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Did You Know?

Half of school children walked or biked to school in 1969, but only 13 percent were doing it in 2009.

Elgin legislators support funding trails and safe streets

On a recent beautiful Friday afternoon along the Fox River Trail in Elgin, State Senator Cristina Castro and State Representative Anna Moeller said they will advocate for funding projects in a capital bill that will make the city safer and more friendly to people walking and biking.

This is good news for Active Trans and partners across the state who are calling for state legislators to dedicate $50 million annually to safe streets and trails projects in a capital bill.

The Elgin event brought together various supporters in the area, including Elgin Bike Hub, Downtown Neighborhood Association of Elgin, members of Elgin City Council and longtime bicycling advocate Tom Armstrong.

See coverage of the event in the Daily Herald.

The ability of Elgin and other communities across the state to attract new businesses and employees is increasingly dependent on providing quality transportation options. Sen. Castro said she hears from small businesses that potential employees look for access to public transit and accessible bike trails when deciding where to work.

Rep. Moeller said she supports investing in bike paths and sidewalks because they improve safety for all users at relatively low costs.

Today, safe streets and trails projects are nearly all federally or locally funded, and demand far exceeds the funding supply. Illinois’ next major capital bill provides opportunity to help Illinois communities build pedestrian refuge islands, bike lanes and off-street trails that are relatively inexpensive and make transportation safer for everyone, including people in cars.

Take action today to tell your state legislators that you support funding safe streets and trails in a capital bill.