Bike Grid Now claims Cortland Street Bridge as ‘The People’s Bridge’
The Cortland Street Bridge – The People’s Bridge – Oct. 18, 2026 (Photo: Viktor Koves)
The sun beamed, bands played, children shouted and the people danced in the street in celebration of the dedication of the Cortland Street Bridge as “The People’s Bridge” on Oct. 18.
People gathered on the east approach to the Cortland Street Bridge to celebrate the long-term no-cars status of the bridge, Oct. 18, 2026. (Photo: Viktor Koves)
When a road is closed to cars, it’s open to people – and roughly 200 people turned up to applaud the long-term status of the Cortland Street Bridge as car-free.
The drawbridge, which dates to 1902, was closed to motor vehicle traffic on Sept. 22, 2025, for rehabilitation. The sidewalks remained open for use by bike riders, pedestrians and scooter users. The Chicago Department of Transportation announced in August that the work is more complicated than expected, so car traffic will be banned from the bridge for up to five years. In October, the department revised its reopening estimate to the end of 2028. When the closure was announced, barricades were moved such that the non-car traffic could access the bridge deck.
The celebration on the afternoon of Oct. 18 featured appearances by Paper Cardinal, Scrappy Rat Band (which performed “Pinball Wizard” to the tune of “Folsom Prison Blues”), Ovef Ow, and Hard Femme, plus a presentation by Chris Gentry on the history of the bridge.
Scrappy Rat Band performs at the People’s Bridge celebration. (Photo: Viktor Koves)
The advocacy goals of the celebration were that the bridge should be permanently off-limits to motor vehicle traffic, except for possibly the No. 73 Armitage bus, which provides a necessary connection between Lincoln Park and the Armitage ‘L’ stop across the river to the Clybourn Metra station and Bucktown. The bus is currently detoured via North Avenue.
Alternatively, the Cortland Street Bridge MUST stay closed to cars at least until the 606 Trail is extended over the river one block south. Constructing a 606 Trail bridge over the river is part of the plan for Foundry Park, a $3 billion mixed-use development under construction on 31 acres around Cortland Street, Southport Avenue and Kingsbury Street.
The need is quantifiable: On Oct. 13, Bike Grid Now counted 288 bikes, pedestrians, scooters, and skateboarders crossing the bridge from 4-5 p.m.
A week prior to the People’s Bridge party, volunteers cleaned up the place by picking up litter, pulling weeds, mulching, and painting the street in exuberant designs and colors.
Volunteers cleaning up the approach to the Cortland Street Bridge, Oct. 10, 2026.
Pedestrians pass through the freshly painted east approach to the Cortland Street Bridge, Oct. 10, 2026. (Photo: Nik Hunder)
Leland Avenue now “Lily’s Greenway”
Bike Grid Now members, wearing purple memorial ribbons, gathered at Leland Avenue and Dover Street on the North Side on Oct. 24 for the unveiling of signs giving the Leland Avenue Greenway the honorary name “Lily’s Greenway.”
The designation is in acknowledgement of Elizabeth “Lily” Grace Shambrook, who was killed in a crash at age 3 in 2022 on Leland Avenue near Winthrop Avenue. Lily was riding in a child seat on her mother’s bicycle. Her mother, Kate Snow, had to go around a ComEd truck parked in the bike lane, and was struck by another truck.
The week before Lily’s death, Raphael Cardenas, age 2, was killed by a driver while crossing a side street on a scooter in Lincoln Square. A few days later, Ja’lon James, age 11, was struck and killed by a car in North Lawndale on the West Side. The three fatalities of children within two weeks sparked the modern safe-streets movement in Chicago.
“Leland was definitely a highway for our family as far as getting back and forth. It still is,” Tim Shambrook, Lily’s father, said at the ceremony before pulling the cord that removed the shroud from the sign. “It’s nice to know that, out of the loss you can suffer, the city is actually answering some of the things that advocates have been asking for, for so long. I hope it goes citywide.”
A greenway is a bike route on a side street that bike riders can ride for some distance, to avoid having to use main streets that are thick with car, truck and bus traffic.
Ald. Angela Clay (46th) reads a city resolution giving the Leland Avenue Greenway an honorary set of signs in the name of Elizabeth “Lily” Grace Shambrook, at an unveiling ceremony at Leland Avenue and Dover Street, Oct. 24, 2026. (Photo: Viktor Koves)
Adults in the photo are Ald. Angela Clay (46th), and Tim Shambrook and Kate Snow, parents of the late Elizabeth “Lily” Grace Shambrook. (Photo: Viktor Koves)
(Photo: Viktor Koves)
Bike Grid Now celebrates World Car-Free Day
Dozens of Bike Gridders participated in our annual Jamapalooza, held in conjunction with World Car-Free Day, an annual observance meant to urge car drivers to ditch their cars for a day, and perhaps longer.
Jamapalooza started at Daley Plaza, went through the Loop and eventually onto DuSable Lake Shore Drive, between Monroe Street and the Randolph Street exit. Riders then went to Upper Randolph Street and Field Boulevard to observe Chicago Henge, the solstice phenomenon of the sun setting between downtown buildings.
Jamapalooza in the Loop, Sept. 22, 2026 (Photo: Viktor Koves)
Jamapalooza on DuSable Lake Shore Drive just north of Monroe Street, Sept. 22, 2026.
Ward Bike Map shows progress, or lack of progress, on bike routes
Viktor Koves, creator of Chicagoans Who Bike, released a Ward Biking Map. This is an online map that makes it simple to look at all of Chicago’s bike routes (from official Chicago Department of Transportation data) and see how many miles of bike lanes are in your ward, including what type, and see how many miles of bike lane your alder has built in their last term. Are they a bike lane builder like first-place finisher Ald. Andre Vasquez in the 40th Ward, with 10.3 miles built since 2023? Or a sad slow roller like 44th Ward Ald. Bennett Lawson, with zero miles built in that same time. Check it out at chiwho.bike/map.
Winter biking classes
Bike Grid Now hosted the first of three classes on how to adapt to your bike and how you ride to winter conditions. The class, Oct. 21 at Beermiscuous, 2812 N. Lincoln Ave., covered advice on appropriate clothing, how to prevent damage to your bike, route decision making in snowy, icy and dark conditions, and when to recognize that it is unsafe. The class also featured a giveaway of two certificates for a November bike maintenance class donated and hosted by BFF Bikes, 2056 N. Damen Ave. More giveaways will be featured at the next class, scheduled for 3 p.m. Nov. 15 at Bikes N’ Roses, 4600 W. Palmer St.
Ravenswood Elementary Bike Bus
The bike bus to Ravenswood Elementary School, 4332 N. Paulina St., is now rolling on its own after Bike Grid Now assisted in starting the ride last school year. In the spring, with the help of fourth-grade teacher Talia Selah, we hosted the inaugural ride, then squeezed in a second run just before the end of the school year, garnering over 90 attendees. Bike Grid Now planned the route and handled all on-ride logistics, while Ms. Selah coordinated with parents and students and designed fliers for each ride.
Students and parents ride to school on the Ravenswood Elementary Bike Bus. (Photo: Viktor Koves)
This school year, after Bike Grid Now helped run the bus a few more times and hosted a marshal training specifically for school bike buses (more on that below), the parents and teachers of Ravenswood Elementary have taken over managing the ride completely. It’s been rewarding to see the joy on the kids’ faces as they take over the streets that are normally too dangerous to ride on outside a group setting. Thanks to Ms. Selah for doing so much to make this ride happen. Follow the Ravenswood Elementary Bike Bus on Instagram @ravenswoodbikebus!
The Chicago Sun-Times reported on other bike buses to school.
Marshal Training: School Bike Bus Edition
In September, Bike Grid Now hosted marshal training, with a school bike bus twist. The impetus for the training came from a desire to help the Ravenswood Elementary Bike Bus run their ride independently.
We gathered Oct. 4 at Lake View High School, 4015 N. Ashland Ave., for the spoken portion of the training, where we learned marshaling roles, best practices for communicating with each other during the ride, planning a route, and our advice for starting a school bike bus. We then took to the streets where attendees practiced corking (blocking intersections while the rest of the group rolls through) as we rode the Ravenswood Bike Bus route.
If you’re interested in starting a bike bus, a great place to start is Chicago Family Biking. In addition to written resources, they have some well-made videos that can be shared with parents and students to help them know what to expect.
Bike lane in front of Post Office blocked by cars
Block Club Chicago highlights a persistent problem: Car drivers parking in the bike lane in front of the Main Post Office, 433 W. Harrison St.—even though the Post Office offers free parking for cars. This problem will not go away unless there’s enforcement by the city. There’s money to be made until compliance is achieved. Bike Lane Uprising has also called attention to this trouble spot.
A bike lane with cars parked in it isn’t a bike lane.
Upcoming events:
Nov. 6 – South Side Critical Mass, 5:45 p.m. meet-up, 6:15 p.m. departure, Nichols Park South Fountain, 1300 E. 55th St. Bring your lights – sunset is 4:38 p.m.
Nov. 12 – Better Streets Chicago annual fundraiser, 7 p.m., Pilot Project Brewing, 2140 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Nov. 15 – Winter cycling class, 3 p.m., virtual
Nov. 27 – Day after Thanksgiving – Critical Mass, 6 p.m. meet-up, 6:30 p.m. departure, Daley Plaza, 50 W. Washington St. Bring your lights – sunset is 4:21 p.m.