Around Rogers Park: Glenwood Greenway Coming to Rogers Park
- Details
- Category: Latest News
- Fall, 2018
Image: CDOT
A year ago, Glenwood Avenue opened as a “Greenway” all the way from Carmen Avenue on the south to Devon Avenue on the north. Part of the greening of Glenwood included a contra-flow lane between Carmen and Ridge Avenue, allowing bikers to continue riding southbound on Glenwood past Ridge Avenue even as Glenwood becomes north-bound only for auto traffic.
This redesign was not without controversy or neighborhood opposition. But, despite some local resistance to change, the Greenway has been well received and well-used by the growing number of Chicagoans who are choosing to get around the city by bike. The Greenway also provides a much safer and more enjoyable way for bikers living on the far North Side to get to the Lakefront, downtown area and other points of interest.
Capitalizing on the success of this project, the city is currently extending the Greenway north into Rogers Park all the way to the Evanston border. Between Devon and Pratt, Glenwood has been redesigned with a combination of curb extensions and a raised crosswalk at North Shore Avenue, intended to slow traffic and increase biker and pedestrian safety. Several bike-friendly speed humps along the route will further calm auto traffic that, until now, has used Glenwood as a quick bypass for busy Sheridan Road and Clark Street.
The Greenway continues north along Glenwood from Pratt to Farwell where it jogs left (west) and then again to the right (north) on Greenview. Glenwood, Farwell and Greenview all have new contra-flow lanes between Pratt Avenue and Morse Street. While these streets remain one-way to motorists, they now allow bikers to travel in both directions. North of Morse Street, Greenview already allows two-way traffic, but will receive more traffic calming measure such as a traffic circles, curb extensions, etc.
Current routes between the Lakefront Trail and Evanston and the Rogers Park Greenway Route (gold). Maps: CDOT
North of Howard Street, the Greenway turns left (west) from Greenview at Jonquil Terrace, then right (north) at Paulina and again left (west) at Juneway Terrace. Bikers have to cut through Triangle Park to stay on Juneway the rest of the way to Chicago Avenue and the Evanston border.
All of these measures will realize a long-held goal of Rogers Park’s biker enthusiasts who have wanted a safer, easier way to get to the Lakefront or other points of interest downtown and on the near North Side. For pedestrians, slower-moving traffic on Glenwood and Greenview will be an added benefit of this work. Motorists may be less enthusiastic about these changes. But a reasonable argument can be made that a few minutes of extra commute time are worth the reduction in biker and pedestrian injuries caused by speeding traffic on residential streets.
