frequently using Wood to get around, the central location of the street in Wicker and Ukrainian Village is ideal to encourage more greater bike use. I just hope that the perfect doesn't be the enemy of the good and this propose is shot down because of it; then we need to wait another 5 years before another effort is made to protect bikers on this vitally important route.
Yes that makes sense! I’m gonna bike my kids in the cold. You should run for alderman as well you seem to have great ideas too. Douche
You're right, Chicago is cold in the winter and it would seem a non starter for biking. What I've found as the father of a young daughter is that for 90% of the year, with proper clothing, it is perfectly fine to get around the city with kids. for the other 10% of the year when there is snow and ice, public transportation is just fine (which is great in West Town). Yes, that choice may not be right for everyone (though it is a great cost savings, healthier and takes away the risk of being carjacked) and no one is trying to ban your car from Chicago streets by adding more bicycle infrastructure. From purely selfish perspective maybe having an open mind would be a better approach, after all, if more "Douches" like me use bicycles to cart their families around then it means less traffic on the road for you and less pollution for your kids.
Conversation with Yuriy Faktorovich
Love the idea. The more protected bike lanes we have the more we can disincentivize driving. Make streets safer for everyone. Quieter for residents. Next up should be removing street parking from Chicago Ave and give it full protected bike lanes.
The first priority in this ward is Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety? The 1st Ward which is rampant with car jackings, violent crime and armed robberies? Do you think that spending $325,000 is justified on a "problem" that will not make the residents feel safer, safe enough to leave their homes and utilize the surrounding neighborhoods. The funding for 6 out of the 11 projects is misguided and needs additional peer review.
We already spend one of the highest amounts per capita on police. It isn't working. Let's get people out on the streets and out of their gas guzzlers. How many car jacking are going to happen in pedestrian friendly zones? Violent crime and armed robbery when you can't get away in a car, good luck.
None of the money would be spent on police, there was a suggestion on FB that over 1600 cameras and motion detection lighting could be purchased with the funds. But you are saying a one way street will be a deterrent to these type of robberies? The will still be two sides of parking on Wood, could be walking to the bus.
"A Chicago man is recuperating at a local hospital after he was shot during a robbery in the city’s West Town neighborhood early Sunday morning. According to Chicago police, the 35-year-old man was walking to his vehicle in the 700 block of North Wood Street at approximately 12:30 a.m. when he was approached by a white sedan. A man then got out of that vehicle, pointed a gun at the victim and demanded his backpack. The suspect then shot the victim in the arm, and fled the scene with the backpack, according to police. The man sustained a gunshot wound to his arm during the robbery, and was taken to an area hospital, where he was listed in good condition."
Remove parking from Chicago ave? Lmao That’s even more stupid than the wood project
Conversation with Chicago Resident
This is an excellent project and helps Chicago pedal toward a more sustainable future! Well done!
You should pedal your ass out of Chicago. Goofy
https://chicago.cbslocal.com/video/6193588-a-majority-of-the-community-needs-to-be-involved/?fbclid=IwAR3rZxPfeDGoFI-gqo4e8EjmB_6UF7hqRddBDWVnXOM-GdaMSBykPcqEGD0
Revote.. I do not believe only 67 residents live in this ward. Thank you
Complete waste of money for this stupid effin idea. MOST RESIDENTS DO NOT WANT THIS IDIOTIC PLAN TO MOVE FORWARD!
If it's participatory budgeting, how about asking ALL ( or at least the majority) of the residents, not just the 67 who said yes to this?
Wood St has always been two-way. Not against bikes, but there are other streets which could be used for safe biking. No reason to change the direction of Wood! That would create so much traffic. Also, how are people supposed to get from division to their street being inclosed by one way northbound streets all around? How would you get to let's say Haddon? Honore is northbound one way, so is Hermitage. If this project is supposed to create greener environment, it's already a fiasco, as people would have to drive through many more streets and traffic to get to their house.
67 residents is NOT, repeat, NOT a mandate for a mile-long street in a dense part of the city!
I've lived just off of Wood for over 12 years, right in the middle of this proposed project. I both bike and drive in the city. Wood St. is already fine for cycling as far as Chicago streets go! This will waste the time, effort, and emissions of hundreds or even thousands of people every day, and result in more cars on quieter side-streets or burning time and expensive gasoline idling on Ashland or Damen.
And for what? So some urbanist anti-car types can brag about working the system? The notion that this stupid project is wanted by residents because 67 people voted somewhere is bat[poop] insane. Total waste of money for an almost wholly negative result. I guess La Spata doesn't mind causing daily annoyances for many, many people in the 1st ward and hoping everyone forgets by election time.
Want to improve Wood St. for cyclists? Use the $$$ to fix the @%$^# road surface!!
Fully support! More low-stress bike routes please!
Is it possible to perform a proof of concept (PoC)? Example: From Division to Ellen (considering the population density increase) ? If there is any measurable improvement (data driven) from the PoC it would garner more support on this proposal. The large majority of these comments are less than favorable.
I would be personally in favor of greater surveillance capability at the intersections on Wood Street (at least in this Ward) to help address the measurable increase in property / violent crime.
Finally, want to confirm that the proposal is from Chicago Ave to Ellen Street (North bound) ... ~ 6 blocks
This idea is insane on a number of levels. Residential areas do not need protected bicycle paths. It should take more than 67 votes to to get this project green lit. The thousands of people that this will affect were never notified. You will be hearing from us very shortly and very loudly. You say putting this to another vote will discount the 67 that have already voted? Let them vote again and see how democracy plays out. No one is saying they can’t vote this for around. The way you have done this is not Democratic but then again I don’t expect that from a socialist. You a public servant not a king…Don’t forget we pay your salary.
This idea absurd, I live on Wood & Haddon. I vote this down. Wood is the only street that access Haddon which a one-way East Direction street. Now I would have to take more route down already one-way streets for a something that isn’t a problem. This will have such a backlash. What happen to notifying the residence in this neighborhood? 67 people huh do these same 67 individuals live in wood? We can have a talk
I’ve lived my whole life a couple blocks off of Wood St and Wood should stay a 2 way street. If you want protected bike lanes, just make it no parking on one side of the street and put bike lanes there
This sounds like a great idea! Putting bike lanes on side streets is a great way to easily make a safe and well-connected bike network. Side streets are much safer and enjoyable for cyclists. Plus, unlike main streets, taking away a lane doesn't create much congestion.
My only suggestion is that, because both streets next to Wood are northbound, this one should be going southbound.
"My thoughts: To be perfectly frank, when I first heard about this
proposal, it didn’t sound like a great use of resources to me. Even when
it had no bike way at all, this portion of Wood was a nice place to
bike, with relatively little car traffic, and stoplights or four-way
stop signs at every intersection. And back in 2014 the Chicago
Department of Transportation installed a Neighborhood Greenway treatment
on this stretch, including a contraflow (“wrong-way”) bike lane at the
north end of the corridor to allow for two-way riding on a one-way
block; bike-and-chevron markings; and bike boxes to give cyclists a
place to wait in front of stopped cars at stoplights. (That was almost
eight years ago? Time flies!) John Greenfield 01/21/2022 https://chi.streetsblog.org/2022/01/21/details-on-7-livable-streets-projects-that-won-funding-in-the-1st-ward-pb-election/
Conversation with onemanwithaflyer
"In general, installing protected bike lanes on side streets seems
unnecessary to me. My thinking is that, since Wood is already a pretty
chill place to ride, this infrastructure would be better applied to a
main street, where there’s a more urgent need to separated bike riders
from fast motor vehicle traffic."
John Greenfield 01/21/2022
I completely agree. There are not enough cyclists on Wood to warrant this at all.
Conversation with Agatha Dare
My building's garage faces Wood one block north of Chicago Ave. This would force us to drive 1/2 mile around the block to reach Chicago Ave. Unacceptable.
Still do not understand the point of the proposal. Offset Milwaukee Ave or Damen Ave traffic? For such a small stretch of non-commuter based traffic, I seriously question the logic here. Would rather have 325K go towards pavement, potholes, and police.
I only see one garage that faces Wood so close to Chicago, and it's right next to Rice Street. You can just take that out, you'll be on Chicago in 1,000 feet.
I strongly support this proposal and know that most of my neighbors support it as well. I ride a bike with my three kids on Wood year round and I do not feel safe. A well-maintained, protected bike lane will allow more families and elderly community members to see the benefits of bike transportation in this city. I would suggest making Wolcott a two-lane road for cars to address the concerns in these comments.
Conversation with Jackson G
I enthusiastically support this idea. Drivers already have more than enough options to get around the neighborhood, while cyclists have very few. Perhaps the reason there aren’t many cyclists on wood is because they don’t feel safe using it in their current form. We need more options for cyclists and pedestrians to feel safe instead of only catering to drivers.
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