page_title: Cycling in Chicago
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Cycling in Chicago / History
caption_attribution_description: This is an image of Keith Kingbay with Chicago's Mayor, Richard J. Daley, riding a Schwinn tandem bicycle at the opening of Chicago's first bike lane. This photo was taken on Clark St. adjacent to Washington Square Park in Chicago, IL.
context_page_description: Since the advent of the bicycle in the 1860s, Chicago has been distinguished as one of the premier cycling locations in the United States, with such public cycling destinations as Grant Park, Burnham Park and the Chicago Park District's Lakefront Trail.
context_section_description: Early bicycles arrived in Chicago in the 1860s. By 1900, there were 54 bicycle clubs with more than 10,000 members. Bicycle advocacy has been present in Chicago since the early days of the city. Carter H. Harrison II, a mayoral candidate, was an advocate for cyclists. One of his campaign posters presented him as "Not the Champion Cyclist; But the Cyclists' Champion." Harrison won the mayoral election and attributed his victory to strong support from cyclists, and rewarded his supporters with a bike path along Sheridan Road from Edgewater to Evanston. By the late 1890s, Chicago was the "bicycle-building capital of America". According to the 1898 Chicago Bicycle Directory, approximately two-thirds of the country's bicycles and accessories were manufactured within 150 miles (240 km) of the city.
  Mayor Richard J. Daley, like Harrison, was a supporter of bicycling. When he was inaugurated, the city had a limited number of bike paths. By the 1970s, Daley's administration had built a large network of lakefront bike paths, bicycle lanes on the road, a 34-mile (55 km) bicycle route and rush-hour bicycle lanes on Clark Street and Dearborn Street.
  In the 2000s, Chicago roads and trails saw an increase in the number of bicyclists. This can, in part, be attributed to mayor Richard M. Daley. Daley said, "My goal is to make the City of Chicago the most bicycle-friendly city in the U.S." Daley created a Mayor's Bicycle Advisory Council (MBAC) in order to encourage bicycling in the city.
  The Council created the Chicago Department of Transportation Bike Program, a multimillion-dollar program funded primarily by Federal CMAQ funds, in order to achieve this end. The program, whose efforts are guided by the Bike 2015 Plan, approved in June 2006, has created over 100 miles (160 km) of new bike lanes, installed 10,000 bicycle racks, and installed 165 miles (266 km) of signed bike routes in 2006. The city has also sponsored events to promote biking, such as Bike The Drive, Bike to Work Rally, the L.A.T.E. Ride, the Commuter Challenge, and many other events. In November 2001, Bicycling magazine honored Chicago as the "Best Cycling City in the United States" of cities with more than one million residents.
caption: Former Mayor Richard J. Daley riding a Schwinn tandem with cycling advocate Keith Kingbay at the opening celebration of Clark Street bike lane.
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