Dispatch from the Streets: New Bike Lanes, Wheelchair Ramps

By chicago-pipeline at October 12, 2011 | 3:56 pm | Print

Workers from Elgin-based Marking Specialists were spotted on Armitage Avenue in Bucktown this past Monday morning, using high  pressure and heat to bond tape to the pavement signifying a new bicycle lane, extending from Armitage and Damen to Armitage and Western.

The project is expected to be complete by today, according to a worker named Kyle who informed The Pipeline that the bicycle logos will appear every 75-feet rather than the initially planned 200-ft.

Across town, and also this past Monday morning, workers were busy removing a bicycle rack in front of Penny’s Noodle shop, as well as removing the concrete corner in front of Penny’s and lifting it, so that a wheelchair ramp could be installed, similar to the ramp across the street in front of Cippolina, pictured.

Javier, a City Inspector overseeing the new ramps, reported that there are 27 new wheelchair ramps which will be created in the North Central region of the city, which includes Wicker Park and Bucktown.

Unfortunately, while there were signs notifying cars that they would be towed due to construction, according to Javier there is no similar warning method in place for bicycles, thus four bikes were removed as a result of the construction and temporarily relocated, likely unknown to their owners. We were running late to a meeting and unable to ask more questions about where the bikes went.

Note: For more information on bike lanes in the city, check out this Chicago News Cooperative story by David Lepeska, posted today (Oct. 12, 2011)

 

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