Emanuel releases plan for safe bicycling in Chicago. I reconsider.

By On January 30, 2011 · 15 Comments

UPDATE: I forgot to mention in the original post that Rahm gave a press conference on Sunday at Rapid Transit Cycleshop in Wicker Park (the bike shop doesn’t endorse any candidate for mayor). More photos from the event here and here.

Before Sunday, January 30th, 2011, when candidate for Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel released details of his plans for bicycling in Chicago, I was a big fan of Miguel Del Valle (read my earlier posts).

I was excited by what he included and it made me think that someone’s been to New York City recently (or knows someone else who did), or Rahm watched Randy Neufeld talk about ten great ways to make bicycling great in Chicago.

So what does Rahm say? (Specifics in bold.)

  • Chicago lags behind many other cities in the rate of new bike lanes each year and providing bike parking in buildings. – Yep, check San Francisco, Portland, and New York City.
  • He will build 25 miles of new bike lanes each year and prioritize protected bike lanes. Great, Chicago will finally catch up on this sought-after bikeway over 12 years after one was installed in Davis, California. New York City installed several miles of this (“cycletrack”) in Manhattan in 2008 and continue today.

Array

New York City’s first protected bike lane, or cycletrack, on 9th Avenue in Manhattan’s west side. Will Rahm’s administration install something like this in Chicago before 2015?

  • “…initiate a review of [the Bike 2015 Plan's] goals and timelines to identify opportunities to expand the plan and accelerate the pace of implementation.” Right on. This needs to be done so we know our progress.
  • “…create a bike lane network that allows every Chicagoan – from kids on their first ride to senior citizens on their way to the grocery store – to feel safe on our streets.” Hey, that’s exactly what Randy said: Make bicycling for everyone, “from 8 to 80.”
  • Rahm will have the Bloomingdale Trail open and functional by the end of his term. The abandoned, elevated rail line promises to be an important part of the bikeway network, but also a neat recreational facility.

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The Bloomingdale Trail is an elevated railroad viaduct (at 1800 North) running from Lawndale Avenue east to Ashland Avenue (possible to Elston Avenue). It is just under 3 miles of uninterrupted, car-free transportation for people walking and bicycling. Photo by Kasey D.

  • Make an ordinance that says buildings with over 200 workers must install indoor bike parking. More than their desire for workplace showers, people who bicycle to work (or are considering it) want a secure place to store their bike for 8+ hours.
  • Double the number of on-street bike parking, including in neighborhoods. This is another point Randy made – there must be a place to park one’s bike at home!

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There are many opportunities in Chicago to install bike parking for neighbors. Not everyone can fit their bike inside or bring it up to the fifth floor. Bike parking could occupy a section of a wide parkway, or be in the street, providing space for 16 bikes where only 1 car can fit. Photo by Jonathan Maus.

So far, no other candidate for mayor has released such a detailed and specific plan to include bicycles as a part of Chicago’s transportation system.

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  • Eric Rogers

    Does this mean you’re no longer a big fan of Del Valle, or just that you like Rahm more than you did before?

    • http://www.stevevance.net/planning Steven Vance

      It means I like Rahm a little more and will pay slightly more attention to him. And I’ll expect Del Valle to say something more specific than, “We need more bike lanes. We need bike lanes on Grand near Milwaukee.” (He said that last part because his office is near there and passes through that crazy intersection often.)

  • Lee

    For all the criticism Rahm gets for being good at fundraising, at least I then believe he can actually raise the money for the Bloomingdale Trail when he says “will co-chair the committee to raise private capital for that portion of the fundraising effort.”

    • http://www.stevevance.net/planning Steven Vance

      I believe it, too. What I like best about this plan is that it is quite specific, and each one is doable (with or without a ruthless politician like Rahm). I feel Daley gave up on bikes after the bike station.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=678847491 Gin Kilgore

    These are significant statements, esp about Bloomingdale. I think del Valle has similar values. My deep concern about Rahm has a lot to do about education. I know unions are not popular amongst a lot of folks these days, but I am concerned by his support for legislation that would limit the collective bargaining strategies of teachers. I think the union has brought some of this on itself, by not being more proactive and moving to a more professionalism based model. If we can not support our own under-performing colleagues by being open to more accountability re: performance (grow, or move on to another field), then it is no wonder the public is skeptical about the union. Then again, teaching conditions can be so crushing, and the most authentic and fair ways to assess job performance are the most time intensive. It’s about much more than test scores. Have you hugged a teacher today? :-)

    • http://www.stevevance.net/planning Steven Vance

      Thank you for your comments, Gin.

      I still have a lot of qualms about voting for Mr. Emanuel. Eric asked in the first comment if I liked Del Valle less, or do I like Emanuel more now. It’s the latter. I like Rahm more, but my preference for Del Valle remains.

      I may have the wrong priorities, but I’m not reading about each candidate’s particulars on education.

      • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=678847491 Gin Kilgore

        I think you have great priorities. Thanks again for following the transportation and water issues so closely. I need to step up my own attention on education and share what I am finding out. My ultimate hope is that we see more civic engagement with whoever becomes mayor.

        • http://www.stevevance.net/planning Steven Vance

          Based on Del Valle’s plan to “liberate City Council,” and hold hearings and debate proposed ordinances, it seems there may be civic engagement with Miguel as mayor.

  • rob

    I thought the Bloomingdale Trail was in the bag, with assistance from Parkways Foundation and the Park District approving an ordinance for capital development. Seems like Rahm’s hopping on the coattails of work in progress already?

    • http://www.stevevance.net/planning Steven Vance

      Nope, not in the bag.

      The contractor was selected in July 2009, but CDOT hasn’t awarded the contract (it’s been over 18 months!).

      The City and railroad haven’t yet transferred ownership either because the City doesn’t want to accept a “bad apple” and then be immediately responsible for security and maintenance, probably knowing that it will be several years before any semblance of construction will begin.

    • http://www.stevevance.net/planning Steven Vance

      Here’s an article from November 26, 2010, about trail progress stalling.

  • http://railzone.nl Daniel Sparing

    sounds great!

    To nitpick on words (which is marketing), I would prefer a “plan for cycling” to a “plan for safe cycling” – the latter (falsely) implies that cycling has a bigger safety problem than road traffic in general, and also ignores modal share (i.e. cycling is very safe when no one cycles :) .

    • http://www.stevevance.net/planning Steven Vance

      I understand. Perhaps I meant to say “safer cycling,” as achieving the goals of the Bike 2015 Plan would make bicycling safer than it is now (perceived or real): 1) increasing the number of all trips under 5 miles by bike to 5% (from about 1.5% in the county now – no city data available), and 2) decreasing crashes by 50%.

  • Johknoxknox43

    Rahm forgot one detail about adding bike lanes — the City doesn’t own the streets. Mayor Daley sold all the parking to investors. Ask Rahm how he feels about selling city assets to investment bankers. He made $13 million as an investment banker. Steve don’t switch your vote based on pandering, look at who that candidate is.

    • http://www.stevevance.net/planning Steven Vance

      The deadline for voting is February 22. I have until then to decide.

      I met Rahm twice – he was a customer at my restaurant, in 2008. And that happened right after a huge article about him in GQ (where the photographer skewed the picture to make him look taller).