Share your thoughts about statewide bike plan on Tuesday, July 9

Do you wish there were more safe streets for cycling in Illinois? We certainly do. The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is looking for feedback on its first statewide Bike Transportation Plan, and an upcoming public meeting on Tue., July 9, is a great place for you to share what’s needed to make biking safer and easier for you. 

Please consider telling IDOT that while protected bike lanes may not work on every state route, they need to be included in IDOT’s toolbox of solutions for making streets safer, rather than being prohibited outright.

Despite the success of local protected bike lanes and national studies showing that protected bike lanes boost safety, IDOT continues to ban construction of protected bike lanes on roads it controls until more data is gathered. This negatively impacts the ability of Chicago and the suburbs to provide safe streets for cycling.

The Illinois Bike Transportation Plan aims to guide future policy decisions and infrastructure improvements to make cycling a safer, more convenient and more accessible transportation option for Illinoisans.

Topics covered in the plan will include bicycling-related planning and policy, funding, bicycling safety, design and maintenance. It will also include information about a regional biking network, implementation and prioritization guidelines for bike paths and lanes, state bicycling performance measures, education, outreach and enforcement.

Chicago Public Meeting
Tuesday, July 9
6:30-8 p.m.
Thompson Center, Concourse Level Assembly Hall
100 W. Randolph Street

Live outside the Chicago region? Public meetings will be held in other areas of the state as well.

Can’t attend the meeting? Illinois residents will be able to provide feedback through an online survey launching soon at illinoisbicycleplan.com. Or join IDOT for an online, interactive webinar on July 30, 6:30-8:00 p.m. RSVP for the webinar.