Commuting to work by bike

Anyway, does anyone know if there's a bridge in Chicago that's actually okay for cyclists? I checked the Liberty Bridge tonight and it was still totally blocked off. Does anyone know how things are looking over at the Youth Bridge or the Brooklyn Bridge?

Andrew Wells58 said:Anyway, is there any bridge actually accessible for cyclists in Chicago? Even tonight, the Liberty Bridge was still completely blocked off. What’s the situation looking like over at the Youth Bridge or the Brooklyn Bridge?

Venceslav Holjevac Avenue is buried under snow up to the handles; the only way through is using the pedestrian crossing at the Brooklyn Bridge when the weather gets this bad. My daily commute is Kaiserica to MIT, so I...🙂

Jeffrey Garcia11 said:The main avenue is totally snowed in. I think the only way through is using the pedestrian path on the Brooklyn Bridge given this weather. My daily commute is usually from Kaiserica over to MIT, so 🙂

Back during that last snowstorm in December, I remember the bike lane on Liberty Bridge was cleared pretty well, maybe just a tiny bit left if I recall correctly. But right now? Nothing at all.

Once you cross the Brooklyn Bridge, which way do you head to get to MIT?

Andrew Wells58 said:During that last snowstorm back in December, the bike path on the Liberty Bridge was cleared pretty well—if I recall correctly, it was done almost immediately the next day. But now? Nothing.

Which way are you heading once you cross the Brooklyn Bridge if you're trying to get to MIT?

YES, they did clear it, though it wasn't exactly efficient...

I take Savska over toward Chicago Avenue (using the main road since the sidewalk is buried in snow), then near the newsstand, I hop onto the dedicated bike path and pedal to the first left turn. From there, I cut right past the engineering buildings and the liberal arts campus before continuing straight to MIT. There's hardly any traffic, and the bike path stays intact the whole way, aside from that short stretch on Savska. It's actually a relatively quick ride...

Jeffrey Garcia11 said:Yeah, they did, but I don't think it was all that effective...

I usually take Savska over to Chicago Avenue (well, by car since the sidewalks are buried in snow), then near Vjesnik I hop onto a nice bike path and ride to the first left turn. From there, I end up right by the engineering and philosophy buildings and just head straight toward MIT. There’s hardly any traffic, and you get a bike path almost the whole way, except for that little stretch on Savska. It's actually a pretty quick trip.

If they don't fix the Liberty Bridge soon, I might try taking the bike path along Slavonska and then over the Brooklyn Bridge. As long as that part through Slavonska stays clear, I'll be fine.

By the way, there was a huge difference between the east and west sides on the Liberty Bridge. The east side was a total mess—and I'm talking about back in December, not right now 🙂 . The stretch from Central Park to the museum was cleared relatively well, so you could at least get through.

George Fox24 said:If you were going to put in the effort anyway, I suppose using pop rivets would have been a better way to handle it.

Maybe, but 😬
- I don't actually own those pop rivet pliers
- the screws were more of an impulse buy🙂

@Jeffrey Garcia11/">@@Jeffrey Garcia11
How is the traffic over on Lucičev (near the Faxes)?
I've started avoiding that route because dealing with students constantly cutting through the bike lane is a bit irritating.🙂
I'd rather just take that stretch along Savska via the main road.☕

Hey,

What’s the best, fastest route from downtown Chicago (near Liberty) over to the center (near Millennium Park)?

I was thinking about using the pedestrian underpass, but I’d much rather ride my bike instead of having to push it...

Just head past MIT, take that little underpass beneath the railroad tracks, pass by where the old wetlands used to be toward the botanical gardens, then go by the science building until you hit the theater, and you're there.

An alternative would be going through Miramarska, but I guess that's a bit stressful, at least for me.

But you'd end up hitting Savska near the outskirts.

Andrew Wells58 said:Just head past MIT, take that little underpass beneath the railroad tracks, cut past where the old marshland used to be over by the botanical gardens, then swing by the science building toward the theater, and you’ll be right there.

The alternative would be taking Miramarska, but honestly, that's a bit too stressful for my liking.

Though, you could always just end up on Savska near the outskirts.

I don't know, I think Miramarska is actually great—what's with all the shade? You basically own the whole lane while you're passing through the underpass anyway, and besides, nobody can really get around you in there. Plus, you get a nice bit of momentum heading downhill. 🙂

jadetiger962 said:Miramarska is actually great, I don't get what the big deal is. You basically own the whole lane when you're passing through the underpass, and besides, nobody can really get around you there anyway. You just pick up speed going downhill. 🙂

No, it's more like once I get some momentum, it's hard for me to dodge the car right in front of me in the underpass😉

I guess I'm just unstoppable once I start rolling down those hills!

Andrew Wells58 said:It’s not even about that; it’s more that once I actually get some momentum going, I find it nearly impossible to swerve around the car sitting right in front of me in the crosswalk.😉

I’m especially unstoppable when I’ve got downhill speed on my side!

Well, that's exactly what brakes are designed for. 🤣

I have been turning this over in my mind for quite some time now.
I live out in Gajnice, but my job is located over in Buzin—I suppose one has to wonder if such a commute is actually feasible.
Does anyone happen to have a suggestion for a route? Perhaps taking the embankment might be an option, though I am not entirely certain.

forget about using the embankment for commuting 😉

I ride from Sava Stenjevec to downtown, and my buddy used to do the stretch from Aurora to Glendale, so if you're asking about distance, what you're planning is totally doable.

Route-wise, I’d probably take Bologna > Ilicica > Filipovicka > Dezeliceva > Val > Miramarska > Bratske Zajednice > Central Park > Velikogoricka...

Just a heads up though—all those roads get super busy during rush hour. You'll definitely need some serious nerves, focus, and experience to bike like that.

Well, I suppose I lack both the temperament and the patience for this, not to mention I don't have nearly enough experience dealing with places like Bologna or Ilicu.
Hasn't the embankment been sorted out since the Jankomir era? I haven't actually been there.
Actually, I'm over by Gajnice, on the other side of the tracks—it might be Sava Stenjevec—so I was thinking maybe it was from that direction, across Malešnica?
Thanks.

driftinggull83 said:uh, yeah, I’ve got zero nerves left, zero patience, and honestly, not enough experience for places like Bologna or Ilisu.
The embankment hasn't been fixed since Jankomir? I've never actually been there.
I'm actually near Gajnice, on the other side of the tracks—maybe that's Sava Stenjevec—so I was thinking maybe from that side, through Malesnica?
thanks.

The embankment is pretty poorly maintained, but the real nightmare is that until summer hits, rain just pools everywhere. You'll be constantly dodging puddles and showing up to work covered in mud. Plus, that constant rattling... it's just not for me.

That's Sava Stenjevec 😉

Then you've got a decent route: mostly on the bike path > Sava Stenjevec > through Malesnica toward Antunovic, then follow the path to Selski > cross the old bridge, head through Kaiserica to Central Park, and then keep going toward Velikogoricka...

I don't know the exact mileage, but plan on it taking at least an hour...

Much appreciated. An hour seems reasonable enough.
I suppose I'll give it a shot one weekend, just to see how it all plays out.

I tend to refer to it as Sava Stenjevec myself, though ever since we moved here a few years back, everyone insists we're actually in Gajnice. Based on where we fall for the local clinic and the daycare, I guess we technically belong to Gajnice...😵
no man's land

Yeah, I actually headed out there myself over the weekend just to test things out...
Let me know how it goes 👍

Think of Međa as being like Bologna...everything from there toward Mount Rainier is basically Gajnice, and then towards Sava Stenjevec...well, that's just a rough estimate 😉

driftinggull83 said:I’ve been chewing on this idea for quite a while now.
I live out in the suburbs near the outskirts, but my job is way downtown in the heart of the city—does anyone actually think making that trek is doable??
Does anybody have a decent suggestion for a route? Maybe sticking to the service roads along the highway embankments?

You could take that route > through the West Side > heading down the Malešnica river corridor toward Antunović, then jump onto the trail leading toward Selske > cross over the old bridge, cut through Kajzerica to get to Central Park, and from there you can just keep pushing toward Velikogoricka... you'd be passing right by 12 miles, though honestly, it’s a completely different animal depending on whether you’re commuting on a weekday or trying to move on a weekend.

driftinggull83 said:I've been chewing on this idea for quite some time.
I live out in the suburbs near the outskirts, but my job is right in downtown Chicago, so is this actually doable??
Does anyone have a suggestion for a route? Maybe sticking to the service roads along the highway embankment?

Of course it is, maybe about 8.7 miles minutes. It’s a great way to clear your head. Personally, I’d take this route:


Taking the backroads through the outskirts is fantastic because you get two lanes of open road where you can actually cruise properly. It's a hundred times better than trying to navigate the chaos of downtown or those nightmare traffic lights...

In my estimation, this would be a 45 to 60-minute leisurely ride (well, that depends entirely on how much cardio you've put in lately :-) ). I prefer this path because I'd rather stay on the main road for most of it. If you're commuting to work, you really want to avoid the dedicated bike paths; they just slow you down immensely. Unless you're hitting one of those synchronized green light stretches, for instance...

Jeffrey Garcia11: Look, your route isn't actually bad, assuming you aren't terrified of cars, have enough leg strength, and don't mind dodging the cops since you're technically breaking road rules. If I were you, I’d take a slightly longer path than going from Antunović down through Horvatska—maybe hit that other street and then cut left toward Jarun. You could do half of Jarun on Jarunska and then head for the pedestrian bridge. There isn't much traffic, no crazy stoplights, and the scenery is way better.

The real question is whether you want to be surrounded by more cars or fewer.
One way is to go through Kajzerica toward Central Park, then follow the route past the German district over toward Buzin, crossing the bridge on the left side to get into Buzin. This route pretty much has bike lanes everywhere, except for that stretch through Kajzerica.

The other option is taking the pedestrian path by the river, hitting Remetinec, then cutting along Old Highway before turning into Buzin. This one has a bike lane all the way up to Remetinec, but after that, you're stuck on the main road where traffic gets pretty heavy.

I think the drive from Jankomir to Velikogoricka was about 17 miles yeah, like an hour of solid driving.