I attended the City of Evanston public meeting last night on planned improvements to Chicago Avenue in central and south Evanston. The proposed improvements include extending the two-way protected bike lane
that now exists on Sheridan Road/Chicago Avenue from its current end at Davis Street all the way south to the city’s border of Howard Street.
After some residents and a business group had raised objections recently about the potential loss of parking on Chicago Avenue, last night’s meeting was intended to -- and did indeed -- focus almost entirely
on parking. The initial plan, officially called the Chicago Avenue Multimodal Corridor Improvements, called for eliminating approximately 65 of the 248 on-street parking spaces on Chicago Avenue in the area. After objections were raised, the city revised its
plan and last night unveiled a plan that would maintain the current number of parking spaces and potentially increase that number by two. The revisions include reducing the amount of buffered space near driveways, increasing parking on adjacent side streets
and creating resident permit parking in the area.
The revised version of the plan continues to call for a two-way protected bike lane on the east side of Chicago Avenue from Davis Street south to Howard Street. It is an extension of the lane built in 2019
on Chicago Avenue and Sheridan Road from Davis Street north to Isabella Street past the Northwestern campus. The somewhat confusing crossover to the west side of Chicago Avenue that now exists at the current end of the bike lane at Davis Street would be eliminated
because the protected lane would continue south on the east side of Chicago Avenue.
Some neighbors and the merchants group have suggested eliminating the protected bike lane from the project, instead routing cyclists onto Hinman Avenue, one block east, between South Boulevard on the south
and Clark Street on the north, returning to Chicago Avenue in those locations. That proposal allegedly was supported by a group or groups of “avid cyclists,” according to media reports. The Hinman Avenue route was not discussed at last night’s meeting.
I spent the last few days walking and riding the area to get a sense of both routes. I think extending the protected lane that now exists on Chicago Avenue south from Davis
to Howard is a much better alternative. It separates cyclists from both vehicle traffic and pedestrians with a physical barrier, thereby providing greater safety for everyone. And it provides a safe route for cyclists to get to the shops, such as Trader Joe’s,
on Chicago Ave.
I believe the concerns about loss of parking are hugely overstated. In the key shopping area from Dempster to Main, there are approximately 130 on-street parking spaces. On
two recent weekdays at mid-day, only 20-25 of those were occupied, or less than 20 percent of available spaces. All told, there are approximately 250 on-street parking spaces on Chicago Avenue in the length of the project, plus another 50 or so in nearby city
lots or adjacent side streets. And as noted, the revised plan would maintain that number of parking spaces.
By contrast, Hinman Avenue is much narrower and is almost completely parked with cars. Monday there were 140 cars parked on Hinman in the same area between Dempster and Main,
along with delivery vans double-parked throughout the area. Hinman does not have room for physically separated lanes, and even painted lanes probably wouldn’t be feasible as that would require eliminating some parking on Hinman, which neighbors undoubtedly
would oppose. In addition, there are 10-12 stop signs and 10-11 speed bumps on that route. Finally – and this is what really made me realize it’s not a good alternative -- Clark Street and Chicago Avenue, where it’s suggested to go east to Hinman, is the location
of large, busy city parking garage with an entrance and exit onto Clark. And the South Boulevard intersection with Hinman does not have a stop sign for east-west traffic, meaning cyclists would have to turn right into traffic and then immediately move to the
left, where there is not a left-turn lane, to turn south on Chicago Avenue. Northbound cyclists would have to make a left turn onto Hinman, crossing oncoming traffic that does not have a stop sign.
For group rides such as the club does, all this is less of an issue, I realize. We’re traveling in groups of 10-15 experienced riders, so we’re highly visible and create safety
in numbers. But for individual bike commuters from Chicago and casual riders going to stores in the neighborhood, I believe protected bike lanes on Chicago Avenue offer the safest and best alternative.
The project also includes significant improvements to sidewalks, crosswalks, street lighting and the roadway itself. If approved and funded, work would begin in 2027. For more
information, go to:
https://www.cityofevanston.org/government/departments/public-works/engineering-construction/capital-improvement-program-projects/street-resurfacing-water-main-and-sewer/chicago-avenue-multimodal-corridor-improvements-howard-street-to-davis-street
There is a link to comment on the project at the bottom of the page.
Al Cubbage