IL Mayor Brandon Johnson calls more Chicago protected bike lanes ‘ultimate goal,’ touts milestone

When Mayor Brandon Johnson’s sky blue Divvy bike rolled along Milwaukee Avenue Tuesday morning, it passed over a milestone.

The River West infrastructure project that the mayor pedaled on marks the 100th mile of bike lanes and other cycling infrastructure built by his administration, he announced Tuesday.

And the new protected lane connecting the Northwest Side to downtown — marked by concrete barriers, neon green-painted cycling paths, bus loading “islands” and raised pedestrian crosswalks — could serve as a road map for Chicago, he told the Tribune while biking to a news conference marking the occasion.

“Real, secure, protected bike lanes throughout the city is the ultimate goal,” Johnson said, half his attention set on navigating traffic. “I don’t want there to be any section of the city that doesn’t have secure, dedicated bike lanes.”

It’s a cause that has become an essential item for progressive politicians amid sustained political pressure from pedestrian and cyclist advocacy groups, which are key parts of Johnson’s base. But better protection for cyclists on Chicago streets has been a cause championed and funded for decades by Johnson’s less progressive predecessors.

Chicago is on track this year to build its 500th mile of bikeway, according to Johnson’s administration. “Bikeway” includes protected bike lanes, off-street trails and “neighborhood greenway” streets designed to slow cars and prioritize bikes, as well as unprotected bike lanes and shared lanes. The city’s networks grew quickly with pro-bike changes under Mayor Rahm Emanuel before becoming an even bigger priority under Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

When Lightfoot shared plans to add more concrete barriers to bike lanes in 2022, she even specifically listed part of the Milwaukee Avenue stretch Johnson celebrated Tuesday as a spot where she would implement cyclist-friendly renovations.

And as Johnson rode under “L” tracks through downtown to Chicago’s most recent major bike infrastructure upgrade, he cast it as a key part of making the city safer and easier to get around.

Still, the push to add bike lanes does not remove the need for cars in the city, he said. Asked while riding if the city would be better off if Chicagoans were less car reliant, he joked that “we would have more room,” but added, “we are still a big city.”

“We have to make sure that our city is inviting for all modes of transportation,” he said. “I don’t know if there’s one that we can hang our hat on and say we should be predominantly one over the other.”

But a strong public transit system and a bigger bike network are critical parts of making Chicago “world class” and attracting newcomers, he added. The city could “conservatively” grow by 400,000 people, but could even comfortably see its population jump by 700,000, he said.

“The only way we are going to be able to do that, realistically, is by creating more dedicated bike lanes throughout the city,” he said.

Johnson’s bikeway additions are mostly made up of “low-stress” protected bike lanes and neighborhood greenways, his administration wrote in a news release Tuesday. The construction this year includes records of 15 miles of protected bike lanes and 22 miles of greenway, streets that only cater to bikes, no cars, it said.

Near the end of her term, Lightfoot shared a plan to add 150 miles of bikeways “in the next few years.” The city’s bike network grew by an average of 30 miles per year under her administration, double the rate at which it expanded under Emanuel, according to a March 2023 Department of Transportation news release.

Amid the recent investments, it appears the bike riders have followed.

Cycling is up over 300% in the city since 2019, Ald. Daniel La Spata, 1st, said during the news conference. At the same time, bike fatalities are down 80%, he added. “That’s a testament to a lot of great work,” said La Spata, who often bikes from his ward to City Hall.

The ridership of the Divvy bike-sharing system broke its monthly record in August with 995,000 rides, following a record-breaking July, Johnson’s administration said. The high mark came after the mayor struck a deal with the system’s operator, Lyft, to make memberships cheaper and add stations.

At the news conference, Johnson argued the lanes also make the city safer. He pointed to the Austin death last week of Anakin Perez, a 9-year-old hit and killed by a car while walking to school.

“We have to take the full responsibility to make all of our roads safer,” he said. “A protected bike lane makes the difference between a close call and a tragedy.”

Johnson is also surely aware that his progress on bike lanes will be a key benchmark for the many well-organized and often aggressive bike safety advocacy groups that have pushed for a “bike grid” throughout the city, some of whom pushed for a lower citywide speed limit that Johnson remained neutral on and aldermen in February voted down. Indeed, the mayor tipped his hat Tuesday at their push to redesign roads.

“If there’s a group in Chicago that advocates on behalf of anything, it’s the people who are advocating for bike lanes and bikers,” he told reporters. “Your advocacy is paying dividends for the people of Chicago.”

As he rode, Johnson said his Transportation Department is working toward “an ecosystem” of bike lanes that encourages cycling and makes people feel safe. He cited the need for a “strong grid.”

“I think that that is inevitable, particularly as we continue to grow our footprint,” he said.

The mayor said he often cycles near his Austin home and through Garfield Park for exercise. He prefers going in the morning, “before people really get moving,” he said.

He usually takes a used bike he bought nearly two decades ago. He was a teacher at the time and got to work with a mix of cycling and buses, he said.

But his rides look much different now. A flock of bureaucrats on matching blue Divvys followed him Tuesday morning. A police sergeant ahead of him called out stop lights. A tight string of immense, black SUVs trolled nearby to keep traffic at bay. Some commuters shouted to the mayor as he pedaled past, wearing a suit.

Still, he remembers the old bike being a cheaper way to get around, even before the city’s bike infrastructure grew, he said. It’s part of why he thinks bikes can spur neighborhood economies by getting people out in the open, then into stores.

“One thing I learned is that there’s no section of the city that is unreachable through biking. You do actually get a chance to slow down a bit,” he said. “You get a chance to unwind with Chicagoans. It’s a good way to unwind.”

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