Thanks for posting the link for the comments. Here’s what I submitted. I urge other EBC members to also submit their comments.
Al
I strongly support creating bike lanes on Church Street to improve safety for bicyclists. Church Street is an important east-west route for bicyclists in Skokie and Evanston. It provides access to Evanston Township High School for those students living
in Skokie who attend ETHS. It also is the best route for cyclists from Skokie and Evanston to ride west to the North Branch Trail in the Cook County Forest Preserves because it has a bridge over the Eden’s Expressway that does not involve an interchange. In
addition, it will provide a link to the Skokie Valley Trail when that is extended north of Dempster and to the new bike lanes on Church Street that Evanston is planning. In summary, bike lanes on Church Street constitute a critical link in the regional biking
network.
I do have concerns about the plan in the area between Niles Center Road and Gross Point Road, particularly on the south side where it looks like the plan calls for maintaining two lanes of vehicle traffic for at least part of that. Painting sharrows will
not do enough to ensure safety for cyclists. Please take another look at creating a bike lane separated from vehicle lanes in that area.
Thank you for moving forward with this important project.