Section

CCommuting

Bikes on the CTA and Metra, bike lanes, parking, theft, winter riding and the case for employers.

A touchless Ventra reader on a CTA turnstile

Bike Commuter Benefits: The Tax Break Is Gone, the Transit Benefit Is Not

The federal bicycle commuter tax exclusion ended after 2025. What it paid, what the IRS allows now, and the Illinois pre-tax transit rule for Chicago.

A parking-protected bike lane on 55th Street in Chicago at night

Bike Commuting in Chicago: A Beginner's Guide

How to start commuting by bike in Chicago: the network, where to ride, the lighting rule, a pre-ride check, and how to combine the bike with CTA.

Bikes locked to wave racks beneath a bike parking sign outside Damen station

Bike Locks for Chicago: What to Buy and How to Lock

Chicago needs more than one cheap cable. Which lock types hold up, the two-lock minimum for big cities, and where to lock a bike.

Bikes locked to wave racks beside a green bicycle parking sign near an L station

Bike Parking Downtown Chicago: Racks, Corrals and Locking

Where to park a bike downtown: city racks and corrals, CTA station parking, how to lock, and why the Millennium Park indoor bike station is gone.

A red bicycle leaning against an iron fence on a residential Chicago street

Bike Theft in Chicago: Numbers, Hotspots and How to Prevent It

Police counted 1,283 reported bike thefts in Chicago in 2023. Where bikes disappear, how thieves operate, and the locking rules that work.

A bike corral beside a painted curb extension on a Chicago street

Bike-Friendly Buildings in Chicago: What the Zoning Code Requires

What Chicago's zoning code requires for bike parking in offices, apartments and garages, how to ask for more, and where the city puts public racks.

A CTA bus with bikes loaded on its front rack

Bikes on CTA Buses: How to Use the Front Rack

Load a bike on a CTA bus in seven steps: lower the rack, seat the wheel, drop the arm. Plus what stays off the rack and how to recover a forgotten bike.

A CTA Blue Line train stopped at Addison station

Bikes on CTA Trains: Hours, Limits and Etiquette

When you can bring a bike on the CTA L, the two-bike car limit, the rush-hour blackout, which gates to use, and what stays off the train.

Interior of a Metra bike car with wall-mounted racks and bikes aboard

Bikes on Metra: Rules, Bike Cars and What to Expect

Metra allows bikes on every train at no charge. Where they go, how to secure them, the 80-inch limit, the age rule and the new e-bike carry rule.

Two South Shore Line trains at Millennium Station

Bikes on Pace Buses and the South Shore Line: Rules and Limits

Pace buses carry bikes free on a front rack that holds two. The South Shore Line runs bike cars year-round at designated stations. Limits for both.

A parking-protected bike lane on 55th Street in Chicago

Chicago Bike Lanes: Network Map, Lane Types and How to Ride Them

Chicago has 501 miles of bikeways, 69 of them protected. What each lane type means, where the network is growing, and how to ride it.

A tree-lined stretch of the Lakefront Trail in Lincoln Park

Chicago Bike to Work Week: Bike Month, the Challenge and Key Dates

Bike to Work Week is in May, inside Chicago Bike Month. How the free Bike Commuter Challenge scores points, the 2026 dates and winners, and how to join.

A Divvy e-bike parking station beside a park path in Chicago

E-Bike Commuting in Chicago: Rules, Classes and Where to Ride

Illinois classes e-bikes by speed, bars them from sidewalks, and changes the rules on January 1, 2027. Where you may ride and how to take one on transit.

Rows of lockers inside the Millennium Park bike station

Showers for Bike Commuters in Downtown Chicago: What Is Left

The Millennium Park bike station, with its showers and lockers, closed in September 2022. What it offered, what to use now, and how to arrive fresh.

A CTA warning sign telling riders to lock bikes only to the bike rack

Stolen Bike in Chicago: What to Do in the First 24 Hours

File with CPD at a district station or through 311, register the theft, search listings and tell bike shops. The steps and the odds.

Two orange bike racks on a Chicago sidewalk in front of a brick wall

Why Employers Should Promote Bike Commuting

The case for employers to back bike commuting: sick-day data, long-term health, morale, and the tax change ending tax-free bike reimbursements.

A stuck salt truck on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago during the February 2011 snowstorm

Winter Cycling in Chicago: What to Wear, Ride and Expect

How to bike through a Chicago winter: the three-layer system, fenders and lights, who plows the protected bike lanes, and the 2027 Winter Bike Swap.

Photo credits (17)

Eric Fischer / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 · source
Eric Fischer / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 · source
Eric Fischer / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 · source
Eric Fischer / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 · source
Eric Fischer / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 · source
Eric Fischer / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 · source
Eric Fischer / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 · source
AlphaBeta135 / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0 · source
AlphaBeta135 / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0 · source
Jacob G. / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Eric Fischer / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 · source
Ken Lund / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
Raed Mansour / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 · source
Brian Kusler / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 · source
Eric Fischer / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 · source
Eric Fischer / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 · source
Victorgrigas / Wikimedia Commons · CC0 · source