by Lisa Ashkenaz Croke
special to inside
The revitalization of the Red Line el station at North and Clybourn avenues could be accompanied by a new bus route along the Clybourn Corridor. Booming commercial development finds local business leaders, politicians and residents seeking better public transportation for the commercial corridor.
“The commercial development on Clybourn has exploded and we’re definitely seeing congestion,” explained Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce (LPCC) CEO Kim Klausmeier. The new route would relieve some of the growing traffic troubles, open access to the new retail spaces being built on the Clybourn Corridor and attract additional commercial investment. Clybourn Ave. runs diagonally from the 3200 block of Belmont Ave. down to the 1200 block of Division St.
The Chamber’s request states the route would “work hand-in-hand” with a renovated Red Line Station. “I think we need it,” said Gerry Kadek, who owns the General Nutrition Center store at North and Clybourn avenues. Kadek observed that foot traffic has grown “by the thousands.”
Klausmeier said that Ald. Ted Matlak (32nd) and Ald. Vi Daley (43rd) approached the LPCC on the issue, prompting Chamber members Gil Matar and Peter Nechipor to draft a letter to the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) on Aug. 13. The LPCC board voted on Sept. 5 to send the letter.
Ever since Clybourn bus route 41 was discontinued after a series of CTA service cuts in 1997, Ald. Daley has advocated its return. Daley’s Chief of Staff Chuck Eastwood said that the alderman “has spent a lot of time on transportation, exploring means to reduce area residents’ dependency on cars by providing greater public transportation alternatives.”
That would please area resident Larry Lubell, who travels by car during the winter, but generally prefers not to drive at all. “I would like to see more public transportation.”
Even on weekdays traffic on North Ave. or Halsted St. near Clybourn Ave. looks like it is a Saturday afternoon. On Clybourn Ave. itself, traffic is passable during the week. To many, the new bus route would get ahead of the demand curve that will increase when the condos and stores under construction are finished.
Some people are not concerned about the traffic because many main intersecting streets have regular bus routes and there is no need to revive the old Clybourn Ave. route. Felice Davies from Jayson Home and Garden, in 1800 and 1900 blocks of Clybourn Ave., said that while several employees used the original route, the East/West Armitage and North/South Ashland buses adequately compensated for the loss of 41.
The past five years mark the only time since 1865 that there has not been public transportation on Clybourn Ave. The first route was a horse and carriage running between Fullerton Ave. and downtown. In 1891 the cable car took over the route, replaced with the streetcar in 1906. The bus route was put in place in 1947. In 1957, the route snaked further north, forming the Elston-Clybourn route, which was discontinued in 1997. |
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