Clybourn Avenue To Get City's First Barrier-Protected Bike Lane

By Chuck Sudo in News on Jul 30, 2014 4:40PM

A barrier protected bike lane on Flushing Avenue in Brooklyn. (John Del Signore/Gothamist)

Chicago’s first barrier protected bicycle lane would include three-foot wide curbs separating bicyclists from parked cars and motor vehicle traffic on Clybourn Avenue between Halsted and Division Streets, according to a proposal introduced by the Chicago Department of Transportation and Illinois Department of Transportation last week.

The proposal is intended to reduce crashes, allow for more transportation options on that stretch of Clybourn and see how the barrier protected lanes work for implementation in future bike lane projects. Nathan Roseberry, a senior engineer with IDOT, told DNAInfo Chicago, “We are going to be using this project as a means to study elements of the design to see how they work, see how they can be improved.”

This is one of the proposals for protected bike lanes along that stretch of Clybourn. Another involves a combination of barrier protected lanes from Halsted to Larrabee, and striped bike lanes from Larrabee to Division. IDOT says this stretch of Clybourn already sees 11,000 cars a day and has the potential to handle up to 17,000 motor vehicles. Going with the barrier protected lane option would result in a net loss of 65 parking spaces. (Parking is currently not allowed during morning and evening rush hours to accommodate more cars.)

The plan also calls for barrier-protected bike lanes on Division Street, from Orleans to Clybourn, and improved safety measures at intersections along the route.