Bike Parking

Move over, New York and Portland, Ore. Chicago wants to pass you by on bike. The wheels of change are in motion for city cyclists thanks to new initiatives from Mayor Emanuel. In the works are 100 miles of protected bike lanes, increased bike parking and a widespread bike-share program that could put Chicago on the map as one of the nation's most bike-friendly cities. Enter Gabe Klein, the city's Department of Transportation commissioner, who took office this year. "The mayor is definitely trying to catch up to other cities with the goal of leapfrogging D.C., Portland and New York," Klein said.

The Wicker Park neighborhood has public basketball courts, a baseball diamond and has recently increased bike parking. But thus far, fans of bocce, a European lawn game, haven't had designated public courts on which to play. That could change this summer. Justin Arnett-Graham, who works at L2O , and Alex Gara, beverage director at Hot Chocolate , are behind a grassroots push to add two bocce courts at 1944 W. Crystal St. in an empty lot adjacent to an alley. "We've always believed that hospitality should not be contained within the walls of your establishment,"...

The Wicker Park neighborhood has public basketball courts, a baseball diamond and has recently increased bike parking. But thus far, fans of bocce, a European lawn game, haven't had designated public courts on which to play. That could change this summer. Justin Arnett-Graham, who works at L2O , and Alex Gara, beverage director at Hot Chocolate , are behind a grassroots push to add two bocce courts at 1944 W. Crystal St. in an empty lot adjacent to an alley. "We've always believed that hospitality should not be contained within the walls of your establishment,"...

Move over, New York and Portland, Ore. Chicago wants to pass you by on bike. The wheels of change are in motion for city cyclists thanks to new initiatives from Mayor Emanuel. In the works are 100 miles of protected bike lanes, increased bike parking and a widespread bike-share program that could put Chicago on the map as one of the nation's most bike-friendly cities. Enter Gabe Klein, the city's Department of Transportation commissioner, who took office this year. "The mayor is definitely trying to catch up to other cities with the goal of leapfrogging D.C., Portland and New York," Klein said.

Fest season will be especially hard to ignore this weekend in Lakeview. Chicago's 10th annual Pride Fest, a celebration for the LGBT community and its supporters, is set to hit this Friday and Saturday, leading up to Sunday's Pride Parade down Broadway at noon. If you've never been, it's one super-crowded, super-fun weekend-long party not to miss. Just be sure to hydrate. Pride Fest When: 4-10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday Where: Halsted Street and Waveland Avenue in Lakeview Cost: $7 suggested donation Partying for a cause: ...

Amid all the fanfare and preparations for the NATO summit, the Chicago Department of Transportation quietly opened the Morgan stop in the West Loop on Friday. Green and Pink Line riders can now use the station, under construction since the summer of 2010. There were more workers putting finishing touches on the platform than riders waiting for trains Friday morning when Going Public visited the station, off Morgan and Lake Streets. The stop is the second station the CTA has opened in three weeks after years without new stations.

Wednesday may be doomsday for some CTA riders. The CTA board is expected to vote Wednesday morning on the agency's proposed "decrowding" initiative - which would add more trains and buses to some lines, at the expense of more than a dozen bus routes that are up for elimination because they have low ridership or duplicate service. At the hearing last week, which drew more than 100 CTA riders, the CTA revealed the details of how it plans to increase rail service. But perhaps the CTA doesn't need more buses and trains to reduce crowds - it just needs to...

A reader emailed Going Public last week with a unique complaint: There was too much CTA service. The reader said his 30-minute Wacker bus commute more than doubled as the CTA ran shuttle buses to replace Brown Line service to and from the Loop, which was suspended until Monday morning while the Chicago Department of Transportation overhauled the Wells Street Bridge. There were too many shuttle buses, which clogged traffic and delayed other bus service, the reader complained. Many of the shuttle buses he spotted carried only a few riders, he said.