Business Unfriendly
We were correct again, years ahead of a lot of people:
Chicago business owners say bike lanes and concrete barriers are driving customers away.
One after another, business owners, operators and workers addressed the city council’s committee on pedestrian and traffic safety last week.
Evelyn Almanza said her mother owns a hair salon and said business owners and community members are frustrated with the bike lanes on Archer Avenue.
“Our customers don’t have places to park and end up leaving when trying to access our services. Many businesses, including my mom’s, are facing a decrease in revenue,” Almanza said.
Bakery owner Juan Castro said the bike lanes are hurting his business and others in the neighborhood.
“Why would I want to keep my business here, knowing that I can go somewhere else and have better access. You’re making people not want to live in Brighton Park,” Castro said.
If people can't find parking in front of the store they want to patronize, they'll leave.
We had to drive around for a couple appointments the other day and guess what? Not a single bike lane was plowed, swept, passable....or in use.
But they took up an entire lane of what used to be traffic and/or parking.
Labels: dumb ideas
posted by SCC at 12:02 AM
51 Comments:
Wait with all of the electric "bicycles" motorized bikes that can travel in excess of 30MPH do NOT sound like bicycles. But they are going to have to add another lane for the faster bikes. So we won't lose those stupid bike lanes we will have to add a passing lane!!! Also, motorized scooters & electric bikes moving very fast when will they be banned to anyone W/O a drivers license? I know mini bikes that don't move as fast as some of these electric bikes so how does a parent let their child with ZERO knowledge of the rules of the road get on one of these & say have fun. When a kid blows a stop sign at 30MPH & becomes a hood ornament is it still the cars fault? (Yes I know not the car but the driver) anyway I don't know many people who could react that quickly at a blind intersection??? I guess chalk it to natural selection? If you hit the bike do you get to keep it like hitting a 🦌
Who the fuck needs bike lanes on Archer? Some hipster doofeses and a few illegals.
The dumbest idea and total waste of tax payers money. Let’s appease a small group of individuals in this city and inconvenient the rest. Also a nightmare for first responders when we have to travel on archer on that area. Thankfully aldermen QUINN is against it on archer in his ward.
Everywhere I go in Chicago I see the construction of new bike lanes but no bike riders. City streets that used to be pretty much main arterial thru streets are now being slowed by stop signs from minor side streets. They are also adding those yellow and black stripped warning signs in front of these stop signs as if the stop signs are not enough. Add the bump out curbs and all the confusing pavement stripes really slows down everything. It’s really a pain inthe ass to drive in Chicago. The problems in Chicago, County and State governments are the Democrats who are dreaming up and making new laws, ordinances and procedures to control the masses. Can you image how much progress we could make if we could stop all new laws from being made for at least a year.
Trump has a policy for the federal government, if a department wants to implement a new regulation they must get rid of 10 previous regulations.
They can add “I can’t wait to move away “. Yet a bunch of people don’t see who is doing what, it’s the democrat politicians.
We have a small town. They implemented 2 hour parking in town. Eateries suffered the most but even small shops like sporting goods stores folded.
I hate bike lanes and bus lanes more than speed cameras.
Get stuck behind one dumb ass, and everyone in line gets punished 🤬🤬
Reason number #6 I busted a move out of Shitcago when I retired. Bike lanes have made it unnavigable.
Tear out every fucking bike lane barricade. Pant and markings are fine but take out the choke points. We already have bike lanes, they roads and sidewalks.
We have a sedentary society that don’t use the bike lanes or sidewalks so any bikers can use them.
Traffic sucks because these leftists morons
Hey stupid ass Julia Ramirez, you knew well ahead of time that the city was planning this, why did you not inform your constituents to protest and object before construction started. Just like the migrant camp they wanted to put at 38th and California which you claimed yo have no knowledge of until they started preparing the site. You need to be voted out!!!
Last summer, on a beautiful Saturday in June, 70F sunny day, I drove down Milwaukee at 2pm from Irving Park to Kedzie Ave. I counted FIVE bikes on the bike lanes. All together. FIVE. Where were all the bicycle riders on this gorgeous Saturday early afternoon? FIVE. And one of them wasn't even on the lane, but coming off a side street. Rip those damn things out. The worst is by Addison and Milwaukee and Pulaski and Milwaukee. That's where the concrete bump outs for the lane block traffic from going around cars turning left or forces them to swerve last second after getting around a left turning car. They suck.
Up in Edison Park, a kid with no helmet riding an electric scooter on the sidewalk zipped straight through a stop sign & went flying across the hood of her car as she drove her 3 kids to school.
Guess who's fault the police & insurance said that was?
[Spoiler: Now her family is in deep debt]
Under city law it's illegal for a person over the age of 12 to ride a bicycle on the sidewalk.
The plan is to eliminate private automobiles unless you’re one of the annointed.
Property hustlers crave those many main street city lots, thus the petty irritating 'encouragements' to those owners to self relocte, aka, you sell? I give you good price!!!
It is too cold to ride a bike. My jewels freeze.
Now, kees me you fool!!!!
With a pending insolvency, the City of Chicago must hire consultants to the tune of tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to conduct a five year study and produce glossy spiral bound reports. Kind of like consent decree type stuff but focusing on traffic equity and inclusiveness in a bias free city.
How much so you want to bet that those complaining that the bike lanes hurt their businesses voted for the officials/Party that decided to install the bike lanes?
The City sure does know how to waste taxpayers money...Yet the same ol DemoRat politicians get voted in. Cant believe how stupid these voters are in the state of Illinois. Over a million registered voters and only about 20% turn out?? WTF.
Bike lanes have nothing to do with bikes. Follow the contractors installing these lanes, who they employe and what politicians they donate to. Once they build the lanes everywhere, the city will decide to rip them out and the same companies will be making big$$$$$ on the back side. It's all about the Bejamins!
Sounds like someone who works Edison Park needs refresher training. 9-52-020 Riding bicycles on sidewalks and certain roadways.
No person may ride a Class 3 low-speed electric bicycle upon any sidewalk.
Weren't the environmental extremists and their partners in government seeking a utopian carbon neutral city pushing policies of a zero emission commuting? I think this is a collaboration of connected entities assembling environmental activists and generous enticements (campaign contributions) greasing the skids of elected officials in an ad hoc lobbying effort saving the environment one bicycle commuter at a time. "Its the environment stupid" detractors were told. Internal combustion engines and non-intervention by government will destroy the planet.
It costs money to save the environment. Environmental hysteria has been quite lucrative for contractors, paid environmental activists, "influenced $$" government authorities, engineering firms, surveyors, all under the watchful eyes of forward thinking progressive uber compensated urban traffic planning consultants. Follow the money as always. And save mother earth, a noble cause, unless you deny global warming and ignorantly disregard common sense smart environmental public policy.
Keep voting Democrat
I'd love to see all bike lanes removed in the city. Bikes are a nuisance. They don't pay our high gas tax to have those lanes.
Does it take more than 2 hours to have a meal in your small town?
Dumbest idea ever!
The only ones cheering these maddening bike lanes on are 20and 30=something smilers and dialers that ride their unowned divvy bikes to and fro work. When life happens whatcha gonna do?
Somehow Conehead will blame Trump for this.
Bicyclists are the most irresponsible, reckless assholes around..they do what they want, dont follow the rules of the road (yes, they have rules just like drivers) and are completely arrogant. The City should have bicyclists get a yearly permit, go thru a week long class on rules of the road and safety, then charge them to use a bike on the roadway just like cars..another way DemoRats can make money.
Lower city sticker and plate registration if you are reducing the lanes I can drive in. They put these cement curbs in the middle of traffic lanes and cars bottom out, cyclists flip over on them. They have to put construction signs on top of them to be seen. They need to open the roadways for plowing, street cleaning, need I say emergency vehicle use. Ambulance response times have probably taken a hit
All these protected bike lanes do is provide a special HOV lane for the jag offs who ride in packs doing wheelies in the summertime
I'm here to watch it all burn. Gloriously burn.
Only way to be in deep deck, as if she was driving on the public way without insurance, whose fault is that
Same with those stupid little white sticks that are lined up everywhere on the streets. Already smashed and bent over from cars running them over. Total waste of money and they look fucking ridiculous
Has anyone counted the number of bikes actually using these lanes?
I do remember Mayor Emmanuel saying the city "wanted to slow down traffic."
But, the bump outs, roundabouts, speed humps, and bicyclists disobeying every law possible, while "saving the earth" is a bit much. How much is lost from parking meters or having to walk vs. storefront parking.
Cities claim it's from "the powerful bike lobby."
Yet, they had "ozone action days" and why? 'Cause you once had 3 lanes, knocked it down to two, or two to one and it take longer to get where you're going. And, nobody is going to take the CTA.
We're headed for a warm-up, KB. So polish your jewels and get ready to ride! :)
Suburbs are painting-in/putting in these bike lanes as if we're all gonna just stop driving. Hammond, Indiana has painted-in ones, "traffic calming" devices that took up half the parking spaces on main streets, so now you have parking in the middle of the street on Homan Avenue, a narrow roadway, and then curb parking, nice and congested. Kenney Avenue N/B from I-94 is no longer a truck route to the nearby commercial/industrial areas, so Hammond thinks everyone is going to set up sidewalk cafes and such. Nevermind the truck traffic will be driving farther to get to the businesses, using more fuel and causing more pollution, isn't this part of Kennedy pretty?? Meanwhile the few bicyclists zoom through stop signs and red lights like they do everywhere, being immune to traffic laws.
Come on...you know how this game is played. Must have bike lanes...green and all...and spend millions and millions putting them in for 20 years hiring the connected company to do so while they provide generous kick backs. Pols who had them put in retire, buys a house in Naples, FL and (at least in Chicago) their kid takes over and spends the next 20 years having the bike lanes torn out...because climate change was a lie...and the same connected company tears them out for millions and the kid now gets the kick back. Get it?
may i suggest move your business to either melrose park franklin park or elmwood park all border chicago all safe business freindly with plenty of free parking
This was all Daleys doing.
Chest nuts roasting on an open fire
Jack shit nipping at the buds
The proliferation of these kids riding electric scooters on the street and sidewalk are the reason i put a dash cam in my car. (front and back cameras) They don't stop at intersections. I understand being young and wanting to go fast but use the alley, go to the woods, find a large parking lot but stay off the street.
yet did you ever notice how the bosses always want you to ignore all the double parkers, crosswalk blockers, fire hydrant blockers at the MB churches
Does it take more than 2 hours to have a meal in your small town?
3/18/2026 09:08:11 AM
Found the democRat.
You might want to take some time off or retire.
I miss MY Brighton Park!
Exactly…And fuckup Archer Ave!!!
When I lived in Chicago (eons ago) I frequently rode the 62 Archer bus from Archer-Harlem into the Loop. Had a pretty good idea how long it would take to get to work. Sounds like I'd have to allow an extra hour these days.
…or the constant double-parking on every artery in 010
And give up the best seats in the house?
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