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You're not a member?
Good god, not so loud.
Someone might hear. After all, everyone's fed up with traffic jams,
tired of being afraid on the streets of their own neighborhoods,
sick of dirty air, and done with spending the vacation money on
a new transmission. So they've all joined the Chicagoland Bicycle
Federation and are making a difference (and getting discounts on
maps, at bike shops, and events to boot). So carefully now, slip
off with this issue of Bike Traffic (another member benefit) and
call us or join at www.biketraffic.org.
That was close, but it's gonna be okay.
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Buy the NEW 4th Edition Chicagoland
7-County Bike Map! Still
$6.95! (Less than a dollar a county!)
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A blow dart competition,
seen from above: !!!!!!!!
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on-line form at cityofchicago.org!
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Chicagoland Bicycle Federation
Staff Directory At 650 S. Clark:
Randy Neufeld Executive Director Dan Korman Director of Membership & Communications Steve Buchtel Newsletter Editor/Southland Bike Coordinator David Callahan Front Desk Guy Carlos Cuarta Project Consultant Michael Girgis Office and Technology Manager Dave Glowacz Director of Education Cathy Haibach Director of Events Anne Hatcher Events Coordinator Keith Holt Program Specialist Nick Jackson Director of Planning Eve Jennings Bicycling Ambassador Program Manager Matt Maloney Planning Assistant Jennifer Martin Bike 2010 Plan Intern Anne Nepokroeff Administrative Manager Ben Seligman Finance Director Randy Warren Program Director Liz Wuerffel Safe Routes to School Program Manager Alex Wilson Student Marketing Associate James McDermott Northwest Suburban Bike Coordinator Steven J. Boime North Suburban Bike Coordinator Pamela Brookstein West Suburban Bike Coordinator At Chicago Department of Transportation: John Greenfield Bike Rack Technician David Gleason Bikeways Traffic Engineer Grant Davis Bikeways Technician Dave Miller Engineering Intern |
Federation’s resolve shocks, awes Capitol Hill
The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation joined the coalition of the pedaling in the invasion of our nation’s capital March 3-5 for the League of American Bicyclists’ annual Bike Summit. Although sunny seventy-degree days can present the real possibility of distraction and wanderlust inside Congressional offices, our delegation remained resolute.
The conference offered a standard course of speakers and sessions, and also focused considerable attention on the present battle regarding reauthorization of the federal transportation bill. Executive Director Randy Neufeld and I joined forces with four others from Illinois and set about Capitol Hill like a light armor division, fully loaded with statistics, strategies, and counter-arguments. One day was spent lobbying Illinois reps, and on the other the Federation led a spirited panel presentation on national bicycling benchmarks.
At the time, the federal transportation bill was in a state of flux, and the timing couldn’t have been more ideal for a national bicycle and pedestrian lobbying effort. The Senate had passed an attractive-looking six-year version of the bill to the tune of $375 billion with all federal bike/ped funding sources intact. Randy, League of Illinois Bicyclists Director Ed Barsotti, and I met with the staff of both Illinois Senators and almost every Illinois Representative. We outlined and discussed the importance of funding programs like Transportation Enhancements and Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ). These funding sources have been instrumental to both on-street and off-street cycling and pedestrian facilities in the Chicagoland region over the last fifteen years. We also sought to increase safety funding for bike/ped projects to a level consistent with the percentage of bicycle and pedestrian fatalities.
Benchmarking Bicycle Advocacy
On the last day of the Summit, Randy and I led a panel breakout session regarding the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation’s work on a national bicycling benchmarking project. The Thunderhead Alliance, a national coalition of state and local bicycle advocacy organizations, contracted with the Federation late last year to complete this project. The goal of benchmarking is to analyze cycling facilities, statistics, funding levels, and organizational muster across a slew of different regions to derive a national perspective. A sneak preview of some of the possible questions: How do Seattle’s bike facilities compare with those in Chicago? How do the advocacy organizations compare in terms of membership and income? How do the federal funding levels compare? What do the injury and fatality statistics look like?
The benchmarking project will remain an ongoing project of the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation. Not only is it an excellent way for us to assess the national scope of bicycling facilities and organizations across the country, it also helps give advocates a better perspective on their own efforts and outline the wide array of possibilities for dynamic change that exist on the national level. I’ve uploaded a Powerpoint version of our D.C. benchmarking presentation to www.biketraffic.org/benchmarking.
Federal Transportation Bill Status:
On Friday, April 2, the House passed their transportation reauthorization bill H.R. 3550, called TEA-LU. The bill includes $1 billion for a new Safe Routes to School program through 2009, and continues important programs for bicycling such as Transportation Enhancements, CMAQ, and Recreational Trails. In general, the Federation is pleased with how bicycling priorities fared. Next step is conference committee, where differences between TEA-LU and its counterpart Senate bill, SAFETEA, will be reconciled. The House and the Senate will name their conferees in the next few weeks. They could start work on the final bill in May.
Bike to Work Week ‘04
Pedal for prizes, ride for pride
With
gas prices hitting record highs faster than you can fill up your tank and
(consistently) warm weather ahead, people are taking to the bicycle for
their trip to work in bigger numbers than ever. Bike to Work Week and the
Bicycle Commuter Challenge for 2004 are set for June 12-18. And clear Friday
morning, June 18, for Mayor Daley’s Bike to Work Day Rally at the
Daley Center, 7:30-9 a.m.The Bike Commuter Challenge’s on-line registration is now open at www.biketraffic.org for both businesses/organizations and individuals. Sign-up your company and we will send you a packet full of helpful information such as bike commuting guides for both employers and employees, bike maps, bike/transit information, discounts at great Chicagoland bicycle shops, free showers at Chicago Bally Fitness Centers and more.
New for 2004 is a post event awards luncheon sponsored by our good friends at SRAM (www.sram.com); we’re still deciding on a final date. We’ll recognize all category winners at the luncheon with handsome awards (nicer and bigger for 2004) and give out individual prizes to the winners in our random drawing. We’re inviting the media to attend this celebration of one of the things that makes living in Chicagoland so great: employers and people like you who care about their communities and show it by biking to work!
2003 saw more than 100 companies and organizations competing to see who could gain the highest percentage of employees who bike to work in a variety of different categories. Awards are given out based upon the size and type of business.
Organizations sometimes even challenge other organizations. 2003 saw many of Chicagoland’s great museums competing in the challenge. Hospitals is another quickly growing category We encourage your organization to look to motivate others to help make our community a better one.
Sign-up now for the 2004 Bicycle Commuter Challenge and help us make Chicagoland a better place for all of us.
Rail Trails in the North Suburbs
The Final Frontier?
Going boldly where no bikes have gone before. This
is the adventure facing the municipalities working to make "The Five
Village Bike Path" a reality.
Northbrook, Northfield, Wilmette, Glenview and Skokie have taken the first
steps in their mission to create a multi-use path along a discontinued
stretch of Union Pacific Railroad tracks running between Dundee Road and
Oakton Street.
If successful, the path will link with the Skokie Valley Bikeway in Lake
County, a path that extends north along the same rail corridor to the
North Shore Bike Path along Route 176, which meets the Robert McClory
and Green Bay Trails to the east and the Des Plaines River Trail to the
west. With the future completion of a link between the Green Bay and North
Branch Trails, this would create some exciting looping opportunities for
both recreational and utility cycling.
The path would allow cyclists to get from the west side of Northfield
to both New Trier Township High Schools and to the North Branch Trail
without having to cross the congested Willow Road ramps of the Edens expressway.
Shoppers by bike would be brought within easy access of Edens Plaza, Old
Orchard and Northbrook Court Shopping Centers. I can see sales of panniers
soaring!
The challenges will be daunting, ranging from negotiating with the railroad
and ComEd for the right of way, to holding together five different municipalities,
navigating the various east-west street crossings, bringing Cook County
into the fold and raising the necessary funds.
If you are interested in helping move this project along, or just in being
kept "in the loop", fire off an e-mail to me— sjboime@biketraffic.org.
David Gleason & Grant Davis
CDOT Bikeways Consultants
Is
the City of Chicago serious about making our city the best bicycling city
in the country? Absolutely! If you don’t believe it just ask David
Gleason or Grant Davis. They are both Chicagoland Bicycle Federation people
assigned as full-time consultants to the Chicago Department of Transportation.
And they work full-time making biking safer and more fun for all of us.
Grant manages the "Bikeways Signage Program" and David is the
"Bikeways Traffic Engineer."
Both David and Grant are recent graduates of the University of Illinois
at Chicago and both did their internships at the Chicago Department of
Transportation (CDOT). Prior to graduation, Grant took a three-month bicycle
trip across Europe. David, prior to his present position at CDOT, spent
some time applying his mechanical engineering skills in the industrial
sector, but returned to the city to appl y his skills to making Chicago
an even better place for cyclists. Both Grant and David are daily bicycle
commuters.
David is responsible for creating the initial design for the bike lanes
that you see throughout the city. Determining which streets can accommodate
a bike lane is a complex engineering problem. Pavement condition, parking,
bus traffic, street capacity, traffic volume, and resurfacing plans must
all be taken into consideration. As you ride around the city you will
see more and more designated bike lanes. The search for suitable roads
will continue and thanks to David biking will get better and better throughout
the city. Chicago has become a model for the entire region.
Grant is working to install signs on streets throughout the city, giving
cycling mileage and directions to various destinations. These signs will
be placed on streets that are recommended for bike travel as well as streets
with designated bike lanes. This assignment will keep Grant busy for some
time--they anticipate 100 miles of travel distance. Hopefully this project
will be completed by 2005. Be on the lookout for these travel aids—they
should make cycling better for everyone.
Is the city serious about making cycling better for all of us? It is quite
obvious that Chicago is committed to this project, and as you ride the
city streets you will see the results of the efforts of David Gleason
and Grant Davis to make these plans a reality. Please thank both of them
for making our travel by bike safer and more fun.
Clean Air Counts Here
Ozone days and bad air quality affect everyone that lives in Chicago, particularly people who exercise outside. That can mean training for a bicycle event or simply doing errands by bicycle or bicycling to work.
Each of us can do a lot to improve air quality by driving less, using air-friendly paints and cleaning supplies, using electric and people-powered lawn mowers or planting trees. With some promotion and a little organization, we could make big, measurable gains.
Clean Air Counts is a public/private partnership for cleaner air in the Chicago region. Clean Air Counts is a twofold campaign title. Foremost it means that air quality is important. It also means that we can quantify how much we are improving air quality. When you join Clean Air Counts, you become part of the community that is working to improve air quality in the region.
To join Clean Air Counts, go to www.cleanaircounts.org and click on households. There you can learn about how you can start improving air quality. If you have any questions about the program or would like to enroll your business or community please contact me at egpytel@sophrosune.org or contact me at 773-929-5552 ext. 236.
Log on and be counted!
Tour de Lanes
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On a beautiful sunny day in June…nah, that’s not how it was.
It was a nasty, cold and rainy day on March 18 when 12 brave souls biked
around the Windy City looking at white lines painted on streets as part
of the inaugural Chicagoland Bike Federation Conference (March 18-20,
2004). Nick Jackson, Director of Planning for the Federation, led us on
a tour of existing and proposed bike lanes. Nick works closely with the
Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) to make sure bikes are considered
in all Department transportation projects. He has been lead designer for
over two-thirds of the 93 miles of new bike lanes installed in the past
five years. He was the ideal person to lead our group of interested students,
urban planners, civil engineers and bike advocates on the tour.
The 12-mile route began at the Federation’s offices at 650 S. Clark
Street, proceeded west along Roosevelt, Road, headed north to Armitage
Avenue and back down to the Loop via the lakefront bike path. Along the
way, we looked at the engineering design aspects of bike lanes and stopped
often to hear Nick’s insights. He told us how designers decide where
to put new bike lanes, what factors influence design, and why some bike
lanes end before an intersection while others continue through it.
As the tour proceeded, Nick got technical and told us about specific bike
lane design factors including pavement width available for all traffic,
roadway Average Daily Traffic (ADT), turning movements, driveway locations,
intersection geometrics and other aspects that contributed to the final
bike lane installation. As a civil engineer that designs bike and pedestrian
facilities in Chicagoland, I appreciated his perspective on the various
design factors for the installed lanes. I will take that information with
me on my future design projects.
To remind us of what we learned, everyone on the tour received the Bike
Lane Design Guide, a great design resource published by the Pedestrian
and Bicycle Information Center. Produced in conjunction with the Chicagoland
Bicycle Federation and CDOT, the guide contains technical drawings and
design specifications used in Chicago to install bike lanes. The publication
is available on-line at www.bicyclinginfo.org/de/bikelaneguide.htm.
I encourage all designers to get a copy and use it.
Despite the weather, the tour was a great success, as are the Chicagoland
Bicycle Federation’s efforts to design and install lanes that promote
bike use in Chicago. According to Nick, recent bike traffic counts are
higher in locations where bike lanes exist, helping Chicago become a truly
multi-modal city.
Training wheels? Bah!
Today our daughter Maple, going on five, mastered the two-wheeler. Independence looms.
The learning process was relaxed and long-term. It involved three stages, and no training wheels. (Esteemed adviser Steve Buchtel counseled against training wheels, arguing they essentially turn a bike into a trike, failing to reinforce the key skills.)
Stage 1, scootering, began last year. On a scooter Maple learned to balance while rolling along standing.
Stage 2, bike coasting, began last month. On a pedalless bike she learned to balance and steer while rolling along seated. (Without pedals in the way she could push with her feet, employing the scooter technique.)
Stage 3, bike riding, began this morning and involved three sub- stages. First she excitedly helped re-attach the pedals. Then she coasted and practiced the backpedal-jam, learning to brake to a skid. Then it was time to forward-pedal without forgetting to balance, steer, and brake when necessary. I counseled patience, thinking this might take a while. It took about 30 seconds.
We had been planning to use only the rear-mounted kiddie seat when we "Bike The Drive" this month. That was our approach last year. Now I suspect she'll pedal some of it herself.
"Okay, let go!" Maple shouted at one point, laughing, eager to forward-pedal on her own. I let go. She accelerated, wobbling less and less. At the time the emotion was all celebratory. Only later did I feel the lump in my throat, while composing an e-mail to the grandparents.
Chicagoland
Bicycle Federation’s Bike
School has taught dozens of folks of all ages how to ride a bike for
the first time, usually in just one afternoon, using the “pedals off”
trick as a key part of the lesson.If you’re an adult who’s never ridden a bike but wants to learn, the Bike School teaches a class (by arrangement only) for grown ups like you:
Learning to Ride for the First Time.”
Time: 2–4 hours (hands-on)
Cost: $85
What you'll learn:
• Painless ways to balance
• How to start and stop a bike
• Getting on and off
•Steering made easy
Contact David Callahan at 312/427-3325 or david@biketraffic.org.
CONFERENCE SESSION REPORT
Better Bikes
Overseas, the streets are filled with useful bicycles, replete with fenders, lights, bells, chain guards...things that make bikes useful transportation anywhere. I've been wondering: why not in the land of the free, home of the brave?
At
the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation Conference, I attended the Better Bikes
seminar Saturday morning, March 20. We began by discussing the fact that
the bike industry hasn't successfully promoted a commuter-type bike. Specialized
gave it a go in the mid-90s with their Globe series, but the series was
short-lived. Consumers then and now pass commuter bikes up for mountain
bikes, with all their SUV-like beefiness, equally useless on city and suburban
bike paths and streets. A participant from the audience pointed out that anyone who rides a 21 (or whatever) speed bike here in Chicago for a day knows that they need 3 or 4 speeds tops.
Also, panelists discussed the internal hub mechanism and how it is commonplace in Europe on commuter bikes and how it has been around here in the U.S., too, for many years (I think someone said since the 30s!?). The internal hub mechanism refers to when the gears and chain are enclosed and protected, not exposed like what we U.S folks are used to. Imagine how nice and clean a chain would stay if it never saw the light (and the grit and the salt) of a Chicago winter day! And your pant leg too!
So why haven't us bike manufacturers made an effort to get a good commuter bike out there? Panelists had a few answers. One thought that most bike stores are owned by hobbyist/enthusiasts and they like (and maybe use?) all of the bells and whistles. For them the bike is not necessarilly about commuting. They often end up passing this mindset on to their customers.
Another panelist observed that people buy cars with all the bells and whistles, but they demand that the car be easy to operate. People seem to buy bikes differently. For example, shifting gears in most cars sold in America involves just one hand, used twice per trip. But people buy bikes with gears that take two hands and require some know-how to operate. Most of the European commuter bikes have learned to shift simply: a single lever or twist grip with numbers around it does all the shifting. The higher the number, the higher gear you're in. How 'bout that?
We could have talked about changing bikes all day, but someone in the end has to buy them. So the discussion moved to changing the customer mindset from looking at bikes as recreation to seeing them as transportation.
Folks pretty much agreed that bike manufacturers could try to influence the customer's thinking through advertising but there were a few obstacles. One was that manufacturers only advertise in trade magazines and the folks who see those are the bike shop owners and other enthusiasts; not a huge readership.
One of the panelist said that the total advertising budget for the entire bicycle indutry was about $20 million; not much, especially compared to the billions of dollars that the auto industry spends per year.
Panelists shared that the bike industry has thin profit margins, at least relative to some other industries--like running shoes, someone pointed out, whose markup is like 300% while bike shops markup bikes by 40%. One panelist said that he thought that bikes are a great deal for the consumer. I never thought of it that way.
At this point in the session, the wheels in my head started spinning as I cooked up a pro-commuter bikes advertising campaign. I imagined the glossy ads in People and Newsweek, and some TV spots too...showing happy people riding their bikes past the lines of disgruntled motorists waiting for the traffic light to change. Then cyclists pulling up into rock-star parking spots in front of the store while their motorist counterpart spends 15 minutes circling for parking. And the cyclists who run into friends while cycling and stop to say hello The basic premise is: Cycling is fun! You are out there, enjoying the world! You are in touch with people! (not alone with your TV) Cycling can even beat driving! Join the velorution! Etc.
Emboldened and enlightened by her experience riding on a car-free Lake Shore Drive, this little girl will grow up making no small plans. Don't want Johnny left behind? Register until noon, May 29 for the May 30 Bike The Drive at www.bikethedrive.org.
The 2004 Bike Commuter Challenge, June 12-18, is the perfect time for you to don that CPSC-certified fedora, swing a leg over a bike, and show your wife how easy it would be for her to ride to her VP-Global Operations job in work clothes. Like this man here is doing. Register at www.biketraffic.org.
When you drive, you're still a bicycle
advocate. Or you could be. Click the
sign above to take the pledge. Or read about the Driver's Pledge in the
December 2002/January
2003 Bike Traffic.
The Ride with Big Shoulders.
Turn off that spam filter: the City of Chicago has made the 2004 Bike
The Drive bigger and longer lasting. This year on May 30, riders pedaling
through a scene rendered both serene and surreal by their passage will
spread from shoulder to shoulder along Chicago’s lakefront expressway
from 5:30-10:30 AM. Past years dealt with partial closures of sections
of LSD, and a “clear the road” time a half-hour earlier. The
quickest way to register is still bikethedrive.org
by noon May 29.
Board Elections! (And other compelling
reasons to visit our booth at Bike The Drive.) Be sure to visit
the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation booth at the Bike The Drive Festival
Area, May 30 from 8:a.m.-Noon where you can:
• Become eligible to win a $100
Orbitz.com gift certificate and other
prizes
• Learn more about Boulevard Lakefront Tour (September 12, 2004)
• Find out what we're doing to promote bicycling all over the Chicagoland
area
• Hob nob in our VIP member-only
area with complimentary hors d'oeuvres and vote in the 2004 board elections
Watch biketraffic.org for the board
of director ballot, or call Dan Korman
after May 14, 312/427-3325x24.
Southern exposure.
The Chicago Department of Transportation will open four new underpasses
in Jackson Park at 57th Drive, 59th Street, 63rd Street, and Marquette
Drive. Constructed as part of the three-year South Lake Shore Drive reconstruction
project, the underpasses provide stair-free bicycle access to the lakefront
bike path from Jackson Park. An opening day celebration is planned from
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 29, 2004.
Mayor Daley's Bicycle
Ambassadors will be at 57th Drive and South Lake Shore Drive locations
from 12 noon to 2 p.m. that day performing safety checks, bike fits, and
helmet fitting as part of the Celebrate South Lake Shore Drive festivities.
In addition to the Bicycle Ambassadors, there will be music, children's
activities, and refreshments at all four of the new underpasses. For more
information, please contact Louis Pukelis at 312/755-3582 or 312/208-0560.
A membership your non-biking partner
can love. You know your Chicagoland Bicycle
Federation membership pays for itself through the discount program, honored
by 40 regional bike shops. But your non-biking partner keeps yelling that
you use your discount simply as justification to buy yourself new bike
stuff—even though just last Valentine’s Day you gave her that
suspension seat post she’s brandishing like a pipe wrench. So we’ve
expanded (and continue to expand) the discount program to include:
• Chicago Architecture Foundation tours (www.architecture.org)
• I-GO Car Sharing (www.i-go-cars.org)
• Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum (naturemuseum.org)
• Uptown Carpet (773/216-0677)
Get the details on the deals at biketraffic.org.
Click on “Special Offers.” And...duck! ;
Bike Traffic is
published by the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, a nonprofit, volunteer
advocacy organization that is improving the quality of life in Northeastern
Illinois by making cycling safer, more convenient, and more fun. All material
that isn't copyrighted may be reprinted. Advertising rates available on
request.
Managing Editor
Steve
Buchtel
Editors
Randy Neufeld
Dan Korman
David Callahan
Dave Glowacz
Layout
Steve Buchtel
Copyright 2004, Chicagoland Bicycle Federation
650 S. Clark, Ste. 300, Chicago, Ill. 60605
Ph: 312/427-3325 Fax: 312/427-4907 E-mail:
cbf@biketraffic.org
