Bus Lane, Not Bike Lane, Should Be Chicago Avenue's Priority

Chicago Avenue bus is one of Chicago's busiest. It deserves a bus lane.

1 minute read

June 29, 2017, 6:00 AM PDT

The CTA's #66 bus is hard to miss on Chicago Avenue. / Google Streetview

There are more commuters on the #66 bus that travels along Chicago Avenue than bike commuters in the entire city. So while it would be nice to build additional bike lanes on the street, a bus lane should be the first priority, Steve Vance: "While in a perfect world there would be bikeways on every retail street in Chicago, unless we’re going to totally ban car traffic and/or parking from some streets (not a bad idea in itself), in the short term it’s necessary to pick our battles."

The bus is a workhorse. According to statistics from the Illinois Department of Transportation, it's not just bikes that the bus outperforms: "It appears there are currently more people traveling on Chicago Avenue by bus each day than in cars," reports Vance.

The debate arises as a result of the new West Town Master Plan, commissioned by the West Town Chamber of Commerce and Special Service Area #29.

FULL STORY: Right Now It’s More Important to Install Bus Lanes on Chicago Avenue Than Bike Lanes

Wednesday, June 21, 2017 in Streetsblog Chicago

Transportation Illinois Chicago Bike Transit Bus Transit CTA Bus Lanes active transit Bus Lane Alternative Transportation Transit Planning Transportation Planning Chicago Avenue View More

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