BIKE AND PEDESTRIAN SAFETY in the WArd
Our office is committed to maintaining and expanding safe infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists in our ward, which makes our streets safer, creates space for greener ways to travel the City, and attracts neighbors to visit our parks and small businesses.
Find information about proposed pedestrian and bike projects, resources for new and experienced bicyclists, and ways to get involved in improving our bike infrastructure.
Pedestrian and Bike Improvements
Upcoming bike projects
Leland Greenway Expansion - coming 2024/25
The 47th Ward Leland Greenway will successfully connect neighbors to the Lake and the River, and will create a low-stress bike path near three schools that could be used to safely commute, visit our local businesses, or just take a leisurely bike ride with family and friends. Neighbors associations are helping us identify needed include traffic calming measures and potential improvements to parkway green spaces. This project was awarded a federal grant, and only required supplemental funding from our office totaling approximately $120,000.
Alderman Martin hosted a virtual community meeting on 1/18/22 with CDOT and Alderman Vasquez (40th) to present the updated plans for the Leland Greenway. You can view a recording of the meeting, as well as access documents and plans for the Greenway, by visiting the city’s Complete Streets website.
The Greenway is expected to be constructed in the summer of 2024 . CDOT anticipates building it out in three phases, starting with the curb extensions and contraflow lane east of Lincoln, then west of Western, before the concrete-protected bi-directional lane between Lincoln and Western is built in 2025 as part of the Western Brown Line Plaza improvements. The raised crosswalk at Wolcott will also be built in a later phase.
Leavitt/Lincoln/Montrose Improvements
Last year our office created the Leavitt Greenway to provide a calm route for cyclists traveling north and south in the ward. This year, improvements are coming to the intersection of Lincoln and Leavitt to enhance safety and provide easier access to the Leavitt Greenway through this intersection. Currently, Leavitt is a cul-de-sac north of Montrose, cutting off this section from the section of the greenway south of Montrose. In 2024, a ramp will be installed to allow cyclist access through this cul-de-sac and provide a smoother ride through Leavitt. This small but significant improvement will create an effortless transition through this intersection and will further improve this bike pathway.
Recent Bike Projects
Clark Street Protected Bike Lane - 2023
Our office, in collaboration with the 46th Ward, worked with CDOT to install a protected bike lane between Irving Park and Montrose. This project includes concrete barriers that physically separate the bike lane from the driving lane on one side and a parking-protected bike lane on the other. By having a physical barrier, cars are less likely to veer into the bike lane or use it as a standing zone. The project also included bus boarding islands, shortened pedestrian crossings through curb extensions, and a 20 MPH speed limit.
Leavitt Greenway - 2023
The Leavitt Greenway is a project that our office pursued in 2023, together with the 32nd and 40th Wards, to fill in the gap of north-south bike pathways between Diversey Pkwy and Bowmanville Ave. Our office made this an official greenway with low-impact improvements including a contraflow bike lane, speed humps, and curb extensions to overall slow down traffic and provide a safer alternative to cyclists who are not comfortable biking on larger streets like Damen.
Leavitt is also a particularly good route as it offers stop lights for safer crossing at every major intersection in the ward. The Leavitt Greenway acts as an important connection to other bike paths in and out of the ward, including Roscoe, School, Berteau, Leland, and Bryn Mawr.
Montrose Ave Dashed Bike Lane - 2022
In coordination with the 33rd Ward west of the river, we striped a dashed bike lane along the length of Montrose Ave between Clark and Western. This bike lane also includes bike boxes at signalized intersections.
Sunnyside Contraflow Lane - 2022
As part of the 47th Ward’s 2021/22 Participatory Budgeting vote, ward residents selected an infrastructure project that will improve bike and pedestrian safety along the north side of Welles Park. Welles Park leadership has informed our office that vehicles on Sunnyside often ignore the stop signs in front of the park fieldhouse at the intersection of Sunnyside & Oakley.
The bike lane connects Welles Park and Sulzer Library to nearby Waters Elementary and encourage bikers going to the fieldhouse to use the street as opposed to biking on the sidewalk. Since it is a contraflow bike lane, bikes will go in the opposite direction of cars making them more visible to them.
Campbell/Roscoe Protected Bike Lane - 2021
In July 2021, we constructed the 47th Ward’s first protected bike lane on Campbell and Roscoe running from Belmont Ave to Western Ave. It provides a safe alternative to riding on Belmont and crossing the intersection of Belmont, Western, and Clybourn. It also provides a safe connection for cyclists between Roscoe Village and Clark Park, as well as the pedestrian Riverview Bridge, the Belmont bridge, and Lane Tech and De Paul College Prep High Schools.
Grace Street Contraflow Lane - 2020
Grace St. is a collector street that runs uninterrupted between Campbell and Du Sable Lake Shore Drive; it was identified in the Chicago Streets for Cycling Plan 2020 as a low-stress Neighborhood Bike Route. In late 2020, the 47th Ward installed a contraflow lane on Grace St. between Lincoln Ave and Damen Ave. You can read a news report concerning this project here.
Waters Elementary Bike Lane - 2020
As part of the 47th Ward’s 2020 Participatory Budgeting vote, ward residents chose to install painted bike lanes on either side of Waters Elementary School to improve visibility and safety for students biking to school. The bike lanes, which were installed in October 2020, run with traffic on Maplewood from Montrose to Wilson and on Campbell from Wilson to Montrose. They will connect with the future Leland Greenway on Campbell. You can read a news report concerning this project here.
Low stress Bike Routes
Chicago Reader created and maintains this map that identifies low stress bike routes to make your commute or family bike ride more enjoyable. You can also map your bike route using the Mellow Bike Map website.
Get involved
The Transportation Committee meets monthly to address issues regarding transportation, parking, biking, and traffic. For more information, email info@aldermanmartin.com or apply here.