Quantcast

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

Bring Divvy Stations to Beverly, Morgan Park, Petition Demands

 Divvy bicycle docks are already found throughout the city, including this station in Bridgeport. The Beverly Area Planning Association launched a petition on Wednesday to bring the rental bikes to the 19th Ward.
Divvy bicycle docks are already found throughout the city, including this station in Bridgeport. The Beverly Area Planning Association launched a petition on Wednesday to bring the rental bikes to the 19th Ward.
View Full Caption
DNAinfo/Casey Cora

BEVERLY — Organizers of the Beverly Hills Cycling Classic are hoping to use the momentum behind the upcoming bike race to bring Divvy to the neighborhood.

The Beverly Area Planning Association began circulating a petition online on Wednesday asking residents of Beverly and Morgan Park to show their support for bringing the bike-sharing stations to the 19th Ward.

Margot Burke Holland, the executive director of the neighborhood group, envisions Divvy stations near the busy Metra train depots. She'd also like to see the bike racks within the shopping districts on Western Avenue, as well as in some of the parks throughout the area.

"There is really no reason that we don't have them," Holland said.

To better accommodate the baby blue rental bikes, Holland said she'd be in favor of adding bike lanes throughout the neighborhood. This also would have the further benefit of encouraging residents to use their own bikes more often, she said.

Though Holland's group doesn't officially represent Mount Greenwood, she believes creating a system of Divvy bikes throughout the 19th Ward would be the most beneficial. Thus, she's hoping residents of the far southwest corner of Chicago also sign the petition.

"We are really just trying to start the conversation with the Chicago Department of Transportation," Holland said.

She admits that previous attempt to bring Divvy bikes to the 19th Ward by Ald. Matt O'Shea have failed. But she believes her group is in the unique position to renew the push with the bike race coming up on July 17.

Besides the online petition, the association will also have a traditional petition for residents to sign at the Beverly Hills Cycling Classic at 10650 S. Longwood Drive, Holland said.

She hasn't officially reached out to Divvy officials yet. Rather, she's waiting to approach them armed with the petition as a show of outward support. She believes this will give Beverly and Morgan Park a leg up in negotiations.

"It's a quality-of-life issue that I think people in this neighborhood would really commit to," Holland said.

For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here: