Report Shows Lakefront Trail Hella Packed

This photo by Steven Vance shows the hazards encountered at certain points along the lakefront trail on an average day.

From the "No Shit" department: The Park District and Active Transportation Alliance released the results of a report (PDF) that shows a lot of people use the trail.

Here are some numbers for you to masticate;

On an average summer weekend day, 70,000 people use the lakefront trail. (That number drops to 60,000 during a summer weekday.)
70 percent of people who accessed the trail were pedestrians.
The Lakefront Trail is used as a primary route for workforce bicycle commuters. Of the access points counted, Ardmore Avenue, Fullerton Avenue and the North Avenue underpass see the highest volume of cyclists on weekday mornings. The highest volume of cyclists on weekday evenings occurs at 11th Street, Fullerton Avenue and Monroe Street.
More bicyclists use the trail during the week than on the weekends, which we find to be an indicator bicyclists are aware of the clusterfuck the trail can become on summer weekends.

For the first time the report gives the Park District concrete numbers to which they can refer when making improvements along the path. Some of these improvements include making connecting to the trail on the south side, particularly between 35th and 67th Streets, easier; easing conflict points along the trail (in our experience, that would be anywhere between the Waveland Avenue totem pole and Museum Campus); expanded bike parking along the path and making intersections near the trail safer.

Some folks we know may also advocate for wannabe Tour de France domestiques take their act to the Old Green Bay Road trail along the North Shore and the implementation of a "one family, one child" rule for the trail. But this report makes a wonderful resource moving forward.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@chicagoist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Chuck Sudo in News on August 17, 2011 2:00 PM

Comments [rss]

Brian Morrissey

It's time for a bike lane on Lake Shore Drive. The whole freakin' lane.

Brian Morrissey

Lance-wannabes: get up before dawn like real athletes do and get your ride in safely. When you cruise hunched over your ill-fitting "tribike" that you bought on clearance at Kozy's in your aerobars - knees sticking out at 10 and 2 - weaving through crowds of equally oblivious people I want to jam a stick in your spokes.

Or you could grow a pair and go ride your ROAD bike on an actual ROAD - there are numerous group rides daily throughout Chicagoland that would be happy to drop you.

slatsg

One of the truly amazing phenomena of our time is that I have ridden at least a thousand miles on the lakefront path and have managed not to crash into and kill a small errant child or slack-leashed dog. I have had a hundred close calls. And I ride slow between Waveland and Navy Pier. Anyone who doesn't is a jerk.

I vividly remember an almost-catastrophe caused by four bastard marathon trainers running shoulder-to-shoulder, taking up 3/4 of both lanes. Those stupid bastards. I yelled but they were all blissfully unaware in iPod Land.

Once I was riding on the path and there were six thugs strolling along taking up 90% of both lanes. A Lance came up on them and smacked one of them in the back of the head, hard. Lotsa tension on the lakefront path. One thing I do is just spit on people. Idiots abound. My favorite are the jags who try to pass you as you are about to pass someone else and scream "on your LEFT!" too late, as if you have eyes in the back of your head. I reply, "you're a fucking idiot, get a bell and use it."

Speaking of bells, when you use it, you get shit for it. Usually from people on foot who don't understand that the trail doesn't belong solely to them. I don't know how many times I've rung my bell only to hear, "faggot." Great.

I avoid it now, but for the occasional early morning weekend ride or late evening on weekdays. I realized it was just stressing me out and pissing me off -- which is not how a bike ride is supposed to make you feel.

There need to be two divided paths, but it will never happen.

DROOO1

dealing with a multitude of cyclists ranging from casual stroller to tour de france wannabe's, pedestrians, those 4-seater family bikes, rollerbladers and whatever else requires weaving side to side ~4-6 ft are all reasons why i avoid that path as much as possible when i'm on my bike.

Steven Vance

I feel the streets, even with all their stop signs and stop lights, are faster than the Lakefront Trail, and maybe safer, too.

The bike crash map I made only shows car-bike crashes (hopefully none of which happen on the Lakefront Trail, but could have).

snoopoz

I highly doubt anyone would adhere to that. I both run and bike on the path, and to me the biggest problems occur when large clumps of pedestrians are walking on the trail, not really paying attention to where they are or who they are blocking. Unfortunately, enough people just walk wherever they please.

Edit: sorry, this was in reply to Pemulis's comment.