Lifelong South Side resident Sean Haran, an attendee at the joint Chicago and RTA Moving Archer Forward event at the McKinley Park Fieldhouse, was less focused on popular protected bike lane plans and more concerned about the #62 bus.
“The bus is closer to Archer Avenue and takes people where they want to go,” Haran said. “When you use the Orange Line you connect to a bus. Before the bike lanes and construction and stuff, the #62 [Archer bus] was always slow, so I feel like they should prioritize that. More people use it.”
Many attendees were excited about proposed protected bike lanes, new residential and business development and roadway safety improvements while other residents were not, prompting disagreement on proposed plans by not only residents, but some elected officials.
Aldermen Jeylu Gutierrez (14th) and Silvana Tabares (23rd), whose wards include stretches of Archer, had different takes on the Moving Archer Forward plan.
Gutierrez expressed interest in certain parts of the plans.
“We have a long part of Archer,” Gutierrez said. “There are a couple of vacant storefronts and it all depends on who rents or buys the properties. Having community input is invaluable about what kind of businesses they [residents, businesses and neighborhood organizations] are thinking we need.”
One plan in particular was not favored by 14th Ward residents, she said.
“Some community members voice opposition to the bike lanes,” she said. “I’ve heard loud and clear that some residents, businesses and organizations are not approving that type of design.”
“I asked my constituents about other thoughts on what pedestrian and traffic safety improvements could be considered in the ward, but I have not approved any of those types of projects,” she said.
Tabares, whose Moving Archer Forward study portion ends at Cicero Avenue, said residents are clear they do not want North Side-style bike lanes.
“What most people don’t understand is Chicago’s Southwest Side is a major transportation hub,” she said. ”You have Midway Airport and the Stevenson Expressway. Archer runs parallel to the Stevenson and is an alternate route residents use to commute daily to and from work from Damen to Harlem.”
Putting bike lanes on Archer is equivalent to putting them on the Stevenson Expressway, she said.
“This is a multi-million dollar program that ignores community desires,” she said. “This project was not the result of genuine community input. It shows this mayor is really out of touch. I don’t ever see people biking down Archer. When you narrow the street from four lanes to two during rush hour it is very reckless and a waste of money.”
Residents believe taxpayer dollars should be spent on real infrastructure needs like street resurfacing, potholes and street lighting instead of the protected bicycle lanes being imposed on them, she said.
Advance letters of opposition received from the Garfield Ridge Neighborhood Watch, the Midway Chamber of Commerce and the Archer Heights Community Association cited existing issues being worsened by adding protected bicycle lanes.
Issues were already-tight parking on Archer further reduced by bike lanes impacting businesses that have no parking lots, emergency responder vehicles stuck in traffic congestion on Archer due to I-55 backup also exacerbated by bicycle lanes, narrowing vehicle lanes, traffic spilling into neighborhood side streets speeding to destinations.
Another concern is dirt bikes and motorcycles using the proposed bike lanes to get around traffic.
A Feb. 28 statement received from the Midway Chamber of Commerce, present at the Moving Archer Forward event, said while it is encouraging to see many political and civic organizations working together to talk about the future of the “unique and diverse” Archer Avenue corridor, it will be cautiously optimistic about some presented plans.
“We will be watching closely to try and ensure that the wants and needs of the business community are listened to and considered as a part of the project. Many of our members depend on a vibrant and functional Archer Ave for their business’s livelihood and we will do whatever we can to support them and have their wishes considered,” the statement concluded.
Ald. Raymond Lopez (15th) said the Cicero to Harlem portion is not yet seen on the city’s 2025-2029 Capital Improvement Plan but is part of the grand plan, he said.
A March 4 statement received by the Southwest News Herald from CDOT Director of Public Affairs, Erica Schroeder said, “At this time, there are no plans to extend the protected bike lanes or expand the current work underway on Archer Avenue between 47th Street and Western Avenue further southwest.”
Traffic safety data evaluations to identify infrastructure and improvements to enhance driver safety on Archer., including working with local alderpersons, community stakeholders and the DPD are continuing, she said.
More information, including meeting materials, traffic safety data and construction data related to CDOT’s current Archer progress, is available on Chicago.gov/Archer2025.
Southwest Collective’s Dixon Galvez-Searle said he was excited about the project’s scope that will benefit the Southwest Side from Halsted to Cicero.
“You’re talking about everything from housing to zoning to land use,” he said.
Other proposed improvements include vacant lot renovation, potential area investment, small business support and better use of the CTA Orange Line, Galvez-Searle said.
“It’s really about, at this point, hearing from people living in the area and using Archer every day. What do they want to see?” he said. “That’s exciting because we’re not, a lot of times, encouraged to see the big picture and imagine how things could be different.”
The long-term vision asks residents to think about what they’d like the Archer corridor to look like, 10, 15, even 20 years into the future, Galvez-Searle said.
Focusing specifically on bike lanes, Ald. Marty Quinn (13th) opposes bike lanes on Archer.
“There is zero interest in bike lanes,” he said. “I think it’s important for myself and Alderman Tabares, in collaboration with the Garfield Ridge Neighborhood Watch and the Midway Chamber of Commerce to carve out our opposition today.”
No communication or proposed meeting dates from the Mayor’s office, the DPD or CDOT have been received by the aldermen, he said.
“This is a non-starter and if they choose to start, they should be prepared for a battle ” Quinn said.
“You could argue they’re trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist,” he said.
Another obstacle the 23rd and 13th wards have is competition with bordering suburbs for business.
“It’s very difficult to do,” he said. “When Mayor Dave Brady (Bedford Park), a fantastic partner, opens a Wendy’s at 65th & Central, that’s a Wendy’s that’s not in the City of Chicago. They’re not paying city taxes.”
Advocating for new businesses community members want in the face of suburban competition makes bump-outs and bike lanes nonsensical, he said.
Archer, which is located off of I-55, is a critical back door to Midway Airport, Quinn added.
“We want that traffic from the western suburbs to head down Archer,” he said. “That’s one of the sales pitches I made when talking to prospective businesses. The new Buffalo Wild Wings is going to do fantastic the minute they open their doors.”
Southwest siders don’t like change and are proud of their industrial, manufacturing and labor-related professional history, Quinn said.
“We certainly don’t like other people from other parts of the city telling us what’s best,” he said. “We know what’s best for us.”
I had the misfortune of taking Archer Avenue recently when the Stevenson was backed up. It’s a nice drive through neighborhoods. Then I got to the newly installed bike lanes, which totally made a mess of the heavy traffic. Suddenly we were forced into one lane headed west. It went on through Brighton Park. All I could think of was how the residents must hate it. There were many traffic jams. The wide bike lane seemed out of place and too wide. Finally, getting past the construction I now worried these bike lanes were going to keep heading west. I use the stores on Archer and like to walk my neighborhood. Bike lanes would make walking more confusing and dangerous for people. I went home and called Alderman Quinn to keep bike lanes from coming any farther west.
You cut through a neighborhood to avoid traffic on the highway. That’s part of the problem. You made the traffic in that neighborhood worse. You didn’t shop, you didn’t eat. You just drove through the neighborhood. That’s part of the problem.
I think it’s ridiculous that people have this much time and energy to oppose bike lanes, that will inevitably make the streets safer AND bring about a more lively vibrant neighborhood feel. As a Southsider I want nice things for my neighborhood.
As someone who’s more aware of their surroundings created by the capitalist class, I believe we shouldn’t cater to the car industry and I don’t want more fast food restaurants. I want community, walking distance, co—op fresh grocery stores that provide real fresh food without being contaminated, free healthcare, reasonable maternity leave, and free childcare.
If we could organize and put this much time and energy into opposing beneficial bike lanes then I think we should focus on the root causes that impact Americans daily.
I mean we had the money to fund an unnecessary war but not help make Americans lives here at home better??????
Chris do
You live in Garfield ridge info go 65 years . The bike lanes are a stupid idea . The traffic eould be a mess . How many bike riders do yo see riding bikes hardly none . It’s a stupid dumb idea
Very few people ride or walk on Archer because it dangerous as hell. That’s like saying, “I don’t see people swimming across the river between these two towns, so I guess we don’t need a bridge.” People would ride if it was safer. It’s not even safe to walk on Archer, let alone pleasant.
You’re a liberal moron. Move to the north side. The amount of energy focused on adding bike lanes is the problem, not the opposite. There are many other things to fix first.
First off I’m not the enemy. Redirect that energy. I named things we should be focused on. Ppl being divided over this distracts from the real issues and root causes of public safety. Ppl like you are the problem. I sense a lack of logic and self projection. Look at you adding no real value to the conversation.
Please don’t make Archer Ave a street to avoid. Currently it moves somewhat smoothly but is prone to bottlenecks. If people want to ride their bikes let them ride on the sidewalk.
Archer Ave. is the main way to get from the McKinley Park area to the Archer Hts. area. It was always congested at rush hour before the bike lanes and concert piers. Now it is a nightmare. While sitting in traffic on Archer Ave. I count the number of cars and the number of bikes that I see and do not understand who thought this was a good idea.
The Stevenson was built so that people wouldn’t be cutting through the neighborhoods on Archer, not the other way around. People would have us believe that the only reason Archer exists is as an alternative to the Stevenson when traffic is bad. I live one block off of Archer. I hate that it is so unpleasant to walk on. I actively avoid shopping on a street in my neighborhood because there are so many people cutting through and making it loud, dirty, and dangerous.
Driver’s can find another way. At a certain point, we have to say enough. There are thousands miles of roads in the city that are for drivers only. The people who want to walk or bike only have scraps. Make it safer to walk and bike on this corridor and I think people will realize just how foolish it is to oppose making your neighborhood nicer.