Milwaukee Ave TOD Is Finally Getting A Live-Streaming Bike Counter
By Rachel Cromidas in News on Nov 2, 2016 8:28PM
A transit-oriented apartment development on Milwaukee Avenue is slated to get a special bike counter that would live-stream cycling data to the city next year.
The City Council just approved an ordinance green-lighting the bike counter's installation, according to a release from the Mayor's Office. The TOD is being built near the Division Street Blue Line station by LG Partners (TODs are required to be built a short walk away from train stations and bus stops), on Milwaukee Avenue, which is known as Chicago's "hipster highway" for the streams of bike commuters who ride it to and from the Loop every day.
Streetsblog Chicago hosted a poll earlier this year to help LG Partners decide the design for the bike counter. Streetsblog reports that The bike counter, which will look like a vertical, rectangular street sign called an Eco-Totem, will cost $40,000 to create and install.
The Totem will likely be installed early next year, developers told Streetsblog, in front of the 60-unit rental building. The building will also have bicycle parking for residents, a bike-only accessible ramp, and just 15 parking spots total, in-keeping with the spirit of the city's TOD ordinance.
Data drives most transportation policy decisions, and bike counters can have wide-ranging benefits for city planners and all types of people who use the road. Besides documenting how many people are cycling on Milwaukee Avenue at any given time, the counter could help Chicago Department of Transportation officials visualize the need for more bike resources in the area, help street designers address traffic congestion and accidents on Milwaukee Avenue, and help nearby businesses determine the amount of bike traffic that flows past their storefronts.