Thursday, June 15, 2006

Chicago Bike Plan 2015

The City of Chicago, Illinois recently revealed their Bike 2015 Plan outlining the city's vision to make bicycling an integral part of daily life in Chicago. The plan recommends projects, programs and policies for the next ten years to encourage use of this practical, non-polluting and affordable mode of transportation.

The Bike 2015 Plan has two overall goals:
  • To increase bicycle use, so that 5 percent of all trips less than five miles are by bicycle.
  • To reduce the number of bicycle injuries by 50 percent from current levels.

The comprehensive plan addresses the traditional "4 Es" of transportation planning: Engineering (lots and lots and lots of engineering), education, encouragement, and enforcement. In addition to the kinds of facilities we're used to seeing here in the USA -- signed bike routes, bike lanes, and multi-use paths -- the plan recommends some newer innovations such as raised bike lanes, contrasting colors for bike lanes, advanced stop bars, and traffic calming engineering.

An entire chapter is even devoted to promoting bicycle messenger service in Chi-town.

News about Bike 2015 Plan
  • CBS2 Chicago -- "What's vague about the plan is how much it would cost and how it would be paid for. But Chicago has a history of delivering on its promises to cyclists, and several parts of this plan are set to go into effect as early and next year. The city is so committed to this new plan that a summer intern has been assigned to ride around Chicago to find trouble spots for bicyclists."

  • Chicago Tribune -- "The new Bike 2015 Plan wastes little time on breezy rides in the park. Instead, the city's Department of Transportation is bent on getting people to bike to work, to school, to stores and to mass transit stops, cobbling together a 500-mile network of designated routes."

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