Bicycling in Chicago is easy, fun and exciting!

The city offers a wide variety of Bicycling options for both the casual rider and the most avid peddling enthusiast alike. This includes over 200 miles of bike lanes on streets and thoroughfares throughout the city.

It also includes over twenty miles of a scenic lakefront pathway, where cyclists can enjoy Chicago’s famous skyline while taking in the natural beauty of Lake Michigan.

For a different type of experience, urban riders can also travel along an elevated recreational trail called The 606, once an industrial rail line. On the 606, cyclists can glide alongside the Victorian rooftops, turrets and towers of the historic Wicker Park and Bucktown neighborhoods. And just steps off the trail, an abundance of unique architecture awaits them in several landmark districts.

Riders can also enjoy trendy boutiques and eateries near the east end of the 606 in the Bucktown neighborhood. Or they can discover interesting restaurants, art galleries and antique shops in the Humboldt Park and Logan Square areas in close proximity to the west end of the trail.

An afternoon excursion to one of the city’s many historical parks can provide a relaxing and stress free ride for the more casual rider. Many of the major parks also connect to the lakefront by a landscaped and tree-lined boulevard system. The boulevards also enable cyclists to travel throughout large areas of the city while encountering only a limited amount of automobile traffic, thus creating a safer and less stressful experience.

City residents can also leisurely peddle their way to many of Chicago’s unique cultural attractions and neighborhood destinations. In many cases, bicycling provides a more efficient and reliable mode of transportation than commuting by automobile, train or bus.

It is physically healthier, too. Biking to work helps burn calories, improve cardiovascular health and improve overall physical stamina.

Shared Bike Lanes

At the height of the Victorian age, Chicago ranked as the bicycling capital of the United States. The growing popularity of bicycling also played a significant role in getting many roads paved, which also made bicycling easier and safer.

However, within a matter of decades —as the motorcar developed and grew in popularity— bicyclists no longer ruled the streets. They found themselves competing against fast moving and dangerous automobiles, streetcars and bus traffic. Over time, interest in bicycling waned and eventually became relegated to just an occasional recreational activity.

At the end of the last century, however, interest in bicycling in Chicago began to grow once again. Chicago, only second to New York City, now finds itself closer to reclaiming its title as the bicycle capital of the nation.

Chicago’s urban planners have responded to the growing interests and concerns of cyclists by installing a vast network of retrofitted bicycle lanes throughout the city. These special lanes offer a safer alternative for bicyclists. They provide more space between parked and moving cars, and create greater clarity for motorists when navigating around cyclists. 

The lanes enable bicycle commuters to travel to downtown Chicago efficiently and quickly. Interestingly, it has also created somewhat of a morning and afternoon rush hour on these lanes, and an increasingly dangerous riding situation.

Chicago provides several different types of bike lanes with varying degrees of safety. These are based on the width of the lane and its proximity to moving and parked cars.

Depending on the individual confidence and abilities of each cyclist, it should be noted that urban riding can often be extremely dangerous at times. Caution and vigilance should always be at the forefront of every cyclist’s mind when venturing out onto the city’s busy roads.

The city also publishes special print and online maps outlining its vast network of bike lanes. You can also find additional information with a local’s take on getting around at the Active Transportation Alliance website.

Read ChiCycling: Bicycling in Chicago on Inside Reside.