After years of failed efforts to install bike counters, the city finally has its first counter at the corner of Chicago Avenue and Wells Street.
Chicago just got its first bike counter, one small step toward making bike riders in the city more visible. As John Greenfield writes in Streetsblog Chicago, “The device is located in front of AMLI 808, an apartment building on the northwest corner of Chicago Avenue and Wells Street in River North, and was purchased and installed by the AMLI real estate company.” The apartment building is heavily transit-oriented, including only 16 car parking spaces for 318 apartments.
Bike counters matter because they offer concrete data to skeptics and opponents of bike infrastructure, helping cities gather real-time data about their cyclists. As Greenfield explains, “They offer an excellent rebuttal to people who oppose bike infrastructure upgrades with the argument, ‘Why should we do this? Nobody rides bikes here.’”
Greenfield describes several prior failed efforts to install bike counters in Chicago, efforts that were repeatedly frustrated by bureaucracy and other issues. Advocates hope this bike counter will be the first of many throughout the city.
FULL STORY: The wait is over! Chicago now now has a bike counter at Chicago/Wells in River North
Chicago Sees Record Shared Bike, Scooter Use
Riders took over 11 million bike share and scooter trips in 2024.
Winter Cyclists Test Out New Chicago Bike Lanes
A new protected bike lane in the Logan Square neighborhood is seeing significant use, even in below-freezing temperatures.
Chicago Leads Nation in Biking Growth
Cycling as a mode share grew faster in the Windy City over the last five years than in any other major U.S. metropolis.
Florida Considers Legalizing ADUs
Current state law allows — but doesn’t require — cities to permit accessory dwelling units in single-family residential neighborhoods.
HUD Announces Plan to Build Housing on Public Lands
The agency will identify federally owned parcels appropriate for housing development and streamline the regulatory process to lease or transfer land to housing authorities and nonprofit developers.
Conservatives’ Decongestion Pricing Flip-Flop
When it comes to solving traffic problems, the current federal administration is on track for failure, waste, and hypocrisy.
Research Shows More Roads = More Driving
A national study shows, once again, that increasing road supply induces additional vehicle travel, particularly over the long run.
Can Progressive Planners Appeal to Conservative Principles?
Trump’s approach to policies like NYC’s congestion pricing isn’t just irrational and wasteful — it defies the tenets of conservatism. But there are ways to reframe the issues.
Oak Park Plans Earth Month Events
Join Oak Park, Illinois, for a series of Earth Month events highlighting the importance of community engagement and education, integrating sustainability into local plans, and planning for the most vulnerable, such as birds, bees and butterflies.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Florida Atlantic University
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
City of Piedmont, CA
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland