The Bike Grid is Coming
State senator secures state grant to study routes
State Sen. Mike Simmons has secured a $300,000 state grant to plan and design 450 miles of the bike grid in Chicago and on 10% of roads in bordering communities. The planning work is to be completed by the end of 2028.
The plan will prioritize connections between community areas, commercial districts, institutions, and points of interest. The planning effort will take into account existing and planned infrastructure to create a system for all ages and abilities on 10% of Chicago streets, and 10% of city streets in communities that border Chicago.
Tour de Border
Even though Chicago and Evanston are adjacent cities, it’s not easy to bike from one to the other,
Bike Grid Now members toured the Chicago-Evanston border on a Tour de Border ride on Aug. 27, accompanied by State Sen. Mike Simmons.
The ride began at Triangle Park, 1750 W. Juneway Terrace in Chicago, in the NoHo (North of Howard) neighborhood. From there, riders examined Chicago Avenue, Sheridan Road, the Damen Avenue-Custer Avenue-Howard Street intersection, Dodge Avenue, and the Howard Avenue-Kedzie Avenue area, on the Chicago side of the border from the Evanston Target, 2209 Howard St., and Jewel, 2485 Howard St. in Evanston.
East of Chicago Avenue, the border between Chicago and Evanston is the alley north of Juneway Terrace, which abuts Calvary Cemetery (where former Chicago Mayor Jane M. Byrne is buried). West of Chicago Avenue, Howard Street is the dividing line.
For those unfamiliar with the area, Chicago streets and Evanston streets don’t always align, and when they do, the bike riding conditions may be poor. For example:
Sheridan Road – This is a street with four car lanes and no bicycle facilities. It has the feel and look of a highway as it runs for several blocks between Lake Michigan and the cemetery.
Clark Street – A decent bike route in Chicago, but when it crosses into Evanston it becomes Chicago Avenue, which has an intermittent bike lane. Not terrible for biking, but definitely sub-optimal.
Custer Avenue – A good bike street in Evanston, but when it crosses into Chicago, it becomes Damen Avenue, which at this location is a one-way southbound local street that goes only as far as Lunt Avenue. (The “real” Damen Avenue starts at Bryan Mawr Avenue.) It would be great if Damen Avenue became a two-way street, or at least had a counter-flow bike lane.
Ridge Avenue – A decent bike route in Chicago, but Evanston bans bikes on Ridge Avenue.
Asbury Avenue – A moderate-stress street for biking in Evanston, which becomes Western Avenue in Chicago, a street bike riders avoid if they can.
Florence Avenue – There’s no traffic light at Howard Street, so it’s hard to get across the border to Chicago, where this becomes Rockwell Street. Then it’s a nice bike route, with some imperfections, to Berwyn Avenue near Lincoln Avenue in Lincoln Square. But it’s one-way southbound south of Pratt Boulevard. Northbound riders need this low-stress street too!
Dodge Avenue-California Avenue is probably the best bike route between Chicago and Evanston. Dodge Avenue in Evanston has parking-protected bike lanes; California Avenue does not have bike lanes at this location, but it has room for bikes. Bike lanes on California Avenue start south of Peterson Avenue, near Mather High School.
Francisco Avenue (Chicago) and Grey Avenue (Evanston) align, but there’s no traffic light to cross Howard Street. There’s a traffic light at Sacramento Avenue to accommodate Jewel and Target; Sacramento Avenue is one-way northbound at this location.
Kedzie Avenue is OK for bike riding in Chicago. There’s a traffic light at Howard Street, across which there’s a private driveway leading to the Jewel and Target, and an industrial area along the North Shore Channel.
New bike infrastructure
Protected bike lanes are under construction on Clark Street north of Lawrence Avenue. Also, the rebuilding of Grand Avenue between Damen Avenue and Ogden Avenue has begun; that project will include protected bike lanes of the type that were installed west of Damen Avenue in 2025.
Meanwhile, work will soon be complete on protected bike lanes on Archer Avenue from Western Avenue to 47th Street, and on Kedzie Avenue from Archer Avenue to 28th Street. This is a project that members of Bike Grid Now, Gage Park Cyclists, the Southwest Collective and Better Streets Chicago supported against car-brained opponents who used the construction project as a wedge issue to gin up publicity for a City Council candidate opposing the incumbent alderman, Julia Ramirez. Politics ain’t beanbag.
A Portage Park Neighborhood Bike Network, in an area bounded by Narragansett Avenue, Addison Street, Cicero Avenue, and Lawrence Avenue, is under construction. Bike Grid Now and other groups supported this at a public meeting in March.
A study is under way on protected bike lanes for 35th Street between Halsted Street and Ashland Avenue, an area that has a mix of residential, commercial and industrial uses.
Jamapalooza!
Jamapalooza is scheduled for Sept. 22, with bike buses departing from four neighborhoods converging on Daley Plaza, 50 W. Washington St., for a 6 p.m. departure to experience Chicago Henge – the setting of the sun between Loop buildings at the start of fall.
Other upcoming events:
Sept. 24 – Bike Lane Uprising ninth anniversary celebration, 6:30-9 p.m., Specialized Chicago—Fulton Market, 925 W. Lake St.
Sept. 25 – Critical Mass, 6 p.m. meet up, 6:30 p.m. departure, Daley Plaza, 50 W. Washington St. Bring your lights – sunset is 6:42 p.m.
Sept. 27 – Chicago Bike Sox ride with Bridgeport Kidical Mass, 12:30 p.m. meet up, 1 p.m. ride from the McGuane Park playground, 2901 S. Poplar Ave., to 2:10 p.m. White Sox game vs. Colorado.
Oct 2 – 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 6:30 p.m.
JOB BOARD
We are planning a picnic/concert on The People’s Bridge™ (Cortland Ave). But it’s a mess right now. We need help cleaning it up (clearing loose gravel, pothole repair, general beautification) on the weekend of October 11th/12th and building some street furniture for the event to be left permanently.
Painters (1-2 persons) - No prior experience, just people
Carpenters (2-3 persons) - Help us assemble cut parts
General cleanup (4-6 persons) - Gravel cleanup, pothole repair
If you are interested and available that weekend, send us a message at grassroots@bikegridnow.org with the role you are interested in and when you are available that weekend.