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Since the advent of the bicycle in the 1860s, Chicago has been distinguished
as one of the premier cycling locations in the United States, with
such public cycling destinations as Grant Park, Burnham Park and the Chicago
Park District's Lakefront Path. Chicago is named
a cycling capital of the United States by a prominent national
magazine.
History
Early bicycles arrived in Chicago in the 1860s. By 1900, there
were 54 bicycle clubs with more than 10,000 members[1].
Bicycle advocacy has been
present in Chicago since the early days of the city. Carter H.
Harrison II, a mayoral candidate, was an advocate for cyclists.
One of his campaign posters presented him as "Not the Champion
Cyclist; But the Cyclists' Champion." Harrison won the mayoral
election and attributed his victory to strong support from
cyclists, and rewarded his supporters with a bike path along Sheridan Road from
Edgewater to Evanston.
By the late 1890s, Chicago was the "bicycle-building capital of
America". According to the 1898 Chicago Bicycle Directory,
approximately two-thirds of the country's bicycles and accessories
were manufactured within 150 miles (240 km) of the
city.
Mayor Richard J. Daley, like Harrison, was
also a supporter of bicycling. When he was inaugurated, the city
had a limited number of bike paths. By the 1970s, Daley's
administration had announced a large network of lakefront bike
paths, bicycle lanes on the road, a 34-mile (55 km) bicycle
route and rush-hour bicycle lanes on Clark
Street and Dearborn Street.
Chicago has recently seen an increase in the amount of bikers
traveling throughout the city[2].This
can in part be attributed to the current mayor, Richard M.
Daley. Daley has said, "My goal is to make the City of Chicago
the most bicycle-friendly city in the U.S."
Daley created a Mayor's Bicycle Advisory Council (MBAC) in order to
encourage bicycling in the city; MBAC meetings happen four times a
year in March, June, September and December. Meeting minutes are
posted online for 2007 and 2008. The first public involvement
meeting was held on June 17, 2009[3].
The Council created the Chicago Department of
Transportation Bike Program, a multi-million dollar program
funded primarily by Federal CMAQ grants[4], in
order to achieve this end. The program, whose efforts are guided by
the Bike 2015 Plan, approved in June 2006, has
created over 100 miles (160 km) of new bike lanes,
installed 10,000 bicycle racks, and installed
165 miles (266 km) of signed bike routes in 2006. Daley
has also sponsored events to promote biking, such as Bike The Drive,
Bike to Work Rally, the L.A.T.E. Ride, the
Commuter Challenge, and many other events. In November 2001,
Bicycling magazine honored Chicago as the “Best Cycling
City in the United States” of cities with more than one million
residents.[5]
Bikes and
transit
All Chicago Transit Authority
(CTA) & Pace buses are equipped with bicycle
racks which accommodate two bicycles each, available for use at all
times. Bicycles are allowed to board any Chicago Transit Authority
train ("the 'L'"), except during the hours of 7-9a
and 4-6p on weekdays, up to two bikes per car. Bicycles are not
allowed on trains on July 3 or 4 [6]. The
suburban commuter rail system Metra initially allowed bicycles to ride on
non-rush hour and weekend Metra trains for no extra cost for a
trial period of July 1–Oct 31, 2005. The program was then extended
through January 1, 2006. All Metra timetables list the blackout
dates and which trains disallow bicycles.
Most CTA rail stations have indoor, outdoor or outdoor sheltered
bicycle parking. The Chicago Bicycle Program's Bike Parking website
displays all stations and denotes the quantity and type of bicycle
parking available. Most Metra stations have bicycle parking
available.
Starting in 2008, high capacity bike parking was constructed at
four CTA rail stations: Damen (CTA Blue Line), Sox-35th (CTA), Jefferson Park (Metra-CTA),
and Midway
(CTA).[7]
Facilities
According to the Chicago Department of
Transportation Bicycle Program, Chicago has just over
111 miles (179 km) of dedicated bike lanes covering much
of the city. There are also several miles of roads signed and
marked with shared lane markings (consisting of
bike and chevron symbols, or bike symbols and
arrows). As of August 2008, there are approximately 27 miles
(43 km) of these types of shared bike lanes throughout the
city. The Milwaukee Avenue bike lane and marked shared lane is one
of the most popular on-street bikeways in the city: between 2003
and 2008, the number of bicyclists riding on the street has
increased 377%[2].
CDOT is counting the number of bicyclists on other city streets in
2008 and 2009[2].
The City of Chicago publishes a Bike Lane Design Guide.
The Bicycle Parking Program within the CDOT Bicycle Program lists
almost 8,000 bike racks at over 4,000 locations in the city
limits[9]. More
than half of the CTA 'L' stations have indoor or sheltered bike
parking available to protect bicycles from inclement weather[10].
The McDonald's Cycle Center in Millennium Park
was opened on July 16, 2004 just east of the Pritzker Pavilion. The
building has indoor parking for bicycles, bicycle repair, showers,
rental, lockers, and a cafe.
Organizations
- The Active Transportation
Alliance, formerly known as the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation,
was founded in 1985 and is the largest member-supported bicycle
organization in the Chicago region. ActiveTrans works heavily with
the Chicago Bicycle Program.
- The Chicago Cycling Club holds
regular rides.
- The UIC College of Cycling promotes cycling at the
University of Illinois at Chicago.
- Several grassroots
organizations also exist to promote cycling in Chicago. The Cycling Sisters
work to encourage women to ride more. Break the Gridlock works to
reduce auto-dependence. West Town Bikes teaches kids and adults how
to maintain their own bikes. Bike Winter holds workshops and fun
events to keep people biking all year round. The Pilsen/Little
Village Bicycle Alliance works to increase bicycling in those
neighborhoods.
Social
aspects
Under the current Mayor Daley, cycling in Chicago has seen huge
increase in participation. In the summer, the lakefront path is teeming with
cyclists out for fun and recreation.
The monthly Critical Mass ride routinely draws
thousands of participants in the summer months. Participants gather
at Daley Plaza on the last Friday
of every month at 5:30 PM for a free ride.
The LATE Ride, sponsored by the Friends
of the Parks, is an annual overnight tour of Chicago
neighborhoods.
Active Transportation
Alliance hosts its annual Bike The Drive and Boulevard Lakefront Tour.
Each summer, the Mayor's Office of Special Events (MOSE) hosts
Bike Chicago[11], a
series of bike friendly events around the city. MOSE and CDOT
jointly operate the online calendar of events[12].
References
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