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Bicycle riding for daily commutes and errands is very popular in Europe. Now this trend is gaining traction in the US. That’s because riding a bike is good for you and good for the planet.
One city that is working hard to make bike riding easier and safer is Chicago, Illinois. The city is improving its bicycle infrastructure, according to the Block Club Chicago organization by building 150 miles (241 kilometers) of bike lanes and greenways, as well as other routes with painted bike markings, in the next few years.
Chicago Cycling Strategy
This work is all part of the community-driven Chicago Cycling Strategy to develop a fully connected and protected bike grid across the city and the plan was recently updated by the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT), according to a press release from the city. It is part of the city’s commitment to sustainable urban development.
“We are excited to share this latest update of our Chicago Cycling Strategy, which tells the story of where we’ve been and where we’re headed on the journey to build the best bike network of any big city in the country,” CDOT Commissioner Gia Biagi said in the press release. “We’ve set a vision for the next 150 miles of bikeways in our city and, more importantly, have outlined the practiced methods that will help us get there.”
While different approaches will be used in different neighborhoods instead of a one-size-fits-all approach there is an overall three pillared strategy. The first is to connect all neighborhoods across the city with bike routes. The second is to focus on local trips and the third is to provide low-stress options to make cycling safe and convenient.
“The Chicago Cycling Strategy is an important step forward and provides a set of concrete goals and benchmarks that advocates like us can use to ensure the city follows through on its commitment to create safer streets for people on bikes,” Jim Merrell, advocacy director at the Active Transportation Alliance said.
Increase in riders
To date 10 bikeways have been installed and 17 are currently under construction and an additional 56 are still in the planning stages, according to The Optimistdaily.
“2023 really was an exciting year, and I think sets the tone and the stage for how we move forward in the years to come,” said David Smith, Complete Streets manager (a CDOT program) , during a city council hearing. Last year, the city set a record by adding more than 50 miles of bike-friendly paths.
Besides installing bike routes, the CDOT program provided 1,350 free bikes to residents and there has been a large increase in the number of people using the Divvy bike rental system. The number of bike riders is going up as routes are being completed.
The new bike infrastructure improvements shows that Chicago is serious about building a better city and a more sustainable future.
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