Bus Lane, Not Bike Lane, Should Be Chicago Avenue's Priority

There are more commuters on the #66 bus that travels along Chicago Avenue than bike commuters in the entire city. So while it would be nice to build additional bike lanes on the street, a bus lane should be the first priority, Steve Vance: "While in a perfect world there would be bikeways on every retail street in Chicago, unless we’re going to totally ban car traffic and/or parking from some streets (not a bad idea in itself), in the short term it’s necessary to pick our battles."

The bus is a workhorse. According to statistics from the Illinois Department of Transportation, it's not just bikes that the bus outperforms: "It appears there are currently more people traveling on Chicago Avenue by bus each day than in cars," reports Vance.

The debate arises as a result of the new West Town Master Plan, commissioned by the West Town Chamber of Commerce and Special Service Area #29.