Elston Avenue is now going to be a little safer for bicyclists. During our last Infrastructure Task Force meeting, David Smith, Chicago Department of Transportation Bikeways Planner, informed LEED Council members that the Elston Avenue Protected Bike Lane project was launching this month (April). The design for the bike lane from North Avenue to Milwaukee Avenue is illustrated below. The design was completed with both biker’s safety and business’s concerns, regarding parking and access to loading docks and other infrastructure needs in mind. CDOT determined that several locations on the Elston Avenue were under-utilized for on-street parking, so a protected bike lane can be installed without too much disruption of parking. Some location needs, parking or access and those areas will use a more typical, painted and striped bike-lane. This project will also include improved pedestrian crosswalk striping and signage to promote safe crossings on Elston Avenue.
CDOT is still exploring the North Avenue to Cortland Street portion’s feasibility and has not yet developed a design.
