LINCOLN PARK — Biking the lakefront path against the backdrop of a glistening Lake Michigan (especially in the summer) is an experience many Chicagoans cherish and many out-of-towners want to experience.
It should come as no surprise then that the busiest Divvy station in Lincoln Park is at Theater on the Lake, which is where the lakefront path and Fullerton Avenue meet.
That's according to DNAinfo Chicago's map of the 2.5 million Divvy rides taken in the last year.
Since opening in 2013, the Theater on the Lake station has facilitated a total of 123,093 rides, with 59,429 rides starting there and 63,664 rides ending there. That makes it one of the most utilized stations in the city outside of Downtown.
That area of the lakefront path is considered one of the worst bottlenecks of pedestrians, cyclists and runners, which is something Mayor Rahm Emanuel hopes to change with the Fullerton Revetment Project.
Work is underway on the project, which will create 5.8 acres of new parkland along the lake and aims to stabilize the shoreline while improving the bike and pedestrian paths that cut through the area. It is planned to be finished by Nov. 30, although landscaping in the park area won't be done until summer 2016.
Other noteworthy observations:
Even though a station at Cannon Drive and Fullerton Avenue is less than five minutes west from the one at Theater on the Lake, it has facilitated far less rides, or 36,537, since opening in 2013.
A station a little bit farther west, at Lakeview and Fullerton avenues, has facilitated more, with 37,020 rides total since opening in 2013.
The second most utilized station in Lincoln Park is at Clark Street and Lincoln Avenue, which has facilitated a total of 53,962 rides since opening in 2013.
Coming in third is a station at Clark Street and Armitage Avenue, which has facilitated a total of 45,753 rides since opening in 2014.
One of the longest rides from the Theater on the Lake station was to 57th Street and University Avenue. According to Google Maps, that's a nearly 12-mile ride.
Divvy rides have grown every year in Chicago since the bike-sharing system launched, and by next spring Divvy plans to open 75 new stations with help from a $3 million state grant. The new stations' exact locations have yet to be determined, but public officials and others hope more will come to the city's South and Southwest sides.
In July, Divvy introduced its "Divvy for Everyone" program, which offers an annual membership to low-income residents for $5, instead of the standard $75.
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