PB39th Ward
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Elston Avenue is a main diagonal artery that bicyclists take everyday to get to work. It provides easy access for residents to bike to neighborhoods like Logan Square, Wicker Park, Irving Park etc.
Converting Elston's bike lanes in both directions into protected one way bike lanes will save lives and encourage more people to use the bike lanes. The vast majority of Chicago's bicycle crowd does not use these lanes, because it is just too dangerous to bike on them today.
It would mean, we move the bike lanes right next to the sidewalk and move the car parking into the street. Today, it is setup in the opposite manner.
This has already been done on Milwaukee Avenue - another diagonal street that a lot of bikers use - https://chicagocompletestreets.org/streets/bikeways/barrier-protected-bike-lanes/
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This proposal is being evaluated
This proposal had been previously rejected but is under reconsideration for Cycle 4.
*All proposals have been assessed by the PB Committee for possible inclusion on the ballot. This project was not selected for the ballot by the Committee. To learn more about ballot creation, PB Committee, and the 39th Ward Participatory Budgeting process, please click on the "The Steps" tab above.
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5 comments
This is such a great idea. I ride Elston to downtown and other parts of the city. I want to ride on it with my family but it’s not safe enough for them. As someone who regularly rides on this road, I know that the bike lane regularly gets blocked by cars trying to park or get into car wash locations. A couple years ago when it started to snow while I was riding my bike slipped out from under me and I slid into traffic. I was fortunate that there wasn’t a car behind me but others have lost their lives riding on Elston. A bike lane would protect us and save lives! In the long run if more people start biking on Elston, it could ease the backup of cars in traffic that regularly happens on Elston at busy times of day. I love this idea and I believe it deserves serious consideration.
I endorse a protected bike lane on Elston for all the reasons already brought up AND it must be accompanied by parking enforcement — i.e. cars need to be ticketed and towed from the lane when they have parked inside it. Snow removal is also an essential service otherwise the lane will be rendered unusable during the snowy parts of the year forcing cyclists into traffic in perhaps the most dangerous weather. Without parking enforcement and snow removal these lanes become useless if not a greater hazard than they were before redesign.
The northern end of Elston has a dedicated bike lane but it is not protected. The rate of speed in this area is very high. The additional protection is warranted here.
Without protected bike lanes on Elston and Lawrence, the neighborhood is unsafe for bike riders. Designated bike lanes are used by drivers as a passing and turning lane.
Thank you for sharing this useful information with everyone. fnf
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