we all end up just a memory

bornhoft:

I spent four wonderful years living in Chicago while I attended DePaul University. One of my most exciting experiences in Chicago was watching the city adopt bicycles as a main form of transportation. New bike routs, bike lanes, and paths allowed bicyclists to move around the city freely and safely. Unfortunately the CTA did not seem to take notice. Small stairways, poorly designed trains, and unforgiving commuters made bringing a bike on the train not worth the hassle.

Today, that seems to have changed…at least started to change. While reading about the CTA’s newly renovated Grand Avenue Station I caught this picture.

Now you make think I’m overly excited, but if you knew the number of times I had to go up and down those steps carrying my bike while making sure I didn’t hit someone in the head with a wheel, you would understand.

I do have a couple of gripes. First, it looks like this is supposed to be used by bikers going both down and up. Perhaps there is another one on the opposite side of the photo, but the opposite direction of bike symbols on the ramp leads me to believe this is the only one. My second gripe is about signage. How will pedestrians know this ramp is for bicyclists unless they have there head down and turned to the side? I would like to see a sign at top and bottom denoting that this area of the steps is for bicyclists first. Without it there is potential for bicyclists and pedestrians to clash.

All that said, this is a great development! Thanks CTA! Now can we get bike racks on trains?

Giving this entirely too much thought, but…

I don’t even know how bike racks on a train could be possible without causing delays.

The time each train spends at the station would fluctuate because the whole process would depend entirely on how long it takes the biker(s) to grab his or her bike and exit. Plus bikers would probably have to ride in either the front or back cars of a train, if there was an attached bike rack.

Buses have that luxury where if one is running late it doesn’t effect the other ones running behind it.

Girl, get thee back to Chicago and get yourself a transit need degree like the rest of us lol :D

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