Chicago officials
continue to press forward towards their goal of 100 miles of bicycle lanes
throughout the city. Currently, Chicago has about 50 miles of bicycle lanes
throughout the city. There are designated lanes, which are blocked by a
separate parking lane, on stretches of Dearborn in the downtown loop and on
Milwaukee Avenue. The city spent about
$2.7 million last year designing and building bike lanes, at a cost averaging
$67,000 per mile, according to the Chicago Department of Transportation.
There are plans in the works for an additional 40 miles of bike lanes to be
implemented within the next year. Chicago has set a goal of increasing the
citywide bicycle commute-to-work rate to 5 percent, up from about 1.6 percent
currently, or about 26,300 average daily bicycling trips, according to U.S.
census and other data.
The Chicago
Tribune had an interesting
article over the weekend that discussed some of the concerns from bicyclists
have about where the designated bike lanes will be installed. Specifically, on
Lake Street, which is narrow, often littered and covers multiple bridges.
The question remains as
to whether bicyclists and motorists will be safe from each other once these
additional bike lanes are added. I think the lanes that are protected by the
additional parking lane are very effective as it adds a distinct barrier
between the two. In other words, motorists and pedestrians know that those
lanes are for bicyclists only and hopefully provide awareness and respect towards
the bicyclists. I will be interested to see statistics for bicycle accidents
once all of the new lanes have been added for a period of time.
If you or someone you
love has been injured in a Chicago bicycle accident or Chicago car crash, then
call Chicago personal injury attorney, Aaron Bryant, for a free legal consultation at 312-614-1076.