Editor’s note: Here is a selection of letters from Tribune readers sharing thoughts on Chicago’s bike lanes. We will publish the remainder on Wednesday.
I am strongly opposed to segregated bike lanes that reduce much-needed auto lanes. Dearborn Street north of Chicago Avenue is a prime example. There is now only one lane for auto traffic, bordered by a parking lane on either side and a segregated bike lane closest to the curb. There is absolutely no room for cars to pull over if an emergency vehicle needs to pass, so I am guessing emergency vehicles do not drive down Dearborn at all unless the destination is actually on that block. And good luck to any unfortunate citizen waiting for an emergency vehicle trying to reach them.
Bike lanes are almost completely wasted space during the winter months. Cars and emergency vehicles still have to creep along that one lane while the bike lane sits empty of everything but ice and snow.
Bike lanes do not seem to do much to keep bike traffic off the streets and sidewalks because such a large percentage of bike, e-bike, scooter and e-scooter operators ignore traffic laws and lights. I can’t tell you how many times one of them has whizzed dangerously close past me on the sidewalk, oftentimes when there is a green segregated bike lane open for their use right alongside me. I can’t cross a street with a green light without checking in all directions for one of these idiots to cut across my path against the light.
It’s a shame our overworked and understaffed police force doesn’t have the capacity to issue citations to these dangerous riders. That might raise some much-needed revenue for the city.
— Kay Whitman, Chicago
Scourge of fat-tire e-bikes
Chicago’s network of bicycle lanes is commendable. Whether for convenient commuting, enjoyment of lakefront vistas or a personalized architecture tour, bike lanes open up our city by making it traversable, welcoming and fun.
For bike lanes to be successful, cyclists, pedestrians and drivers must show each other respect. Commonsense rules of the road, along with a little politeness, go a long way, especially at crosswalks, intersections and traffic signals. Curbing foul epithets and hand gestures will also help optimize the safety and effectiveness of Chicago’s bike lanes.
That said, there’s one impediment to success that needs to be addressed. Over the past year, we’ve seen a surge in the number of fat-tire e-bikes. Often used by delivery services, these two-wheelers create a lot of problems. Weaving in and out of traffic with reckless abandon, the riders cut off drivers and cyclists alike. The streets are enough of an obstacle course given the double-parked maze of trucks and SUVs the city already faces. And forget about opening your door, driver or passenger; you don’t see them as they carelessly ride in a serpentine manner down the street.
These fat-tire behemoths are a nuisance that needs to be reined in with traffic rules strictly enforced. They are ruining a good thing for everyone.
Chicago streets have approximately 138 miles of traditional bike lanes and 70 miles of protected ones. The city ranks high among large cities for its cycling infrastructure. Let’s safeguard this community asset by respecting each other regardless of your choice of transportation.
Safe travels, everyone!
— Lindsay Resnick, Chicago
Cities are for people
Back in 2012, I bought a bike for $50 at a garage sale. I’d just graduated from law school and had to start paying for public transit, so I thought a bike was the perfect cheat code for getting around the city for free. Back then, there were no bike lanes, and I battled rush hour drivers for one week before giving up on biking. For years, I got around via transit, walking and — eventually — the new technology of ride-share.
When I became a mother in 2020, my transportation needs changed. In 2021, on vacation on a car-free island, I rented a bike with a baby seat on the back, and it opened my eyes to a new way of getting around. I quickly bought a used bike with a baby seat. A few months later, I upgraded to an electric cargo bike. I started biking around my neighborhood for school drop-off and errands. Then I started riding my bike to work, taking Halsted Street from Lincoln Park to Bridgeport. I loved the freedom my bike gave me, but I also experienced many close calls with drivers in the same bike lane where Riley O’Neil recently lost his life.
A 2024 study sponsored by the city’s Department of Transportation showed that Chicago experienced a 119% increase in biking citywide between fall 2019 and spring 2023, the highest growth rate among the 10 largest cities in the United States. In 2025, Chicagoans took 6.8 million trips on Divvy bikes. What is the city willing to do to continue growing that number? Are our leaders willing to reimagine our streets as places for all kinds of transportation? Are they willing to carve out space for my son and his friends to ride safely in their neighborhoods?
I hope the answer is yes because cities are for people, and we’re out here already.
— Molly Fleck, Chicago
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One fewer car on the road
People who complain about bike lanes think they take away road space from cars and therefore increase traffic, but they fail to appreciate that, without bike lanes, many of those bikes would instead be another car on the road. My family — two working adults, two kids — has one car, and my cargo e-bike is effectively our “second car.” It is perfect for getting the kids to school and running errands around the neighborhood — but only if we feel safe enough to ride. The bike network in our neighborhood is just barely good enough that I feel safe biking with the kids. My wife does not.
I pray that, by the time our kids are old enough to bike on their own, the city has invested in more protected bike lanes. Otherwise, our “second car” will have to be an actual car; we will join the ranks of other parents stuck chauffeuring their kids around town, clogging the streets with traffic and fighting over scarce parking.
— Paul Joice, Chicago
City has failed us cyclists
As a full-time and year-round pedal-power bicycle commuter, I can tell you firsthand the city has failed big time regarding bike lanes of any sort. The city also get a big fat “F” for this last winter’s maintenance and in general for the bike lanes, protected or painted.
Let me count the ways:
• The city rarely plows the protected lanes. They even do a very poor job in the Loop.
• The city does not salt the protected bike lanes.
• The city does not clean the protected lanes.
Because the street is pitched, water builds up in the gutter/street and becomes a problem on winter nights when the temperature drops. That forces me and others to ride on the street (see Elston) with the cars since the protected lanes (which they don’t salt) are dangerous.
You’re lucky if the paint in the painted bike lanes makes it a year.
I have asked many of aldermen why the city does not enforce the 2-inches-of-snow plow route. They are leaving money on the table by not enforcing the snow route. Streets such as California where there is a painted or shared lane and a snow route are especially hard on bicyclists because the city can’t plow to the curb.
Don’t put any infrastructure in if you aren’t going to take care of it. I have been commuting by bike for more than 30 years.
— Thomas Lemke, Chicago
Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email [email protected].