A Bike Lane on Broadway?

Chicago resident and DePaul student Vadim Gershteyn has started a movement to get a bike lane for Broadway included in the Bike 2015 Plan, an initiative that will “establish a bikeway network that serves all Chicago residents and neighborhoods” and to “make all of Chicago’s streets safe and convenient for bicycling.”

Click here to join the campaign that will start a flood of letters to CDOT requesting that Broadway be included in Bike 2015 Plan.

Apparently, Broadway has been completely left out of this plan, which overall lacks many specifics in regards to how the city will make their plan's mission statement a reality. Broadway is a major north-south thoroughfare, yet is hardly friendly to pedestrians, let alone bikes. Currently, commuters wishing to travel north and south through Uptown and Edgewater must do so on Clark Street, which means a detour of up to half a mile in some areas.

I agree that a shared lane would be a welcome addition, and that the city needs to keep moving forward with it's plan to make the city more bicycle-friendly. Plus, a campaign of this sort will push the city to nail down decisions on many other routes, as well as on other aspects of Bike 2015 that may be on the fence, and will help keep this plan off of the bureaucratic backburner.

Finally, as Uptown and Edgewater gentrify into some of Chicago's more upwardly mobile neighborhoods, the city needs to fight congestion, and to work to keep cycling top-of-mind as a viable mode of transportation in the area. A bike lane on Broadway will help keep the far north side safe for commuters who choose to travel by bicycle.

Thanks, Vadim! You've got my support!