Narrowing Lake Shore Drive (Chicago, Cicero: condominiums, home, taxis)

[Chicago3rd]

Originally Posted by marothisu

Trust me, I agree it would create traffic problems for the times of day when it's already busy and would probably create a few new problems at some other times per day, although I have a hard time believing 150k-200k cars/day. Where'd you get the data from? That might only be in a few areas like Gold Coast down to the Loop, but not necessarily in other areas.

I am on it a bit and a lot of the time there's not enough cars on it to feel busy.

Illinois Department of Transportation

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by Maintainschaos

It's hard to find good data; I'm going by estimates from here:

Mayor, Aldermen Say No To Lake Shore Drive Tolls, Tax Hike To Balance Budget « CBS Chicago

"Even after the capital costs of installing toll booths, the report says the move could bring in $8.75 million, given that an estimated 200,000 motorists use Lake Shore Drive each day."

The article quotes "motorists," which means 200,000 would be assuming most people are driving single-occupancy. Still, I feel like I read in another San Francisco/Chicago threat that quoted a similar number (~200k vehicles daily).

This article states that three of the bridges on LSD see >100,000 cars that cross it each day, but it doesn't quantify how many:

1 in 12 Illinois Bridges Crumbling: Report | NBC Chicago

"Transportation for America said in its report that the bridges in need of repairs are crossed more than 8.1 million times a year and include five -- three that cross Chicago's famed Lake Shore Drive -- that see more than 100,000 vehicles cross a day."

There have been times I've been on LSD and there were cars as far as I could see, and then there have been times I was on LSD and it wasn't terribly congested, but I still feel the highway is pretty heavily used.

Again, that's in certain spots. I would bet a lot of real money that it's not a constant 200,000 vehicles per day in all parts. LSD is a long road. I am on it quite a bit on the bus or cabs and there's only a few periods of the day in only a few areas (mainly Gold Coast down to the I-55 Junction) where it is truly busy. Everywhere else is nowhere even close to busy at most hours of the day. When I need to get somewhere fast, I always tell the cabbie to take Lake Shore Drive when I'm going north of Gold Coast because I know it won't have too many cars on it. I'm not in favor of narrowing it, but I bet there's a few spots north and south where you could without a ton of impact traffic wise.

[Plzeň]

Originally Posted by marothisu

I wish some of the roads in Chicago were less wide. Now, there are some decently narrow (for the US) streets, but if I had my way, I would have some more European style streets in some places. Narrower and most mysterious if possible (hard to explain).

This would be fine if we also had European-sized cars, European quantity of cars per capita, and European public transit. Otherwise it would be a giant congested mess.

[Plzeň]

Originally Posted by rparz

Halsted and Ashland have plenty of extra capacity for use at rush hour.

Sure, if you want to take out traffic lights and route the cross streets over or under them; effectively creating new expressways. Otherwise you'd have horrible gridlock for hours on those streets.

[Chicago60614]

There are 35 areas along lakeshore to cross over or under (or downtown there are even a few places to cross ACROSS the road itself.

I actually like the fact it's an expressway as opposed to a more normal city street, because at least it's elevated a few feet in most areas so pedestrians don't really ever come in contact with the traffic except right downtown.

I think tourists/visitors think of it as much more of an intrusion than residents, because by far lakeshore makes itself known to pedestrians in the immediate downtown area. I live right next to lakeshore in Uptown, and I walk around Lincoln Park all the time in lakeview and lincoln park. They actually do a very good job of hiding lakeshore on most of the north side (the best you could). It's not a high profile road visually from either side, no trucks allowed, lakescaping along most of it to somewhat hide it from view.

I like lakeshore just the way it is. doesn't really get in the way except downtown, and it's an absolutely beautiful drive when I'm taking the bus down it to get downtown.

[55degrees]

LSD needs to be the way it is...but maybe a solution would be to build more pedestrian bridges that go across.

[Irishtom29]

Originally Posted by marothisu

I wish some of the roads in Chicago were less wide. Now, there are some decently narrow (for the US) streets, but if I had my way, I would have some more European style streets in some places. Narrower and most mysterious if possible (hard to explain).

We live on the prairie in the center of a vast continent which at the time of Chicago's founding was undeveloped. Why would anyone build narrow streets, there was plenty of room. Can you imagine what the landscape looked like in 1840? From downtown you could look south across the vast prairie and see Blue Island sticking up like a...blue island.

I think cities like New York and Philadelphia were built on a European model (no alleys and no gangways between buildings, no parkways between sidewalk and street and so on) because at the time Americans simply didn't appreciate how much room was at their disposal, they weren't thinking like Americans yet. But by the time American settlement reached the Old Northwest and the grand prairies people were appreciating the room available. And that room is one of the things that defines us as Americans, for better or worse and IMO for better.

[snoylekim]

Originally Posted by rparz

Halsted and Ashland have plenty of extra capacity for use at rush hour.

Not sure about Ashland ..but Halsted has choke points starting in Greektown and moving north .. The Intersection of Halsted/Milwaukee/Grand can get particularly backed up .. then there's Division, North , etc ..It's not as wide as some of the other 'substitutes' ( e.g. Elston) ..Plus .. we now have the protected Bike Lanes on stretches , which effectively takes a lane out of use , plus lots of moving 'lane busters' ( CTA Busses) ..
I've been in some hellish traffic on Halsted during weekends..and during rush hour after work ..I'm not seeing much extra capacity ..

[myrc60]

That is the worst idea I have ever heard! Have you ever been to Chicago OP?

I have only once seen a pedestrian cross LSD but she didn't get across it before she was hit in light traffic around midnight. What in the world she thought she was doing I can only guess.

[Plzeň]

Originally Posted by snoylekim

Not sure about Ashland ..but Halsted has choke points starting in Greektown and moving north .. The Intersection of Halsted/Milwaukee/Grand can get particularly backed up .. then there's Division, North , etc ..It's not as wide as some of the other 'substitutes' ( e.g. Elston) ..Plus .. we now have the protected Bike Lanes on stretches , which effectively takes a lane out of use , plus lots of moving 'lane busters' ( CTA Busses) ..
I've been in some hellish traffic on Halsted during weekends..and during rush hour after work ..I'm not seeing much extra capacity ..

And that's not to mention that it runs right through the Arts District, the UIC campus, West Loop, The DaPaul campus, the heart of Lincoln Park, Boystown, within a few blocks of both Sox Park AND Wrigley, etc. etc.

Ashland would be better, but still problematic.