EDGEWATER — The 48th Ward is rolling out a new transportation group aimed at creating a sustainable future for cyclists and pedestrians in Edgewater.
Ald. Harry Osterman's office is holding a meeting from 10-11:30 a.m. Saturday at the Broadway Armory, 5917 N. Broadway, with the city's Department of Transportation to discuss the creation of a working group that will help advise the alderman on how to best implement travel by bike and foot.
The group will ultimately work with Osterman's office to help communicate issues regarding transportation safety in the neighborhood, oversee planning of community bike rides and walks and provide feedback on ways to implement transportation-related changes throughout the ward.
In the fall, Osterman confirmed a southbound ''contra-flow'' bike lane on Glenwood Avenue would be coming in 2017.
The idea was first pitched in the summer of 2015 by Osterman and transportation department officials, saying many people, mostly families and kids, already biked on Glenwood, but often going in the opposite direction of car traffic, because they felt safer than on main roadways like Clark or Broadway.
Another "greenway" bike lane was proposed at Edgewater's northern end, this one set to jut through Rogers Park all the way to Evanston.
In 2015, the "Go Edgewater" campaign also launched in the lakefront neighborhood — a collaboration between the Department of Transportation and the Active Transportation Alliance that encouraged residents to drive less and walk and bike more.
This year, the Edgewater Historical Society and Edgewater Environmental Sustainability Project will take over ownership of the group, including the popular neighborhood tours and bike rides.
