Bikes & Transit
The Lakefront's 8-Lane Crossroads
Friday's CMAP Transportation Committee meeting may have been the most consequential lakefront vote most Chicagoans didn't know was happening.
The committee considered whether to advance the "Redefine the Drive" project — a reconstruction of seven miles of North DuSable Lake Shore Drive between Grand and Hollywood — onto CMAP's fiscally "constrained" list. That's the bucket of projects eligible for major state and federal funding. Once a project lands there, changing course becomes much harder.
The problem? The current plan would largely rebuild the 8-lane highway in place. Despite more than a decade of study, IDOT and CDOT recommended reconstructing the road as-is last June, rejecting dedicated transit lanes. The modeling framework has focused on vehicle throughput, with limited evaluation of bus rapid transit, strengthened regional rail, or improved CTA service.
A coalition of aldermen, state lawmakers, and transit advocates has called for "a smaller, more efficient footprint that includes sustainable, multimodal 21st-century transportation solutions." Active Transportation Alliance argues the project should be rescoped as a true boulevard before it enters the funding pipeline.
For a corridor that defines seven miles of Chicago's most treasured public space, this procedural step could determine whether the lakefront gets a highway rebuild — or a generational reimagining.
The Paint Problem
A new study in the Journal of Cycling and Micromobility Research should give pause to anyone planning bike infrastructure: roughly 61 percent of paint-only bike lanes in America sit on high-stress, multi-lane arterials — the kind of roads where only the most confident cyclists feel safe.
Considering that 77 percent of all on-road bike "infrastructure" in the U.S. is just a white stripe on asphalt, that means the single largest category of American bike lanes is barely deserving of the name. The study, led by UC San Diego researcher Michael Garber, used People for Bikes data from 442 cities and found that fewer than 40 percent of painted lanes meet NACTO guidelines for low-stress placement.
Why does this matter locally? The Portage Park Neighborhood Bike Network, unveiled last week, proposes no barrier-protected lanes — only conventional painted lanes and traffic-calmed greenways. One of those streets, Long Avenue, ranks in the city's top 10th percentile for serious crash locations.
The Portage Park open house is March 5 at 6 p.m. at the Portage Park Senior Center, 4001 N. Long Ave. The online survey is open through March 15. If the Garber study tells us anything, it's that the type of infrastructure matters as much as the existence of it.
Archer: Monday Rallies Continue
The dueling Archer Avenue rallies continue every Monday, and supporters of the Complete Streets project continue to outnumber opponents. Construction on the protected bike lanes and pedestrian improvements is expected to wrap up in early 2026. Bike Lane Uprising has issued a call to action for both Monday's Archer rally and the March 5 Portage Park meeting.
Wildlife
Illinois, First in the Nation on Rewilding
A quieter piece of legislation deserves a spotlight: HB 2726, the Illinois Rewilding Law, took effect January 1, making Illinois the first state to officially recognize rewilding as a conservation strategy. The law empowers the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to pursue projects restoring land to its natural state and reintroducing native species. (Before you ask: IDNR says it has no plans to reintroduce wolves or cougars.)
The timing matters because of a parallel push on wetlands. The 2023 Supreme Court ruling in Sackett v. EPA curtailed federal protections, and an estimated 67 percent of Illinois wetlands are now at risk. State Rep. Anna Moeller and State Sen. Laura Ellman are pushing a Wetlands Protection Act that would require permits for discharging material into state-jurisdictional wetlands — filling the federal gap. Shedd Aquarium has launched a "Defend the Ten" campaign urging residents to contact their representatives.
Meanwhile, it's coyote mating season. Between 2,000 and 4,000 coyotes live in Cook County, and sightings have spiked — one was spotted in Streeterville near East Huron Street on Feb. 9. Seth Magle of Lincoln Park Zoo's Urban Wildlife Institute reports a positive shift: calls about coyotes are now mostly enthusiastic sighting reports rather than complaints. A reminder that the city's rat contraceptive pilot — designed partly to protect these very predators from secondary rodenticide poisoning — is at its halfway point, with initial data expected this summer.
Housing & Abundance
Downtown Parking Limits Get an Override
The City Council's Zoning Committee approved an ordinance allowing certain large downtown housing developments to exceed current parking maximums — a somewhat counterintuitive move in an era of parking reform, but one that reflects the reality that some developers say strict caps are hindering downtown residential projects.
The measure still needs full Council approval. It's worth watching how this interacts with the BUILD plan's parking minimum reforms at the state level: HB 5626 would prohibit minimum parking requirements for units under 1,500 sq ft, affordable housing, assisted living, and ground-floor commercial. The zoning committee ordinance, by contrast, loosens maximums for large projects. Two sides of the same parking coin.
BUILD: Six Bills, One Fight
The BUILD plan now has a full legislative squadron. Alongside HB 5626 in the House (which added Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth as chief co-sponsor on Feb. 25), five Senate companion bills have been filed: SB 4060 (middle housing density), SB 4061 (single-stair reform), SB 4062 (impact fee modernization), SB 4063 (third-party permit review), and SB 4064 (parking reform).
The Illinois Municipal League has responded by formally opposing all six bills at its Feb. 23 Statehouse Briefing, calling them "a significant preemption of local land use and zoning authority." No committee hearings have been scheduled yet — the spring session is just warming up.
ADU Countdown: 31 Days
Chicago's citywide ADU ordinance takes effect April 1 — now 31 days away. In single-family zones, each alderperson decides whether to opt in and can set unique restrictions. Check with your alderperson's office or email adu@cityofchicago.org.
Civic Calendar
Early voting in all 50 wards begins March 2 for the March 17 primary election. The ballot includes the U.S. Senate race to replace retiring Sen. Dick Durbin, the crowded 7th Congressional District primary (13 Democrats for Danny Davis's seat), governor, and Cook County Board President (incumbent Toni Preckwinkle vs. Ald. Brendan Reilly). Polling places open 6 a.m.–7 p.m. Find your sample ballot at chicagoelections.gov.
Portage Park Bike Network open house: March 5, 6 p.m., Portage Park Senior Center (4001 N. Long Ave.). Survey open through March 15. ADU applications open April 1. Early voting in all 50 wards: starts March 2.