A study of bicyclists and their travel patterns throughout Chicago found the city’s bicycling hot spot — at least in 2009.
It’s 640 North Milwaukee Ave., where more than 3,000 bicyclists recorded at during the summer and fall of 2009 as part of the of Chicago Department of Transportation’s first-ever bike-count study, the results of which were released last week.
This approximate spot -- 640 North Milwaukee Ave. -- was found to be Chicago bicycling hot spot, according to a 2009 bike count.
According to the release, counts were taken for 24 hours on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays in warmer-weather conditions.
Of the 26 count locations, 19 have dedicated bike lanes; four have marked shared lanes; one location has a shared bus/bike lane; and two locations have no bike-related pavement markings.
Seventeen of the 26 locations saw more than 200 bicyclists daily, with the highest count being at 640 North Milwaukee Ave.
Tribune transportation writer Jon Hilkevitch wrote during that 24-hour period along Milwaukee Avenue, bicyclists accounted for 22 percent of all traffic passing by that location, according to the study.
“The average daily motor vehicle traffic count there was 11,117 in 2006. The 22 percent bike share casts a large shadow over a citywide average of less than 2 percent bikes on the road.
“The number of bikes counted dropped to 2,083, still a respectable 16 percent bicycle-mode share, when a second count was conducted at 640 N. Milwaukee as the weather turned colder in November 2009.”
The Chicago Department of Transportation plans to continue the bike counts to not only document the use of existing bike facilities, but to plan future facilities, said Ben Gomberg, the CDOT Bicycle Program Coordinator.
The Bike 2015 Plan — the master plan for bicycling in Chicago — lists gathering bike counts as a goal, noting that the counts will help the CDOT Bicycle Program gauge the effectiveness of Plan strategies.