Several Divvy bicycle-docking stations planned for NW Side
by CYRYL JAKUBOWSKI
Several Divvy bicycle-docking stations will be installed this summer on the Northwest Side as part of the company’s effort to broaden its city network.
Stations will be installed in the 45th Ward by mid August if not earlier, according to Alderman John Arena’s economic development director Anthony Alfano.
The stations are planned at the Chicago Transit Authority Irving Park Blue Line, 4131 W. Irving Park Road, Schurz High School, 3601 N. Milwaukee Ave., at an unspecified location in the Six Corners shopping district, on Irving Park Road between Six Corners and the Irving Blue Line, and at Pulaski Road and Addison Street, Alfano said.
"Divvy has ordered a new round of stations to expand their network, and we are getting some out here," Alfano said. Alfano said that the company has stations that are about half a mile apart and that it installs new stations each year to expand the network.
Each station will cost about $48,055 and likely will feature eight to 12 bike racks, Alfano said. Most stations have docks for 15 to 19 bikes, with open docks for returning bikes.
"When they expand at Six Corners, then they can go the extra half mile and expand into Jefferson Park next year," Alfano said.
Divvy has ordered 179 stations that will be installed in the city this year, Alfano said. He said that because the equipment supplier for Divvy filed for bankruptcy earlier this year, the rollout of new stations has been delayed.
Also on the Northwest Side, stations are planned at Northeastern Illinois University at Kedzie and Foster avenues, at North Park University at Balmoral and Saint Louis avenues, at Northside Prep High School at Kedzie and Bryn Mawr avenues, and at Keystone and Montrose avenues, according to Alderman Margaret Laurinos’s spokesman Manuel Galvan.
The cost to rent a Divvy bike is $7 for rides up to 30 minutes, with additional charges for longer periods. An annual membership costs $75.
The system is called Divvy to reflect the nature of bike-share programs, in which members divide and share the use of bikes. The "Chicago Blue" paint on the bicycles is the same color as the stripes on the city flag.
The stations are wireless, solar-powered and modular so that they can be easily installed. Initial funding for the program was from federal grants for projects that are designed to promote economic recovery, reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality, according to the city.
dditional funds come from various tax increment financing districts.
Plans called for the system to expand to at least 4,000 bikes at 400 stations this year, according to the city.
