ThinkBike Chicago Workshop

On September 26th and 27th CDOT hosted a ThinkBike Workshop in partnership with the Consulate General of the Netherlands. The workshop was a two-day knowledge exchange between the City of Chicago and the Dutch Cycling Embassy to discuss best-practices regarding the role of bicycling and related policies in Chicago. After a public opening session on Thursday, two teams consisting of city officials, advocates, outside agencies and other stakeholders met to discuss existing bicycling policies in Chicago and explored the applicability of Dutch concepts and designs to two study areas in Chicago – Milwaukee Avenue between Division Street and North Avenue, and Monroe Street between the Loop and the Lakefront Trail. The teams proposed a mix of design and policy changes to strengthen bicycling accommodations along the two corridors as well as citywide. Proposals consisted of some improvements that could potentially be implemented in the near-future, as well as several “outside the box” ideas. The proposed changes were presented during a public session on Friday evening at the Chicago Cultural Center.