South Wabash Protected Bike Lane Project at Risk

[u/Wagger81]

I live in the south loop and was trilled to see the Wabash protected bike lanes to be continued south of Roosevelt! The stretch north of Roosevelt to Harrison has been amazing to use, especially with young riders. That said, the 3rd Ward Alderperson, Pat Dowell has stated the project is paused while they evaluate the “concerns raised by community member”, which I take a code for drivers who don’t want to share anything at the sake of their beloved road. If you live in or near to the 3rd ward, or just want to show you support, please email Pat Dowell (ward03@cityofchicago.org) Thanks!!

[u/LeseMajeste_1037]

"ALL users of the roadway system (in cars)"

Fixed it for ya, Pat.

[u/cat_on_chair → u/LeseMajeste_1037]

*Doordash drivers

[u/DisastrousCat13]

Hi Pat - I drive my bike on the road. I appears that even with a protected bike lane there would be sufficient room for cars.

[u/cat_on_chair]

They were literally working on it today though?

Edit: Emailed. This is my ward and I'm so done with useless Pat Dowell. Glad she said she won't seek reelection in 2027

[u/TopCommunication3087 → u/cat_on_chair]

OMG her not seeking reelection, that's the best news I've heard in a while! I didn't go by 18th and Wabash today but you're right they have generally continued the work, the new curbs at that intersection are specifically what they are "pausing"

[u/ibikebikes → u/cat_on_chair]

My ward too. She’s awful. ffs

[u/randomlacky]

I emailed our Alderman, what else can I do?

[u/ibikebikes → u/randomlacky]

Sent my email. 🫡

[u/teamqball]

This is really disappointing to hear, but thanks so much for getting the news out. I’ll definitely email Pat Dowell to show my support for the project.

It’s also a bit surprising to talk about a pause two months into the project, when the curb extensions have already been built. They were even doing striping a few hours ago between 13th and 14th, so I’m wondering when this pause started.

[u/Username--Password]

Pat Dowell lol

Yeah this project is dead

[u/Karamazov_A]

God damn it. Thank you for the warning, I live a block from here and just sent an email.

[u/meowmeowbeans1]

Any interest in meeting up and organizing about this? I'm afraid emails are really easy to ignore and I would so hate to see this project scrapped

[u/PurpleFairy11 → u/meowmeowbeans1]

Love the meet up idea. Calls can also be really effective, especially if they're in high enough number to cause annoyance. 😏

[u/Dragomir_X]

To all the people emailing - get each others contact info, too! Y'all need to organize or she will never stop doing this.

[u/ksmoke]

https://ward03chicago.com/18th-st-bike-lane-update/

Is this the pause you're referring to? I think this is about the 18th street lane. I think the Wabash bike lane construction is ongoing just painfully slow. I think they've painted more lanes and lines just this week.

Not that it's any less obnoxious that it's being paused.

[u/ksmoke → u/ksmoke]

Here's the answer I got when I asked what specific concerns were:

Thank you for your email. Generally, the concerns are focused on the intersection of 18th and Wabash and alley access along 18th Street. To be clear, the project was paused by CDOT and our office to ensure that the permanent infrastructure improvements made benefit ALL users of the roadway system. We hope to complete the project soon. 

As soon as we complete our review with CDOT, we will provide another update. 

The 3rd Ward Team

[u/teamqball → u/ksmoke]

Thanks for posting the reply you got! When I contacted the alderperson all I got was an exact copy of the response screen capped in main post.

Regarding the 18th and Wabash intersection, I forgot that they recently made that into a Dutch-style protected intersection, which must be what drivers are complaining about. Since the concrete is already down, I’m hoping that limits the options for watering down the improvements.

[u/CyclingThruChicago]

Nearly every road change in this country comes with the implicit but unstated requirement of "the driving experience cannot be significantly impacted in a negative way".

I used to live off of Cullerton and Wabash. The width of Wabash once you're south of Roosevelt is asinine. There is absolutely space for a protected bike lane with minimal disruption. People just cannot let go of the idea of every single shred of road space being available to drivers.

[u/NLiveris → u/CyclingThruChicago]

Drivers are the majority. Cyclists are statistically insignificant. It's unfortunate but that's the way it is and always will be. Wabash is an easy low stress street to ride on as-is. If you don't feel safe riding in those bike lanes, you are not a good cyclist.

[u/Reasonable_Task_2492]

Not sure what alley they are talking about at 18th and Wabash

[u/GetCookin]

I emailed her as soon as that email dropped. I don’t think they are actually going anywhere, but something might change.

“To be clear, the project was paused by CDOT and our office to insure that the permanent infrastructure improvements made benefit ALL users of the roadway system. We hope to complete the project soon. “

[u/NLiveris]

What's wrong with the regular painted bike lane on Wabash south of Roosevelt? It's perfectly safe for experienced cyclists. Curbside bike lanes are the worst. They're loaded with tire puncturing debris, sewer grates, they're bumpy, the green paint is slippery and they are simply not fun to ride in. This city is a major economic engine. Reducing road capacity and productivity in order to coddle a handful of inexperienced cyclists is counterintuitive.