Chicago's bikeability ranks near the bottom of the barrel, per a new report from cycling advocacy group PeopleForBikes (PFB).

Driving the news: Chicago scored seven out of 100 points in the analysis, which rates 1,484 U.S. cities on factors like protected bike lanes, safe crossings, speed limits and connections throughout the city.

• That put us 67th among the 69 large cities rated. Big cities that topped the list include Minneapolis, San Francisco, Seattle and Philadelphia.

Why it matters: Great bike infrastructure can boost participation and, in turn, improve local health, traffic and air quality.

Yes, but: In a city with more than 425 miles of bikeways, some local bike activists find our continued horrible ratings from PFB misleading.

• StreetsBlog Chicago editor John Greenfield pointed out last year that PFB's formula "rates any street without bikeways and a 30 mph speed limit as 'unsafe' for cycling."
• Because Chicago's default speed limit is 30 mph, PFB classifies tons of quiet, bikeable side streets without buffered bike lanes as "high stress" — akin to super-busy roads.

What they're saying: "Chicago scores so poorly in this analysis because we allow cars to drive too fast on our roadways," Jim Merrell, managing director of advocacy at the Active Transportation Alliance, tells Axios.

• Merrell notes that Mayor Brandon Johnson's recent transition report calls for lowering the default speed limit to 20 mph.

What we're watching: Equiticity CEO Olatunji Oboi Reed told Axios he hopes the report spurs officials to "do more and invest more to make our city more bikeable, especially in Black and Brown communities."

Late last week, members of the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability (CCPSA) submitted their top three candidates for the new Chicago Police Department superintendent to Mayor Johnson.

Why it matters: Chicago's next top cop will face one of the toughest jobs in the nation, battling persistent crime while addressing union disputes, police reform and consent decree deadlines.

The candidates include CPD veterans and one relative outsider.

• Larry Snelling has been part of the CPD for over 30 years and is chief of the department's bureau of counterterrorism. Before that, he was deputy chief of Area 2, which covers most of the Far South Side. He also used to be a commander in the Englewood District, where he grew up.
• Angel Novalez is chief of the department's office of constitutional policing and reform. He took over this post during the 2020 unrest after the police killing of George Floyd. Before that, Novalez was involved in improving community policing.
• Shon Barnes is technically the outsider as he runs the Madison, Wisconsin, police department and has held similar jobs in North Carolina. But he worked in Chicago for the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA), investigating police misconduct.

What's next: Johnson has 30 days to choose from among the candidates or reject them all and ask the CCPSA to start again.

Full story.

🔔 Rev. Jesse Jackson's successor at the Rainbow/Push Coalition is Rev. Frederick Douglass Haynes III from West Baptist Church in Dallas. (Tribune)

👨‍⚖️ Federal judge James Zagel, who oversaw the corruption trial of former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, has died at 82. (Sun-Times)

💨 The Canada wildfires are still raging out of control, so get used to more smoke-filled days like yesterday. (Bloomberg)

👋 Hey, it's Monica.

Chicagoans have been grilling up Korean barbecue at their tables for decades, but Japanese yakiniku barbecue — concentrating on small, fine cuts of meat and veggies — not so much.

Driving the news: That may change with the new all-you-can-eat barbecue menu at Wagyu House by the X-Pot that debuted this spring.

How it works: Diners pay $68 to $88 for an array of meat, seafood and vegetables to grill at their tables.

• I tried a press sample — with no obligation to write about it.

The bite: The Wagyu Feast of super fatty beef from Japan, the U.S. and Australia starts the $88 platinum versions of the meal. It comes to the table with smoke pouring out of a bronze bull's nose.

• Why the smoke? "For social media," the server told me.

The verdict: Some of the beef was divine and melted in my mouth, but other pieces were unpleasantly chewy.

👋🏻 Happy Monday, Barbies! It's Carrie.

The much-hyped "Barbie" movie opens this week, and if you haven't snagged a ticket, Malibu Barbie Cafe in the West Loop is one way to immerse yourself in the pink-hued, fantasyland of one of the world's most iconic brands.

Details: The cafe is run by Bucketlisters, the group that creates immersive pop-ups based on shows like "Saved By the Bell" and "The Golden Girls."

The space: When you step inside you become Beach Barbie, greeted by a bar decked out with flowers, a surfboard on the wall, and servers and bartenders in matching pink polos.

The food: The Golden CALI-flower Bowl was quite fresh, with curried cauliflower florets, avocado, pickled onions and a tangy yogurt sauce.

• The Dreamsicle Float was even a little too sweet for me, but the presentation was fun.

Highlights: A very Malibu-feeling outdoor patio with a small roller-skating rink that costs $1, and a lifeguard chair for Ken.

If you go: Malibu Barbie Cafe runs through Oct. 15 at 324 S. Racine Ave.

• Tickets start at $17 for kids and $34 for adults, and it's sold out until August.

Full story.