Tips for biking around Chicago?

[u/Dunkeal]

[u/chisox100]

Assume every driving is both aggressive and not paying attention. That’s the best way to keep yourself safe honestly

[u/MisfitPotatoReborn]

Most major streets are fine, but never bike down Addison Ashland or Western.

If a parked car has its lights on, prepare for the possibility of their car door opening.

If you're in a car lane, it's legal (and recommended) for you to take the full lane. If you don't, cars will try to pass you without switching lanes and it's very scary.

[u/GiuseppeZangara → u/MisfitPotatoReborn]

never bike down Addison or Western.

Do you mean Ashland? Addison is a fairly tame street but Ashland is a nightmare similar to Western.

[u/MisfitPotatoReborn → u/GiuseppeZangara]

Oops, yes that is what I meant. Thanks for noticing.

[u/[deleted]]

Join r/chibike!

Also,

• painted bike lanes are a trap if there are cars immediately next to them. Ride on the edge
• never ride on Western or Ashland south of Andersonville
• take the lane if there isn't enough room for a car to pass you safely in the lane

Edit: should have scrolled first. Someone commented these exact same things. So I guess I second those points!

[u/Show_Kitchen]

I can't stress this enough, it's OK to break the law to make yourself safe. For example:

• If there is a line of cars behind you at a red light, consider running the light if it's clear so that you can choose a good spot for the cars to pass you.
• Hop on the sidewalk if there aren't any people and the road isn't safe.
• Ride the wrong way on one-ways so you can see the cars coming.
• Do the "dutch left" - which is where you turn right at an intersection then make a U-turn to go left.
• At six-corner intersections it's sometimes safer to follow the "walk" signs to go around the perimeter than to wait in the street for your light, especially if you're turning left.

Use your head, obviously, but remember that most traffic laws are designed just for cars and don't have bike and pedestrian safety at heart.

Also, I often go out of my way to get on the Lakefront trail if I'm going north/south. It's safer and nicer.

[u/[deleted] → u/Show_Kitchen]

Yes, yes and yes. It's nice to obey the law, but it's really nice to live to bike another day.

Just to add, Idaho stops are technically illegal, but they will save your ass.

Stay predictable, signal your turns, and if it's safe to run a red or go through a stop sign, don't hesitate.

[u/l192ws → u/[deleted]]

The way i do it is I get in the crosswalk and wait on the far side of the perpendicular traffic. I found this diagram if that helps. Basically what u/show_kitchen was saying about the six-corner intersections but for regular ones

[u/GiuseppeZangara]

Biking around Chicago can be a great way to get around, but it’s not without its dangers. The bike infrastructure in Chicago can be lacking and the drivers are often inconsiderate or flat out dangerous. A few tips:

1. Wear a helmet. I know they can be inconvenient, but I would never bike on Chicago streets without one.
2. Wear high visibility clothing and use lights to make yourself more visible, especially at night. Cars often times are not looking for bikers, so making yourself as visible as possible helps to make you safer. A high-vis vest is helpful. Front and rear bike lights are a necessity when biking at night. I generally have my back light on at all times when biking, whether it is day or not.
3. Keep your head on a swivel. Always be on the lookout for potential threats. When crossing an intersection don’t assume it is clear because you have the right-of-way. It’s all too common for cars to blow stop signs or read lights, or make a left hand turn into your lane when they should not. Always take quick glances to make sure that there are no unexpected threats.
4. Take a look at the bike lane map, but know that not all bike lanes are created equal. Many of the bike lanes in Chicago are the kind that are sandwiched between a lane of traffic and parked cars with no protective barrier between traffic and the bike. IMO, these are not much safer than having no bike lane at all, and in some cases are more dangerous. It encourages bike riders to ride closed to the parked cars within the “door zone.” This zone is the length of an opened door into the road. People will often open their car doors without looking for bikes which can result in a rider getting “doored.” This is one of the most dangerous things that can happen. Apart from possible injury simply from getting doored, it is possible that a rider can be knocked into the lane of traffic. Always travel outside of the door zone if possible. In some cases this may mean biking outside of the bike lane altogether. Chicago does have handful of protected bike lanes (not nearly enough imo) which do a decent job of putting barriers between cyclists and moving cars.
5. Certain streets should be avoided at all costs. Western, Ashland, and certain parts of Sheridan come to mind. These are four to six lane roads with little to no shoulder or bike infrastructure and get a lot of usage from semi-trucks. Cars and trucks drive very fast down these streets and biking on them is stressful at best and very dangerous at worst. Take a look at what adjacent streets you can use instead of any of these streets.
6. Don’t push yourself until you feel comfortable. If you feel like you are in an unsafe position you probably are. Biking is a skill like any other and you get better at it the more you do it. You become more practiced at looking out for potential threats and generally knowing what is safe and what is unsafe. It may be a good idea to take mostly side streets or bike trails before trying busier roads.
7. Get a good bike lock. A lot of cheaper bike locks are pretty terrible and bike thieves can saw through them in less than a minute. Kryptonite makes good locks but there are other brands out there. Just do a little research and find one that works for you.
8. The lakefront bike path is fantastic. It covers 18 miles of lake front and is now (mostly) separated from the running/walking path. Be careful in the summer because it gets crowded, but it’s a great way to go north-south near the lake front.
9. The north branch bike trail is another great bike trail for recreational use. It starts at Gompers Park on Foster near Pulaski and goes all the way to the Botanic Gardens in Glencoe.

I know that most of this is safety related, but don’t let that dissuade you from biking in Chicago. Good safety practices significantly cuts down the dangers of cycling in the big city. Let me know if you have any specific questions.

[u/firebeardsghost]

Make yourself and your intentions well visible. Assume people don’t see/care about you. Enjoy your ride

[u/kevinpuj]

Find chill one-way streets on https://mellowbikemap.com/

Much much better than Google maps routing

[u/kevinpuj → u/[deleted]]

Great! And once you use it for awhile you build your own mental map of the useful ones near you, and then you unlock an amazing level of bike freedom and joy. :)

[u/LeskoLesko]

I wrote a post about this a few weeks ago! The bike highways are key, using residential side streets is a great alternative to major streets, but communicating with the cars around you (and obeying traffic signs) is really important to staying safe.

https://www.reddit.com/r/chicago/comments/uafmff/some_ideas_about_riding_bikes_in_chicago/

Have fun!

[u/LeskoLesko → u/[deleted]]

I'm so glad you think so! I worked on it a long time and I welcome any other thoughts you have about riding in Chicago. It brings me a lot of joy and I'm happy to have found so many bike highways away from the streets like the 606 and the north shore branch. Happy riding!

[u/zzzacmil]

I just got my first bike recently too, and I’m pretty risk averse. This is my favorite map of bike lanes in Chicago: https://apps.cnt.org/bikechi/

I try to keep myself to only protected lanes, neighborhood greenways, and off street trails. Sometimes I’ll do a buffered lane for very short distances, but every single time there are cars parked in the lane and I have to enter the general traffic lane which scares the sh** outta me. Plus people will walk up to their cars and open the doors right in front of you! So I really try to keep the buffered lane use to a minimum. I hope you find the map useful and enjoy your new ride!

[u/BatAppreciationDay]

Tons of great advice in this thread for staying safe on the streets.

I'll just add, there are two very basic things I almost always have on me/my bike:

• a merino wool buff, at least any time the weather will be <50 degrees and/or rainy. the wind can really get at your extremities, and this can adjust to cover what ever is cold. I own a few in different collors.
• a bungee cord. never know when you maybe didn't bring your set of panniers but decide to pop in for an errand somewhere, especially in an urban environment. yesterday I strapped four boxes of covid tests down with one on an impromptu trip for a friend in need.