Note the bicycle symbol, the arrow above, and the solid white line to the left and right of the lane. (Also note that this cyclist is not wearing his helmet. Always wear a helmet!)

Bike Lane

A bike lane is a bikeway that includes a portion of the roadway which has been designated by striping, signing and pavement markings for the preferential or exclusive use of bicyclists.

Note the bicycle symbol with chevron symbol above, and the solid white line to the right of the lane, but not the left. Also note that this cyclist is riding in the door zone - never ride in the door zone!

Marked Shared Lane

A marked shared lane is a bikeway composed of a lane on a shared roadway which has been designated by pavement markings and signing as a preferred route for bicycle use. In Chicago, marked shared lanes are indicated by bike & chevron pavement markings and yellow, diamond warning signs which read, 'SHARED LANE YIELD TO BIKES.'

In the top sign, Burnham Path is the destination, the arrow is pointing in the direction of the destination (left), and the distance is 3/4 mile. These signs also alert motorists to the possibility of cyclists in the roadway.

Signed Shared Roadway

Chicago began has installation of 170 miles of bike route signage, identifying good streets for bicyclists to ride. This new signage provides direction, destination, and distance information to the user, and can be installed on streets with or without bike lanes.

• Destination to regional landmarks along the signed route.
• Direction at an intersection decision point, arrow tells you which direction you need to go to get to the destination.
• Distance of how far the destination is from where you are.

Note the absence of any symbols or striping. This is not a bikeway, but like all roadways, bicyclists and motor vehicles share the lane.

Unmarked Shared Roadway

Most streets in Chicago that do not include specific bicycle facilities like bike lanes or marked shared lanes are considered "unmarked shared roadways." Such roadways are open to both bicycle and motor vehicle travel, but do not include special pavement markings for bicycles.

The path is divided into two lanes; users ride to the right, as on roadways. Note that such paths are intended to be multi-use, which means pedestrians, inline skaters, and runners/joggers can also be expected to use these paths.

Offstreet Paths

Offstreet paths, or multi-use trails, are paved paths separated from the road for bicyclists, walkers, runners, and in-line skaters (e.g. the Lakefront Trail).