McKinley Park Neighborhood Plan

While cars may continue to be the primary mode of transportation for most residents, other modes — like walking and bicycling — could make up a greater share of trips in the future. These active modes of transportation would activate the neighborhood sidewalks and improve the community’s overall health and well-being. Sidewalks throughout McKinley Park are prevalent on both sides of the street in residential and commercial areas, which is an important factor in encouraging walking as a mode of transportation. However, limited bicycle infrastructure in the community poses a barrier to encouraging a wide use of this type of transportation. Designated bike lanes along Pershing Road between Western Avenue and Ashland Avenue have helped. However, community members noted that cycling along major corridors such as Western Avenue and Archer Avenue can be difficult due to the lack of right-of-way and high traffic speeds.

Chicago’s Streets for Cycling Plan 2020 presents a blueprint for a bikeway network connecting neighborhoods and destinations throughout Chicago. The plan identifies a network of innovative bikeways using three guiding principles:

• Provide a bicycle accommodation within 1/2 mile of every Chicago resident.
• Provide a greater number of bikeways where more people live.
• Increase the amount of infrastructure where ridership is high, while establishing a strong backbone of infrastructure where ridership is currently lower, but has the potential to grow.

The city’s bike plan identified future routes, including 35th Street east of Iron street as a neighborhood bike route connecting to the CTA Orange Line Ashland Station via 34th Avenue and Justine Street, Western Avenue as a crosstown bike route, and Archer Avenue as a spoke route (see Figure 5.4).

Strategies to encourage the use of bicycles for transportation and recreation rely heavily on public infrastructure investments and community education. Recommended streetscape treatments such as traffic calming techniques, clear crosswalks, updated viaducts, bike infrastructure and street landscaping will improve bicycle and pedestrian safety and create a more welcoming commercial district for residents and visitors. With the help of input from residents and stakeholders, a proposed system of additional neighborhood routes has been identified, along with recommended improvements to strengthen existing bicycle facilities.

Figure 5.4 Proposed Bicycle Network

Advocate for the implementation of a safer Archer Avenue

Although CDOT’s Streets for Cycling Plan 2020 designated Archer Avenue as a “spoke route,” one of Chicago’s most direct routes in and out of the downtown area for bicyclists, most people do not feel safe riding alongside speeding and parked cars and prefer to take indirect routes instead. Currently, this major thoroughfare has a number of barriers to providing a safe bicycling experience, including heavy truck traffic and a lack of designated bike lanes. MPDC should advocate CDOT to implement spoke route design elements, such as barrier/buffer protected bike lanes, and improved bike parking along Archer Avenue. A potential partner for this initiative is the Active Transportation Alliance, which is currently spearheading a campaign for a safer Archer Avenue.

Create neighborhood greenways

The plan recommends that CDOT explore the feasibility of two new neighborhood greenways: along Leavitt Street, from 37th Street to Bross Avenue, and along Wood Street, from Pershing Avenue to Archer Avenue. Leavitt Street is an optimal location for a neighborhood greenway, accommodating two-way bike traffic between the neighborhood’s namesake park and the CTA Orange Line station at 35th and Archer. Four CTA bus routes access the station via Archer or 35th Street. Additionally, a Divvy bike sharing station is located along Archer Avenue just south of the CTA station. Approximately 800 feet south of the subject intersection along Leavitt Street is the park (McKinley Park), making Leavitt Street an acceptable location for a greenway to accommodate two-way bike traffic.

The proposed Wood Street neighborhood greenway will provide north-south service to the east half of the neighborhood, connecting the Pershing bike lane to the proposed 35th Street bike lane, and the future Archer Avenue spoke route. This proposed route will provide access to several nearby destinations, including Namaste Charter School, St. Andrew Lutheran Church, Evergreen Academy Middle School, Nathanael Greene School, Aquinas Literacy Center, and the McKinley Park Branch of the Chicago Public Library. Additionally, a Divvy bike sharing station is located on the southeast intersection of Wood Street at 35th Street.

Recommend 35th Street neighborhood bike route

Chicago’s 2020 bike plan include 35th Street east of Iron Street as a neighborhood bike route connecting to the CTA Orange Line Ashland Station via 34th Avenue and Justine Street. The McKinley Park Neighborhood Plan recommends extending the bike route from Iron Street west to the proposed Western Avenue crosstown bike route to provide east-west access to the neighborhood. This strategy is in line with the neighborhood’s vision of creating a main street experience along 35th Street, and will help draw residents and visitors.

Strengthen existing local bicycle facilities

From "Two New Divvy Bike Stations Coming to McKinley Park, " published March 29, 2016, in the McKinley Park News.Bicycle infrastructure in McKinley Park includes a buffer-protected bike lane located along Pershing Road between Western Avenue/Boulevard and Ashland Avenue, and a marked bike lane along Western Boulevard north of 33rd Street to 31st Street connecting to California Avenue. Additionally, Western Avenue is designated as a signed bike route from 33rd Street to Archer Avenue, traveling southwest to California Avenue where the signed route continues to the south. Divvy bike stations are located at the 35th/Archer and the Ashland CTA Orange Line Stations, along Wood Street, south of of 35th Street, and along Pershing Road at Damen Avenue and at Ashland Avenue.

Despite efforts in recent years to install bicycle facilities, local bicyclists do not feel safe traveling with the high volume of freight trucks and high-speed vehicles. Chicago’s Streets for Cycling Plan 2020 classifies Pershing Road and Western Avenue as crosstown bike routes. MPDC should advocate CDOT to enhance existing routes with design elements, such as barrier-protected bike lanes to guarantee the safety of users. A potential partner for this initiative is the Active Transportation Alliance.