If I’d known city officials were going to try to ban biking on the new Chicago Riverwalk, I never would have advocated for building it. From the start, the Riverwalk extension was promoted as a commuting corridor for cyclists and pedestrians, not just a place to lounge with a glass of cabernet.
Obviously, you’d have to be nuts to bike at full speed through that mass of humanity. Dismounting, or at least riding at walking speed, are the only safe and nonsociopathic options.
The City Clerk’s office confirmed that Reilly’s ordinance still hadn’t passed. But on that ride four different security guards, following orders from supervisors, stopped me to erroneously say biking was illegal on the Riverwalk.
On May 20, Burke followed up with Woods and Reynolds requesting that the total bike ban be replaced with time-of-day restrictions and/or “Walk Your Bike When Congested” signs. “Emotions are high in the cycling community over this,” he wrote. “Some sort of protest on the Riverwalk and/or Upper Wacker is a possibility, and I think we can head this off with a reasonable compromise.”
However, in early June, CDOT spokesman Mike Claffey told Chicago magazine that city policy currently allows cycling on the path “when the Riverwalk is not congested.” Since then, I’ve heard multiple reports that the guards are no longer scolding cyclists, although, as of last week, the threatening signs were still posted at the Riverwalk entrances.
