Answer:
E-mails reveal how the threat of a cyclist revolt convinced the city to end the de facto prohibition.
by John Greenfield
If I’d known city officials were going to try to ban biking on the new Chicago Riverwalk, I never would have advocated for building it. From the start, the Riverwalk extension was promoted as a commuting corridor for cyclists and pedestrians, not just a place to lounge with a glass of cabernet.
The city’s pitch to the federal government for a $99 million Transportation Infrastructure Finance Innovation Act loan to build the esplanade promised, “The project will enhance safety . . . with bicycle paths and pedestrian trails along the continuous promenade.”
And at a 2013 public hearing on the initiative, city planner Michelle Woods said she expected cyclists would use the promenade as a connection between the Lakefront Trail and the Loop, “which frankly I am fine with them doing.” Assurances like this were a big reason why I wrote half a dozen Streetsblog posts cheerleading the project.
By summer 2018, the promenade had become a victim of its own success. At peak times during the warmer months, the cafe zone between State and Clark Streets was lively but chaotic: families strolling with small children, seniors walking dogs, boaters pulling up to the docks, and lots of young professionals sipping IPAs.
