Communiting

[CorsairMac]

Have there been reports of bikers being mugged in that area?? Would you be riding during heavy traffic times so you would be visible to drivers in case something Did happen? If it's a main thoroughfare I'm guessing you would be left alone - most muggers don't want an audience. You could also call the police station near there and talk to them - see how many biker muggings have been reported in the past year or so. They also might be able to suggest an alternative route - especially if they have a bike patrol.

[Lise]

. You could also call the police station near there and talk to them - see how many biker muggings have been reported in the past year or so. They also might be able to suggest an alternative route - especially if they have a bike patrol.

That's a great idea!

[betagirl]

Thanks guys. Lise, I rode up Oak Park Ave today past Montrose. I have no idea how it is going into the city from the NW side compared to the west side. It's not too bad getting up there, so I might scope that out in my car to see how it looks. I will also check with the police stations to see. I'll let you know if I get any "say what?" or "woman are you crazy!?" reactions

[Lise]

It's better on the NW side, for certain. I would not cross the west side on a bike south of Division. What's rough about Fullerton, Belmont, Irving Park is the traffic. And you can't take side streets without having to go up or down to get across both the expressway and the river. I'll figure out a route or a couple of them this summer, though, because I like riding to my sister's. It's about 9 miles, and always involves a meal when I get there! Did you notice all the little asphalt lines on Oak Park Ave? Drove me nuts! I avoid that street when I can! Fun to talk about stuff close to home. I'll be curious to see what the cops say about your proposed route.

[betagirl]

Cool. Yeah, there were some sketchy parts of Oak Park Ave. Like the stretch north of irving park that's all beat up. But they've repaved a lot of it, so most of it was actually pretty nice. Coming back south riding into that wind I thought I was going to get blown into traffic. I rode all the way north until I hit the Kennedy, then turned around. Foster didn't look too busy to ride down. I think I'll have to drive around this weekend. Between the two of us we can figure out a way to get to/from Oak Park I think

Yesterday I rode around town and ended up on 1st Avenue. Instead of turning around like I should have, I rode that up north to North Ave, by Kiddieland. I was like hmmm, this isn't where I want to be. Thankfully it was a short stint down North ave to get out of 3 lanes of traffic. Obviously I'm still working out my routes around here

[tulip]

I don't know anything about Chicago. I do ride through some rough neighborhoods of Washington, DC, though. I have never had any problems with folks. I do not ride at night, and I do vary my route. Of course, my situation may be different than yours. Best of luck.

[betagirl]

Thanks Tulip. DC certainly has some rough areas.

Ok, I'm going on a reconaissance mission today to see if I can get through going a bit north. Lise, I'll let you know what I find