Bike parking planned at four CTA stations

The City of Chicago is installing 382 sheltered bike parking spaces at four CTA stations:

--Midway Orange Line Station...112 bike parking spaces

--Sox 35th / Red Line Station...42 bike parking spaces inside the station

--Jefferson Park Blue Line Station...120 bike parking spaces

--Damen Blue Line Station...108 spaces inside the station

Each of the facilities will offer covered, well-lit bike parking in highly visible areas of the CTA stations. Where possible, benches and vending machines will be provided as a service to the users. Double-deck bike racks will be installed at all locations to maximize storage capacity and increase visibility.

"With this project, Chicago continues to be a leader in encouraging bicycle and transit use," said Mayor Richard M. Daley.  "Bicycling is a great way to travel given the current record-high gas prices. This project will help reduce traffic congestion, conserve energy, and promote healthy physical activity."

"Expanding the amount of parking available for bicycles at CTA rail stations encourages more people to combine biking and public transportation as a means of travel and is part of CTA's continued efforts to encourage environmentally friendly transportation," said CTA President Ron Huberman.

The projects will be constructed by Poulos Construction, a Chicago-based, family operated general contractor. Funding for the $915,116 project is provided through a federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) grant.

Establishing weather-protected bike parking is the latest of the strategies in the City's Bike 2015 Plan to be implemented. The Bike 2015 Plan is the City of Chicago's vision to make bicycling an integral part of daily life in Chicago. The plan¡¦s goal is to increase bicycle use, so that 5 percent of all trips less than five miles are by bicycle. 

For more information on bicycling in Chicago, visit the CDOT Bike Program website at www.ChicagoBikes.org. The Bike Program handles bike-related development, education and awareness for the City of Chicago.

The Bike 2015 Plan can be found online at www.Bike2015Plan.org.