The Six Corners Business Association is working to make the shopping district more bike friendly, saying it would attract new shoppers and diners to the area — and help boost the area's burgeoning arts and entertainment district. View Full Caption Facebook/Six Corners Business Association

PORTAGE PARK — Far Northwest Side residents will finally be able to hop on a sky-blue Divvy bike west of Pulaski Avenue.

Three new stations will be built near the Six Corners Shopping District this summer, said Owen Brugh, chief of staff to Ald. John Arena (45th).

Six Corners business owners have been petitioning city officials since December 2013 to bring the bike-sharing service to the area around Irving Park Road and Cicero and Milwaukee avenues and boost their efforts to bring new life to the once-thriving area by making it more bike-friendly.

"I think it will be popular at Six Corners," said Gale Fabisch, the president of the Six Corners Association.

Plans announced in 2014 to build Divvy stations in Portage Park were dropped amid a budget crunch, officials said.

"We had to be patient," Fabisch said. "But we're glad it is on track now."

The eastern-most station will be built outside the Grayland Metra station at 3805 N. Kilbourn St. Another will be built at Irving Park and Milwaukee and a third near the Portage Theater at Milwaukee and Cuyler avenues.

The precise location of the station near the theater has not yet been finalized, Brugh said.

Last summer, the first Divvy station in the 45th Ward opened on Irving Park Road near the CTA Blue Line Station.

While Six Corners waited for the Divvy bikes to arrive, the association raised $10,000 as part of an online fundraising campaign for three bike corrals that would provide parking spaces for 36 bikes in the shopping district.

In addition, the association crafted a plan with the Active Transportation Alliance to help pedestrians and cyclists get around safely.

In all, 75 new Divvy stations will be built this summer, according to a statement from the Chicago Department of Transportation. That includes 13 stations in Evanston and Oak Park.

Once the expansion is complete, Divvy will feature 571 stations and more than 5,000 bikes. In 2015, riders took more than 3.2 million trips, city officials said.

Starting Feb. 1, the cost of new annual Divvy ridership plans will jump from $75 to $99. In July, the cost for a daily pass rose from $7 to $9.95, officials said.

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