You can also view this issue at
www.biketraffic.org/biketraffic/BT0704/
or download the PDF at www.biketraffic.org/biketraffic/BT0704.pdf.
|
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.
|
| July 8 -
Bike Culture Lecture: "Start Commuting: Bicycling to Work." Mayor
Daley's Bicycling Ambassadors will share tips and expertise on carrying
techniques, clothing options, theft prevention and looking--and feeling--fresh
post-commute. 12:15 p.m. @ Chicago Cultural Center, 77 E. Randolph
St., Claudia Cassidy Theater, 2nd Fl. July 16-18 - Millennium Park Bike Station opens! Watch biketraffic.org for more details. July 24 - Veggie Bike & Dine. A meatless, eggless, cheeseless--but hardly tasteless--tour of sweet Chicago eateries offering vegan cuisine. Ride begins at 1 p.m. at Lincoln Park High School on Armitage. Our suggestion: go see the matinee showing of Super Size Me! beforehand. Discount for Federation members. More info and registration at chicago.earthsave.org. September 12 - Boulevard Lakefront Tour All these events and more, so much more, on biketraffic.org's Calendar of Events! Deadline for the August '04 Bike Traffic is July 8. At which time we'll hand editorial authority over to a provisional editing council. |
|
Buy the 4th Edition Chicagoland 7-County
Bike Map! Still $6.95! (Less
than a dollar a county!)
|
|
Can't! Stop! Exclaiming!!!!!!!!
|
This Man Wants to Install
YOUR Bike Rack! John Greenfield and the
CDOT Bike Rack Program have dozens of shiny new racks ready to install
RIGHT NOW at the site of your choosing. THEY COST YOU NOTHING, and beautify
any establishment. Request one! Request a dozen! Fill out the
on-line form at cityofchicago.org!
on-line form at cityofchicago.org!
|
Chicagoland Bicycle Federation
Staff Directory At 650 S. Clark: |
Follow Me to Blue Island
Blue Island's name brilliantly incorporates its geography and its history while still sounding refreshing: in Ft. Dearborn days, the ancient shoreline of Lake Michigan rose to the southwest, veiled by distance in a hazy blue, guiding travellers down the Vincennes Trace. But what's in a name? The city slowly lost its landmark status as suburban growth washed over it.
There are good reasons why the region should look again to Blue Island. Its quality of life, like that of all suburbs, is increasingly threatened by automobile traffic. Unlike the "land rich" towns south and west of it, Blue Island --landlocked to the north by the city of Chicago and by suburban neighbors snuggled close on the other three sides--does not have dangling before it the sisyphean hope of being able to build its way out of traffic congestion through road expansion. It has largely reached its capacity for accommodating car use. Instead, Blue Island's solutions to the traffic problem will have to be built on moving people.
In the city's schools, that effort has begun. Cook County School Disctrict 130 comprises elementary and middle schools in Blue Island and a handful of schools in neighboring communities serving three thousand students. The schools are evenly distributed throughout the neighborhoods, near the majority of their students' homes. Blue Island's streets lie on a traditional grid blessed with sidewalks mostly in good condition. In such an environment, you can imagine that walking and bicycling are popular ways to get to school.
Yet the discussion among the ten school principals at an emergency meeting I attended in late April revealed a reality almost unimaginable. Each principal recounted the typical scene at the beginning and end of the school day on the streets around their building: Lines of cars 200 vehicles long, snaking nearly a mile among city blocks. Cars queing up two hours before final bell to secure a place in the pickup line. Traffic guards assaulted by drivers unwilling to follow directions. Rampant speeding. The consensus around the room: tragedy loomed lest the district take action.
The
committee bantered around different perceptions why so many kids arrive
by car. Fear of violence. Lurking sexual predators. Parents in a hurry.
Laziness. And my favorite: dangerous automobile traffic. Having been well-briefed
on Safe Routes to School's methods and benefits by the Federation's Safe
Routes program manager, Liz Wuerffel, I suggested to the committee that
the best solutions to this car crisis would follow from collecting data
from the students and their parents regarding how they get to school and
the reasons behind the choices they make. Credit the soundness of the Safe Routes to School program and the open minds of SD 130 principals and administrators: just a few days later, I stood before the SD 130 school board who, after a reasoned discussion, approved $2800 for the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation's first paid-for suburban implementation of Safe Routes to School.
Safe Routes to School in Blue Island so far includes surveying students and parents in all ten schools, tabulating the data and presenting a report on travel habits and attitudes for each school. As I write, we've just delivered the reports. SD 130 will spend the summer developing solutions for each school, most likely with the Federation's input. Solutions will likely include parent volunteers leading "walking school buses," parking bans, maybe staggered pickup times. Probably each school will employ more than one strategy, and it's likely that a school or two will develop something innovative that's not yet in the Safe Routes toolbox.
Recently,
I read in the paper that another suburban school will pay to expand a nearby
road to accommodate the growing number of cars dropping off kids. Better
that other communities would once again use Blue Island as a reference point.
Its simple decision to focus on getting kids out of cars puts it far out
in front of a problem that other schools will soon realize can't be fixed
by accommodating cars. I believe other schools will follow. For now though,
it might be a trick of distance, but Blue Island looks to be pulling away.
Cycling Wins in New Zoning Ordinance
Beginning in November, a new ordinance requires bicycle parking in 16 of the city's 21 neighborhood zoning districts, and in downtown's residential areas. The old ordinance required none. The requirements apply to most multi-family residential and commercial new construction and rehabilitation projects.
This comes after three years of meetings, public testimony, filing reports and lobbying to pursuade Chicago's Zoning Reform Commission to include bicycle parking requirements.
We wanted more. The Zoning Reform Commission's 2002 progress report recommended that "...bicycle parking spaces be provided for any use likely to generate at least some bicycle traffic." That would have vaulted Chicago to the front ranks of America's cities in terms of bicycle consideration in zoning laws.
Volunteer and lawyer Chris Newcomb examined the previous zoning ordinance and studied best practices from around the U.S which became the basis for a Chicagoland Bicycle Federation recommendation to the Commission.
When the commission released its first draft of the new ordinance in 2003, it was clear they'd backed off the 2002 report's bolder vision. But first drafts are works in progress. Between the first draft and the final, our campaign won bike parking requirements for much of the city, including residential units downtown. Sadly, no bike parking requirements were tied to business and commercial developments in the Loop.
Chicago's senior citizen cyclists and their friends were still left out of the final draft. No bicycle parking was required for Chicago's elderly housing even though many seniors and their visitors rely on bicycling for transportation and exercise.
The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation won bicycle parking for seniors in an eleventh-hour effort before a commission set to approve Chicago's new zoning ordinance.
On my way into work the morning of the May 17 final hearing, I stopped by the Chicago Housing Authority's Senior Housing facility at 3920 N. Clark and took pictures of the 22 bicycles parked there. I also counted the 20 cars parked in the adjacent lot. Armed with this evidence, I testified for one final time before the commission.
The response to the photos was dramatic. The commission immediately conceded the necessity of a bicycle parking requirement for senior housing facilities.
The new zoning ordinance doesn't put us ahead of Portland, OR and other progressive cycling cities, but it does set a new standard for big cities like New York and LA. For the first time, by setting significant bike parking requirments for much of the city, it grants bicyclists some of the same consideration car drivers have enjoyed for years. No matter what age they are.
Urban
Bikers Tricksier, TipsierMr. Bike swoops in to update us on the update
Cape mysteriously fluttering in the still air of 650 S. Clark, Mr. Bike sat down across from me to straighten out his tights and to talk about the second edition of his show-all, tell-all book on bike use and maintenance, Urban Biker's Tricks and Tips.
"For the most part you'll find the really accessible style and great illustrations that makes both versions of this book really easy to use," rumbled a deep baritone from the center of that oak barrel of a chest.
"So why buy the new book?"
A pointed inquiry, I thought, but I might as well have assaulted a truck tire with a drinking straw. "The appendix on locks got revised the most," answered Mr. Bike, casually adjusting his mask. "There's a lot of small lock makers offering really great locks now, and I've uncovered some that are going to be really hot. And I've added some new tricks and tips I've learned since the last printing ."
"Learned from first edition readers?"
"Some. But also some things that people have asked me about, like how to put a bike in a car without a bike rack."
Had I just glimpsed Mr. Bike's relatively-soft-compared-to-the-chisled-rest-of-him underbelly? I pounced. "Isn't that something most people could figure out?"
Fire lept in his eyes, and I cowered as he spoke. "Bicycle magazines, bike maintenance books, and other experts perpetrate an aura around cycling of technical complexity mastered only by esoteric knowledge and buying the right equipment. This intimidates a lot of people. The mission of this book is to get people to relax. By tapping into a global brain trust of urban cyclists, I've collected low-tech and no-tech ways to find, use, fix and keep a bike, exploding the 'bike expert' myth and empowering the common person to control their cycling destiny.
"We are finished here," exclaimed the mighty hero. As he rose above me, adjusted his singlet, and strode toward the door. I realized that that the wisdom of the world's urban cyclists was leaving with him.
"Just one more question!" I pleaded. "Please, kind sir: Where can I find this book?"
Mr. Bike turned, his cape flaring dramatically as it circled around him. "At all good and decent book stores, at biketraffic.org, and at mrbike.com!" he bellowed, the steel I-beams of the building thrumming in tune. Then he was gone.
Meet
Rob Sadowsky, Executive DirectorTop-flight manager, super fundraiser, great guy.
Hey! Guys! Come on over here and say hi to Rob! Rob, these are the 5500 members of the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation. Hey, not too close now, give the guy a little breathing room.
In a sec y'all can call out a few questions for Rob, our new chief.
What? Randy? No, Randy's over there, shmoozing at the punchbowl. He's waving. Didn't wanna talk today, didn't wanna upstage anybody. Anyway--yeah, Rob is the guy who's replacing Randy. Well, not "replacing"--nobody can replace Randy. Ah, you know what I mean. Wave again, Randy!
We'll hear from Rob himself in just a moment, when he's done with the photo-shoot and the autographs. In the meantime here's some background. Some of you already know Rob from his couple years on the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation board. He came on officially in '02 but helped out before that with the first Bike Town Bash. Helped the Federation raise big heaping piles o' dough.
Wait, here's Dave Glowacz, the Federation's education guy. He's known Rob the longest -- let's hear from Glow.
Glow: Well, I'll keep this brief. Rob Sadowsky is what we in the advocacy trade call "a great guy." I first got to know him informally, through our food-buying co-op, a neighborhood thing. Rob told me a little about his work for the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs--affordable-housing work, development stuff--and he offered advice based on experience. The development work sounded like what the Federation always needs help with. Got my wheels turning, so to speak. Pamela Brookstein, our former membership director, got to know him too, and we roped him onto the board, and he's helped a ton with our fundraising and membership-building. Doing great work. I could go on, but I can see my paragraph is already the longest in the column. Back to you, JB.
JB: Thanks, Dave. Well, unlike you I barely know Rob. Spoke to him only once, a few days ago. But like you I've heard about his interesting experiences, some directly relevant to the Federation's work, some not, but all cool. He started the Chicago Family Cycling Club, to connect with other kid-toting cyclists; it has expanded to become the Chicago Family Cycling and Potty Rest Club. He also has a lot of experience setting up non-competitive games -- cooperative games -- for kids. Wonderful stuff. He and his wife Julia have two boys, ages 11 and 7.
What? Oh! Here he is right now, the man of the hour, Rob Sadowsky!
(Cheers.)
Rob:
Thanks. Well, Jeff asked me the other day about my bicycling background,
and I had to confess it's a little skimpy. I do ride to work. Until recently
I had two bikes, but one got stolen, and the other just-barely-didn't get
stolen. So maybe I'm your run-of-the-mill Chicago cyclist. Jeff also asked
me what I'd likely focus on in my new position, and I had to confess again--I'm
not sure yet. We'll need to figure a lot of that out over time. I know I
was hired to bring board development, and to build management structure;
I also know the Federation already has many strengths in those areas. I
definitely share a vision of a Chicago with fun, safe, easy, more widespread
bicycling, and I look forward to working with all of you to achieve it.
I'd be glad to take a few questions.(Ed.: Sorry, no space for Q-and-A. Rob will answer all questions, both personal and philosophical, at great length, in 5500 half-day one-on-one chat sessions, beginning on July 6, his first day as Executive Director.)
Traffic Talk
With his management talent and fundraising experience, Rob Sadowsky is the right man at the right time. What do you think the future holds for a Sadowsky-led Federation?
"Even
though the WMDs never materialized, I still feel that Federation staff are
better off with Neufeld in custody. 
"Did
anyone tell John Edwards he didn't get the job?"
"What does
the future hold? A big fat The Onion
lawsuit."
"Discrimination
charges from clean-shaven applicants?"
"A world
of never-ending happiness...where you can always see the sun...day...or
night."
"I believe in bicyling, and I believe in Amer...what? Who...? The short
guy with the beard? #@*$!"Student Bikes Closes on a High Note
You've been there. Yep. Your wallet is emptier than the patronage desks at City Hall, you pantry is stocked with more Ramen than a Japanese noodle bar, and you're ten minutes shy of being late for that Chem 101 final that you absolutely have to pass if you're ever going to avoid moving back into mom's basement. What do you do? Student Bikes, a Chicago Department of Transportation program contracted to the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, has been helping college students solve precisely that problem for the past two years and the only answer seems to be bikes.
Social Change
Student Bikes was the brainstorm of Ben Gomberg, the city's bike coordinator. He wanted to to target the populations most likely to try cycling. According to Student Bikes program manager Alex Wilson, college students are perfect targets because of their limited income, daily commute and the acceptability of bicycle use on college campuses. Student Bikes interns work directly with students and administration at Loyola University, University of Chicago, DePaul University and the University of Illinois at Chicago to create long term change in university bike culture. Notable events include Commuter Challenges, neighborhood tours, fun rides, visibility workshops and locking demonstrations.
At the University of Chicago, student intern Arline Welty helped restart a floundering bike club and over the past year has held innumerable workshops on bike repair. Currently, the club is working to install a bike repair tool library open to all students in their Student Center. Arline says that one of the best aspects of her work is helping fellow students learn to be self sufficient in maintaining their bikes. She says, "I get stopped on campus and asked bike-related questions whenever I'm out and about."
The four university clubs have also held annual bike sales using recycled bicycles culled from the crop at Working Bikes, the used-bike co-op. The UIC sale helped to fund programming for the Circle Cycle Club, and the University of Chicago sale will benefit a books-for-women-prisoners project. Selling bikes and locks and giving away Chicago bike maps and other literature has put more than 120 new riders on the street, equipped with the knowledge to ride safely and comfortably.
Permanent
ChangesAt both UIC and Loyola, Student Bikes has succeeded in increasing bike parking by scouting new locations for bike racks and discussing bicycling related issues with students and administration. At UIC the Circle Cycle Club and Student Bikes have increased awareness of bike theft, by helping to create proper locking stickers, modeled after those on most Chicago Department of Transportation bicycle parking racks. Students will appreciate these accomplishments for years to come.
In the next few months, Student Bikes will analyze data from an extensive survey of students at the four target schools to determine levels of bike use and the challenges that student bicyclists face, and to publish local street maps targeted at students that travel by bicycle near their college campuses.
To learn more about Student Bikes please visit www.biketraffic.org/studentbikes.
A New Prairie Path
Chicagoland
cyclists have a new natural area to explore, the Midewin National Tallgrass
Prairie (NTP). The prairie is located about 12 miles south of Joliet, just
east of Interstate 55. National forests are common, but Midewin was the
first area in the country to be set aside as a national prairie. At 19,000 acres, Midewin NTP is one of the largest undeveloped areas in northern Illinois. The first 10 miles of cycling trail and 5,000 acres of land were opened to the public on National Trails Day, June 5. Before Midewin's creation in 1996, the land was part of the Joliet Arsenal, one of 77 ammunition plants built during World War II. During arsenal years the land was pockmarked with ammunition bunkers, shell assembly factories, and 166 miles of railroad track. For the last 30 years the area has been closed while the Army cleaned up contamination from decades of TNT manufacture and packaging. A national veterans cemetery, an industrial park, and a recycling center are being developed on other sections of the former arsenal land.
Don't expect to ride single track through pristine Illinois prairie when you visit: Midewin is a work in progress. The shared-use trail consists of asphalt farm roads and rutted twin track. Puddles and rough rock fill are common. To accommodate equestrians, some asphalt is being broken up to provide a better surface for horses.
Midewin means 'healing' in the Potawatomi language. The U. S. Forest Service has gathered seeds and plant material from local prairie remnants and developed plant nurseries, and is restoring the native plant and animal habitat, acre by acre, to the way it was 200 years ago. The Midewin NTP already is home to a number of rare, sensitive, or endangered plants and birds. On quiet days visitors can spot wild turkeys, white-tail deer, or coyotes. Bring your binoculars.
When you visit, start out at the new visitors center on Illinois Route 53 to pick up maps and directions. The center is 4.5 miles south of Elwood or 12 miles south of Interstate 80 in Joliet. You'll want to bring your own lunch, snacks and water and be prepared for biting insects such as ticks and mosquitoes. The welcome center is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday with the closing hour extended until 7 p.m. on weekends. Information is available on-line at www.fs.fed.us/mntp.
South suburban cyclists who want to cycle all the way can ride from Joliet to Manhattan (8 miles) on the new Wauponsee Glacial Trail. The first four miles of this trail are paved while the section south of Laraway Road is limestone screenings. When finished, the 26 mile long Wauponsee Trail will stretch from Joliet to Kankakee. The Midewin trail is two miles south and five miles west from Manhattan over little-used roads.
Bike Activist Retires, Moves South
Buys hotel. Leads bike tours. Up volcanoes.
You
sold your car long ago. You launched a monthly activist bike ride that routinely
draws over 1,000 cyclists. You're the co-owner a bar that's become the crossroads
of the Chicago cycling movement. And, you're widely recognized as Chicago's
foremost Daniel Burnham impersonator as you advocate for the depaving of
Lake Shore Drive.Now, you've turned 60 and decided it's time to "pretire". Where do you go?
If you're Jim Redd, you move to a mountain town on the equator where there are no parking lots, of course! And you invite your Chicago cycling friends to come enjoy the hospitality at your newly-purchased inn and take bike trips among the surrounding hills.
In June, longtime Chicago Critical Mass agitator and Handlebar co-owner Jim Redd and his wife Marshia Jackson will become the proprietors of a small inn called La Posada del Arte y Bicicleta in the picturesque mountain town of Banos, Ecuador.
Redd and Jackson first fell in love with Banos on a vacation in 2001. "We went to Ecuador for a week and used Banos as a base for bike rides in the surrounding Andean mountains and jungle," recalls Redd. "We were awed by the rugged beauty of the area, the cultural diversity, and friendliness of the local people. And as we relaxed at the end of each day's ride in the town's soothing volcanic hot springs, which give Banos its name, we felt like we had found paradise."
Similar to German explorer Alexander Von Humboldt, who discovered the region's wonders in 1801, Redd was compelled to share the fruit of his South American adventures. But instead of writing 30 scientific tomes as did Humboldt on his Andean travels, Redd decided on a more direct approach.
Last year, Redd and Jackson launched an adventure travel company called Tread Lightly Tours and in January of this year, they led a group of six Chicago cyclists on a weeklong inaugural trip to the Banos area. Days were spent cycling down the sides of 10,000 foot volcanoes and evenings relaxing in the hot springs and hanging out at open air restaurants and cantinas. "Our guests were as enchanted with the beautiful countryside and laid back attitude of the town as we were," says Redd.
"About halfway through the trip we made an amazing discovery. The town of Banos was tearing up many of its streets to take space away from cars and give it to pedestrians. The roads around the town square were being narrowed from three lanes to one. We were so excited that the city was prioritizing the needs of people over cars that we went straight to city hall to thank the mayor. He happened to be going on his weekly radio show when we visited him and he invited us to address the town."
Later on in the week, Redd and Jackson found out that the small hotel that served as their base for the tour was on the market. After staying on in the town for a few weeks after the tour, they decided to buy the 11-room stone structure, which has balconies overlooking the town's waterfall and is a short walk from the hot baths complex.
"We've put our Chicago house on the market and our offer has been accepted for La Posada," says Marshia Jackson. "We are very excited about living in Banos and playing host to Chicagoans and travelers from all over the globe. Besides running the hotel, we'll also lead adventure bike trips around Banos and other parts of Ecuador."
And while Redd now has a one-way ticket to Ecuador and prepares to embark on a new life adventure, he can't help but feeling bittersweet about leaving Chicago behind.
"I'll miss all my friends in Chicago," reflects Redd. "I feel proud to have helped get Critical Mass rides rolling here. Just as the monthly rides have inspired countless Chicagoans to take up urban cycling, I'm hoping that bringing folks down to Banos will show them what's possible when people decide a city should be designed for people first, not cars. Heck, I don't think this town even needs a Critical Mass!"
For more information on Jim, Banos and biking in Ecuador see www.TreadLightlyTours.com.
Normally, only a college student would be so excited about a new, clean T-shirt for just $5. But this Join the Colony T trumpets the bicycling movement sweeping the region and invites others to come along for the ride. And hey, clean shirt for $5. Order on-line at 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.
Millennium Park Bike Station Opening.
Now simmer down, because we don't have the details yet. But during Chicago's
Millennium Park Grand Opening celebrations July 16-18, the park's new
Bike Station will be dedicated and opened for business. Bike Chicago!,
the bicycle rental company with shops on Navy Pier and at Buckingham Fountain,
has as we go to press agreed to run the new, world class bike parking
facility. We know that parking fees will be reasonable, parking capacity
huge and the demand for it high. As details fill in, we'll pass them on
through biketraffic.org.
Wear the Colony!
Simple, elegant, versatile, and at $5, cheap enough to buy anyone you're
not sure you want to date yet. White T, blue ink. Available in S-XXL at
biketraffic.org's on-line
store, or call 312/427-3325.
The Big Race on Big Screen with a Big Belgian
Beer. Brasserie JO in Chicago (59 W.
Hubbard) offers Federation members complimentary appetizers every day
they come to watch the Tour de France, July 3-25, starting at 6 p.m. The
brasserie will offer nightly food & drink specials from the regions the
racers pass through, including Belgian beers on opening day, July 3. Bikes
valet parked for free. For more info, call 312/595-0800.
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
