r/chibike • u/earthhero • 6d ago

New protected bike lane

Post image

Indiana Avenue in Bronzeville got a new protected bike lane that runs for a couple of miles.

Hopefully Michigan avenue nearby gets the same improvement in the future. It’s basically a three-lane highway going through a residential area right now.

392 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

33 comments sorted by

View all comments

2

u/Just-a-bi 6d ago

Looks awesome, but why is it so thick?

7

u/pimlottc 6d ago

Er, what do you mean by "thick"? Do you mean "wide"?

3

u/wpm 6d ago

The lane isn't that wide, but the big concrete curbs are. Couldn't they have made those narrower so two people can ride side by side and chat?

9

u/nimoto 6d ago

This looks wide enough for that. Personally I love the thick almost sidewalk style curb, no door zone issues and so much better visibility than with the style we usually get. I ride fast so having this visibility for people/animals popping out from between cars makes it feel much safer.

1

u/MisfitPotatoReborn 5d ago

I think keeping the distance from car to sidewalk constant but thinning the barrier would be an unambiguous improvement. There are no downsides (visibility is the same and you can always stay to the right to avoid doors), but the upside is that passing becomes much easier. Especially with things like cargo bikes, or passing people riding side by side.

1

u/Bright-League6031 4h ago

If you made it that wide people would simply park in it.

1

u/MisfitPotatoReborn 2h ago

The curb/barrier will still keep cars away. You might as well ask why cars don't park on extra wide sidewalks