Taking back the streets.

Few events in Chicago have the capability of shutting down large stretches of roadway. The Chicago Marathon is one of those events. Despite chilly weather at the starting line, some 45,000 runners braved the near-freezing temperatures, even setting some race records in the process. Lost in the crowds and the partying is the tremendous feat of closing and diverting traffic around the 26.2 miles of Chicago streets for the race.

via mappery

Perhaps more interesting from my point of view is a small glimpse of a triumph of the pedestrian over the vehicle. While a city the size of Chicago will always require some level of vehicular access for emergency vehicles, certain deliveries, etc, more of the cities streets can be turned over to non-vehicular (or at least multi-modal) transit without impacting the overall access of the network. Here are some options:

Improved bicycle lanes: The current design minimum for bike lanes is 4'-0" While this is sufficient for the physical width of a bicycle, it really takes few other parameters into consideration: passing another cyclist, dodging car doors or poorly parked vehicles, potholes and other obstacles. In many cases, the narrow bike lane can be the most dangerous location for a cyclist to be. One option would be a dedicated bike lane.

via streetsblog

Diagonal Diverters are a second option. A simple, low-cost option that prevents thru-traffic on local streets while still providing universal vehicular access. These are especially effective on residential or low-traffic streets, and slow vehicular traffic significantly, making things much easier on pedestrians and cyclists. I've seen these done simply by stringing bollards across an intersection, which has the dual effect of preventing vehicular access while remaining completely porous for pedestrians.

My personal favorite are the Personal Transit Pods. Too many early mornings on the El looking over vast expanses of concrete and traffic got me thinking of this application in Chicago. Personally I'd love to see something that's a cross between a Taxi and the Paris tramway - Personal pods that interact with existing public transit, while simultaneously creating greenways in their wake.

Of course these are only a few concepts that already exist but could be adapted to Chicago's extensive street network to augment its intended purpose, which is to get people from A to B quickly, safely, inexpensively, and environmentally friendly. Talk about a marathon...