Construction is set to begin soon on a new kind of Chicago bike lane. The first bike lane to be constructed differently will be in the city’s River North neighborhood on Kinzie Street.
So what’s so different about this bike lane versus every other bike lane in the city? It won’t be right next to traffic. Instead, cars will park a few feet off the curb and bikers will ride between the sidewalk and parked cars.
Debbie Rauens is the general manager of the Rapid Transit Cycle Shop on the city’s North Side. She said the new routes will prevent bikers from getting doored when car drivers open their door into the bike lane without checking if someone is riding up behind them.
“I’ve had that happen to me several times and that is something that this new sort of bike lane will prevent,” Rauens said.
According to a newsletter from Ald. Brendan Reilly, the new bike lanes will also have extra pavement markings through intersections to help improve safety for bikers.
