Commuting - Anyone live in Oak Park, Illinois . . .

and commute to the Chicago Loop? Is this a viable option? I'm considering my next home and commutability is important. Is there a safe passge to the Loop or do I have to ride through some terrible ghetto? Distance, weather mean nothing. I'm concerned about safety and I am not going to get a gun.

If so, what's your route?

Read this thread: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=529404

From there...you are fine

I'd imagine it would be a straight shot down madison into the loop...even if there *were* bad neighborhoods in the middle, you are on a bike so it would not be a problem

I am about the same distance but to the south and I often ride king drive and it has never been any trouble compared to riding the lakefront. You don't see many bikers but the whole thing has a bike lane and the side streets are empty around there and red lights are super visible in both directions so you can intelligently skip red lights. That ride will take you through far worse stuff than you will see on the way out to oak park

Read this thread: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=529404

Uh, thanks I guess, but it would have saved me 20 minutes if you'd have just posted the Chicago Mag article.

From there...you are fine

I'd imagine it would be a straight shot down madison into the loop...even if there *were* bad neighborhoods in the middle, you are on a bike so it would not be a problem

That ride will take you through far worse stuff than you will see on the way out to oak park

No, no, NO.

Austin and the Garfield Parks are some of the worst hoods in Chicago and match anything on the Southside for crime rates.

There has been a string of biker assualts where hoods whack passing cyclists (see Barrettscv's link for one example). There is very little you can do to prevent these attacks, other than turning around whenever you see a group of thugs milling about.

In general, it gets much safer north of North Avenue. Grand is decent.

I second Envane. When I lived on Chicago just east of Humboldt Park, I would not have ridden a bicycle down Chicago to my job out in Oak Park. Division/Madison were shaky too.

I haven't lived there for 8 years, and I've heard that I wouldn't believe the changes that've taken place since, but still- that's rough turf.

Uh, thanks I guess, but it would have saved me 20 minutes if you'd have just posted the Chicago Mag article.

Would you rather have a bad event?

Would you rather have a bad event?

My point was that post was largely irrelevant to my question. I don't plan on riding where that guy got creamed. Sweet pics though.

Any direct or closely direct route will take you through either the 25th, 15th or 11th Districts, three very violent areas loaded with people who would think nothing of attacking you in broad daylight for pure sport. Highly unrecommended.

Try north or northwest where you can use routes like Milwaukee or Elston Avenue to and from the loop.

Please disregard (almost) everyone above. Try the ride in the morning, then try the ride in the evening. If you're comfortable with it, then keep doing it. If you're uncomfortable with it, try a different route. Madison, Jackson, Augusta, Lake, Grand, Division, Roosevelt are all possibilities depending on where you live in Oak Park. Avoid Chicago Avenue and North Avenue at all costs, as there are regularly potholes that could eat an armored tank, plus 4 lanes of busy, distracted traffic.

In Chicago, as in many big cities, there is always a chance that you'll get jumped. As for me, I know people who've been car-jacked, who've been mugged while walking down the street, who've had their homes broken into, who've been assaulted by police officers while shopping in a drugstore, etc. None of these things happened while they were riding a bike. Many of them happened in higher-income areas on the North and Northwest sides. My point is vague, but just do what you're comfortable with and don't discount the idea of riding a bike through a neighborhood because you've never been there, and it seems like it might be scary.

Try it, you might like it. And if you want tips on where to get a good peach cobbler or vegetarian breakfast on the west side on your way into or out of downtown, feel free to ask.

My buddy lives on 3100 Franklin Blvd and I mentioned riding my bike to Koster Ave where my Schwinn was made, he looked at me a made it very clear it's not a option...I worry riding from his condo to the lakefront, you're gonna get killed.

Some people are just more scared than others...excepting groups of thugs who are just looking to jump people, if you are confident and look like you know where you are going, you should be fine.

Its true, I can't speak for going west any further than Western but I am not particularily concerned in most places. Chicago is a city of neighborhoods and things can change fast in a couple of blocks--the apartment I just moved out of was both a couple hundred feet south of obamas house (and the associated 24/7 secret service) and a couple hundred feet east of somewhere where you don't want to be *any* color after dark.

Biking down major streets during the day, especially commuter hours is not an issue. If you decide your route is a little iffy at night, every bus in chicago can hold 2 bicycles and every train allows them outside of rush hour so you are free to CTA it through the sketchy bits.

I also happen to be a fan of not letting it get to me...neighborhoods aren't going to get any better if non-criminals keep avoiding them. People might look at you like you are crazy but the odds of you being fine are in your favor.

What is with these shady areas in Chicago? No American city should be like that. How about getting more police there and cleaning house? And yes, if paying more taxes would be required for that, so be it. If I lived there.

...Its true, I can't speak for going west any further than Western but I am not particularily concerned in most places....

Hmmmm, and you're pretty sure it's OK to commute on a bike through Austin and Garfield :(

What is with these shady areas in Chicago? No American city should be like that. How about getting more police there and cleaning house? And yes, if paying more taxes would be required for that, so be it. If I lived there.

Every major city has hoods, some worse than others.

The locals do not cooperate with police. Its hard to fight crime if no one wants to be a witness to a murder.

If police become too aggressive, the locals cry racism.

Throwing more money at the problem will not solve the problem. These areas are enormous tax sinks as it is.

Daley had the right idea when he demoed some public housing and shipped the residents to Section 8 downstate. Of course, then Peoria and Urbana are stuck with the problem.

Uh, thanks I guess, but it would have saved me 20 minutes if you'd have just posted the Chicago Mag article.

naah, barrettscv just wanted to show you how compassionate he can be to our fellow BF members.

Every major city has hoods, some worse than others.

The locals do not cooperate with police. Its hard to fight crime if no one wants to be a witness to a murder.

If police become too aggressive, the locals cry racism.

Throwing more money at the problem will not solve the problem. These areas are enormous tax sinks as it is.

Daley had the right idea when he demoed some public housing and shipped the residents to Section 8 downstate. Of course, then Peoria and Urbana are stuck with the problem.

This kind of discussion always quickly degenerates into this, so this will be my last response.

If you want to ride through a neighborhood, then do it.

If you don't want to, don't do it.

If you want to write little internet posts about things that you saw on "The Wire" and assume to be true of everyone in any middle-class (yes, much of Austin is pretty solidly working and middle class - if you spent a little time there, you'd figure that out pretty quickly. or maybe not) to poor black neighborhood, then do it.

My chances of getting hit by a Land Rover in Lincoln Park (happened to me almost twice on Racine within two blocks the other day) are astronomically higher than some of "the locals" doing anything to me more threatening than saying "good morning" on any random block of the West Side or South Side that I happen to be riding through. Let alone being murdered, and having none of those pesky "locals" wanting to snitch to the 5-0. Which, I admit, would suck.

The rest of your post, if I'd had several more beers, would be something to reply to as well. I'll leave it alone. And any response of "well, I used to live in a tough neighborhood, I have a lot of black friends, I'm a cop, I know what I'm talking about, one time I heard about this one guy that this bad thing happened to, etc" will go without a response from me. But feel free.

http://davefleet.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/head-in-the-sand-300x201.jpg

This kind of discussion always quickly degenerates into this, so this will be my last response.

If you want to ride through a neighborhood, then do it.

If you don't want to, don't do it.

If you want to write little internet posts about things that you saw on "The Wire" and assume to be true of everyone in any middle-class (yes, much of Austin is pretty solidly working and middle class - if you spent a little time there, you'd figure that out pretty quickly. or maybe not) to poor black neighborhood, then do it.

My chances of getting hit by a Land Rover in Lincoln Park (happened to me almost twice on Racine within two blocks the other day) are astronomically higher than some of "the locals" doing anything to me more threatening than saying "good morning" on any random block of the West Side or South Side that I happen to be riding through. Let alone being murdered, and having none of those pesky "locals" wanting to snitch to the 5-0. Which, I admit, would suck.

The rest of your post, if I'd had several more beers, would be something to reply to as well. I'll leave it alone. And any response of "well, I used to live in a tough neighborhood, I have a lot of black friends, I'm a cop, I know what I'm talking about, one time I heard about this one guy that this bad thing happened to, etc" will go without a response from me. But feel free.


These sorts of post always degenerate into smug liberals trying to impress everyone with how down wit da bruthas dey is.

Bike safety is not a race issue.

It is a practical matter that is urgent. We all know that a wide range of people disregard the value of a cyclist safety for a number of reasons.

Whenever I ride, I concern myself with drivers who won't share the road, oblivious pedestrians who will randomly step in front of a cyclist and sometimes you even have to worry about other cyclist. Last night, I watched a cyclist go down after touching the wheel of another rider.

I also worry about irrational criminal behavior. If you live among millions of people, statistics indicate that a few dangerous people will be in that group. Crime and anti-social behavior is not an issue of race.

Be safe out there. I would rather be overly concerned about safety than allow my guard to drop.

Michael

Oh yes, and here is Austin in all its "working class" glory:

http://www.newcommunities.org/cmadocs/ChicagoLawnPercapitaIncome.pdf

yes, much of Austin other than that northwest pocket is pretty solidly not working - if you spent a little time looking at real data instead of basing your impression on a couple of people you know from the area, you'd figure that out pretty quickly. or maybe not

naah, barrettscv just wanted to show you how compassionate he can be to our fellow BF members.

This thread degenerated into idiotic sarcasm after just a few posts.

Michael

Bike safety is not a race issue.

It is a practical matter that is urgent. We all know that a wide range of people disregard the value of a cyclist safety for a number of reasons.

Whenever I ride, I concern myself with drivers who won't share the road, oblivious pedestrians who will randomly step in front of a cyclist and sometimes you even have to worry about other cyclist. Last night, I watched a cyclist go down after touching the wheel of another rider.

I also worry about irrational criminal behavior. If you live among millions of people, statistics indicate that a few dangerous people will be in that group. Crime and anti-social behavior is not an issue of race.

Be safe out there. I would rather be overly concerned about safety than allow my guard to drop.

Michael

The chances of being the victim of robbery is small but not trivial. This is why you can have people biking through bad areas for years and have nothing happen to them and they come on a forum and say "its not that bad you're all racist". You need real data, not anectdotes. Using census and CPD data, I calculated that in the worst neighbourhood in Chicago the robbery rate is 25 per 1000 residents per year. In the best, its 0.1 per 1000 per year. You can decrease your chances of being robbed by two orders of magnitude, simply by steering clear of certain areas. Sounds good to me.

I also found that the robbbery rates in the lowest-crime black areas were about equal to the worst white or hispanic areas at around 5 per 1000 per year. Most were 2-5 times worse than that. Race was the best predictor of robbery in an area, much better than income (weaker correlation) or population density (no correlation). That is what "race has to do with it."

We would still have crime even if we were a single race society.

Blah blah blah. Not to be an ass, but I'm not interested in bike politics.

Do any of you people (or ANYONE else) actually commute from Oak Park to downtown Chicago? If so, what route (please be very specific) do you take?

Blah blah blah. Not to be an ass, but I'm not interested in bike politics.

Do any of you people (or ANYONE else) actually commute from Oak Park to downtown Chicago? If so, what route (please be very specific) do you take?

I lived in Oak Park (corner of Humphrey and Lake) for three years when I first moved to the Chicago area. I didn't bike commute at the time, but I have ridden out there from the city more than a few times since I moved in 5 years ago. Washington Blvd. is pretty much a straight shot into the loop, and it has a bike lane starting at the intersection of Washington and Laramie. Prior to Laramie it is always two lanes, so you can take a lane without too much worry. That street has always been my choice while riding out. If you check out google maps and put it on satelite view, you can get a fair idea of what the route looks like.

I have also heard people mention Lake as a possible street to ride in on, but the pavement is nearly unrideable in many places. It is also a very busy street with people zooming in and out of the el pillars.

I'm not going to get drawn into the debate regarding the quality of the Austin and Garfield neighborhoods. I think it is fair to say, though, that you should exercise some caution when riding in and keep an eye out for trouble (something that is true in several chicago neighborhoods, not just the west side). Probably also a good idea to avoid crowds gathered near the street, as others have mentioned. As my wife and I get older and get close to having kids, we have thought about moving back out to OP. I can tell you I would still ride in daily if I did.

Another resource to check out is www.thechainlink.org. It is a cycling forum much more regional in scope than this one, and I'm sure someone on there either rides in everyday from Oak Park or knows someone that does.

If you want to ride through a neighborhood, then do it.

If you don't want to, don't do it.


+1,000.

To the OP: I've ridden from Chicago to Oak Park numerous times, but because this issue so deeply involves your personal sense of comfort (rather than some supposedly objective notion of 'danger'), the only way to develop a route is to try it and do what feels comfortable.

Good luck!

and commute to the Chicago Loop? Is this a viable option? I'm considering my next home and commutability is important. Is there a safe passge to the Loop or do I have to ride through some terrible ghetto? Distance, weather mean nothing. I'm concerned about safety and I am not going to get a gun.

If so, what's your route?

I cycled from Oak Park to U of I Medical campus once, in July 1990. On the ride in at 5:30 am I was surprised at the number of fires in garbage cans and 55 gallon drums along the way, some of them still had some guys standing around drinking. If it were a campground somewhere I wouldn't have taken notice, but on every other street corner of a city in some sections? I had a highly decorated cadillac with the shiniest oversized chrome rims tailgate me from just a few feet, revving the engine and blasting rap music for about 15 blocks, they probably just wanted to see me safely through thier neighborhood. Boy were those rims shiny, I could see myself in them when they overlapped wheels with me. On the ride back the next day, I decided to do it in broad daylight around noon. Lots of nice ladies wanted to show me something just around the building in the alley, but I didn't have time to find out what.

But that was 19 years ago. However, I have cut through those areas in my car when the Eisenhower has jammed up since then, and I haven't seen anything that would make me try it again.

Bottom line, the west side is drive over territory for all those who go through there from the western suburbs on the Eisenhower. Most do not divert from the Eisenhower in thier cars unless forced to. But I say you give it a try, and make your own decision if you think the stereotypes of that area are unjustified. Those stereotypes are the same 19 years ago as they are today, and I tried it anyway. Terrible Ghetto? Most from Dupage county would agree with that description. I took Roosevelt Road.

Roosevelt is actually a good biking street. It has a bike lane from the lake to California, I veer off on Ogden at Western Ave. Ogden is also a decent commuting street. I take it from Roosevelt to Oak Park Ave.; most of Ogden has wide shoulders or a "frontage road". Ogden cuts through the "lovely" Lawndale area but I've not experienced any problems in a hundred or so commutes.

During the summer I take Lake Street 2-3 times a week, no worries. You can go at a decent clip and make all of the lights. I live in the NW burbs so I take DP river trail from River Forest. I gotten hassled more on Elston Ave going north than I have riding throught the West Side.

If David Byrne from the Talking Heads can do it, I think you can do it :)

http://journal.davidbyrne.com/2008/10/10272008-chicago.html