Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Divvy Proposes Northernmost Extension With Seven New Stations

By Darryl Holliday | April 18, 2014 9:14am
  Seven new Divvy stations and two new bike routes were proposed for the 49th Ward. 
Divvy Proposes Northernmost Extension With Seven New Stations
View Full Caption

ROGERS PARK — As officials announced seven new Divvy bike-sharing stations for the 49th Ward Thursday, some community members encouraged the neighborhood to fight for more.

"We can certainly get additional Divvy stations in the ward if you are willing to work for it," said Jon Davis, a member of Ald. Joe Moore's participatory budgeting committee.

Davis strongly urged attendees at a community meeting about the stations and a new north-south bike route connecting Edgewater and Evanston to get involved with Moore's participatory budgeting process in the fall.

The Rogers Park expansion of Divvy is part of a larger effort to add 175 stations this year.

A map of the city Transportation Department's seven proposed stations in the 49th Ward details locations at the southeast corner of Ridge and Touhy avenues; the southeast corner of Clark Street and Touhy Avenue; the northeast corner of Sheridan Road and Greenleaf Avenue; the southeast corner of Clark Street and Lunt Avenue; the northeast corner of Glenwood and Morse avenues; the northeast corner of Clark Street and Columbia Avenue; and the southwest corner of Sheridan Road and Albion Avenue.

Several of the proposed stations would involve minor alterations, including moving benches and trash cans. All seven of the stations will have a 15 bike docks and, in some cases, will be located next to bus, "L" and Metra stations for added convenience to commuters.

The process for selecting new stations is based on convenience, available sidewalks, distance between stations, technical considerations, suggestions from the community and aldermanic review, said Sean Wiedel, CDOT assistant commissioner.

Concerns at Thursday's meeting included the placement of protected bike lanes, the location of Divvy stations and the repair of potholes.

“Our first priority is to build out the system, but eventually we plan to increase density," Wiedel said. "We're going to do our best to expand, here in Rogers Park, and in other parts of the city."

Since its introduction last year, Divvy has enrolled over 11,000 annual members and logged more than 725,000 trips. Last week Divvy broke its single-day record — 10, 866 rides on April 12.

Divvy is expected to hit 1 million trips by the end of this month, according to Wiedel.

The Rogers Park Divvy additions will extend the city's northernmost station access in keeping with Divvy's plan to grow outward from Downtown, CDOT officials said.

Moore said the city plans to install stations north of Touhy Avenue "in the near future."

The proposed locations are pending community and aldermanic review with several key station suggestions put forward by community members Thursday.

Davis said residents will have greater control over any changes in the coming months.

A north/south system of new bike routes that would provide riders a better connection between Evanston and Edgewater was also proposed at the meeting at Eugene Field Elementary School, 7019 N. Ashland Ave.

"Unlike our neighbors to the south, we don't have easy access to the lakefront [bike path]," Moore told the crowd Thursday night. "These are some of the challenges that we face, so these proposals are a byproduct of those discussions."