Bike Lanes Considered for Roscoe, School Streets

As a part of the City of Chicago’s plan to have a 650-mile network of bike lanes and paths by 2020, Ald. Tom Tunney (44th) says he and Chicago officials are looking at creating one-way bike lanes on School and Roscoe streets.

Tunney attended the West Lake View Neighbors meeting Tuesday night and explained the potential partnership with the Chicago Department of Transportation. He says it could be beneficial to look at installing lanes toward and away from the lake, rather than mainly going north and south.

“We are looking at enhancing more bike lanes in our ward, and that’s in conjunction with efforts city-wide,” Tunney said. “There’s a proposal for east-west bike lanes, because there’s been a lot of (focus on ones going) north-south.

“We are looking at a one-way bike lane on School Street heading toward the lake,” Tunney continued. “It’s an idea about doing a dedicated bike lane that wouldn’t strip the street of parking, and dovetailing back on Roscoe Street going west.”

Tunney said his team was looking at resurfacing School Street in the very near future, so they’re interested in partnering with CDOT to integrate bike lanes into the newly repaired street.

Adding bike lanes on School and Roscoe streets is actually a part of the overall plan Chicago has for making the city more bike-friendly. Chicago’s Streets for Cycling Plan 2020 highlights both thoroughfares as a potential Neighborhood Bike Routes, or shorter routes in the city that “provide access to local destinations, such as parks, schools, transit, and neighborhood retail, as well as residential areas.”

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The route on Roscoe Street would span from Lake Michigan through Roscoe Village to the river. The bike lanes on School Street would end at Ravenswood Avenue, near where Roscoe becomes a two-way street.

While one resident – who coincidentally lives on School Street – didn’t like the idea citing the narrowness of the street, other residents at the meeting seemed to enjoy the idea of adding bike lanes.

Tunney said he hopes to hear more about the potential project in the next six months. 

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