We noticed this impediment while finishing up the L.A.T.E. ride. There were police officers enforcing the ban as well, we had to bike another several blocks to get to the end of the ride. What a stupid plan. When is the overpass ever going to be built? 1999 is almost 10 years ago, and there still is not even an agreed-upon plan! Crazy. It's such a beautiful area to walk in, why block the flow of pedestrians?
Chicago Tribune news Jon Hilkevitch The Lake Shore Drive crosswalk connecting Buckingham Fountain to the Queen's Landing lakefront promenade has been closed, a move critics and tourists say shows the city favors drivers over pedestrians. The stoplight just east of the exquisite fountain--visited by more than 5 million people annually--was quietly removed before the Taste of Chicago festival to help traffic flow more freely, officials said. With the fountain and its nearby Beaux Arts-style garden serving as a serene backdrop, wood-and-wire snow fencing has been installed along the curb line to prevent walkers, bicyclists and joggers from crossing the eight lanes of busy Lake Shore Drive. “It's disappointing because Buckingham Fountain is a centerpiece of our tourist industry, and I definitely think walking and biking should be higher priorities than driving cars,” said Valerie DePriest of Oak Park, who was bicycling with a friend through Grant Park.
... Improving pedestrian safety did not directly figure in the decision to close the crosswalk because few accidents occur at the location, according to the Chicago Department of Transportation.But city transportation officials say they need to move increasing volumes of traffic more efficiently through the downtown area, including on east-west streets that feed off of Lake Shore Drive. Pedestrians can still cross Lake Shore Drive in Grant Park at Monroe Jackson and Balbo Drives and 11th Street, they said.
“It's kind of a long block to walk to Jackson or Balbo, especially if you are old or have a disability,” said Jose Chavez, an insurance-claims processor who was walking past Buckingham Fountain on his lunch break. Chavez, 39, said he had crossed from the fountain to Queen's Landing since he was a child.
Pedestrian access between the shoreline at Monroe Harbor and Buckingham Fountain could be restored if a pedestrian overpass or a tunnel--a project that has been stalled for at least a decade--were ever built. A deal between the city and the state was reached in 1999 under Illinois FIRST to construct a $19 million tunnel similar to the light-filled underground walkway that leads from Grant Park to the Museum Campus. But currently there is no funding, officials said.
{Chicago}
