On September 19, during our 2016 Illinois Bike Summit, Ride Illinois awarded two cities and one individual for their significant achievements in bicycle advocacy.
The City of Aurora was presented with the Ride Illinois Project Award for an outstanding bikeway infrastructure project — the installation of curb-protected bike lanes on River Street this past spring. The new protected bikeway connects the remaining half-mile-long trail gap on the Fox River Trail. The Fox River Trail now spans more than 60 miles from Oswego all the way north near Wisconsin. The curb-protected bike lanes provide a level of comfort consistent with the rest of the trail. The innovative facility features green pavement, bicycle-only traffic signals, concrete curbing and brick stamping, and more. Aurora’s engineers Eric Gallt and Roopa Anjanappa were present to accept the award.
“Protected bike lanes are for more than just Chicago and directly-adjacent suburbs,” said Ed Barsotti, Chief Programs Officer of Ride Illinois. “We’re thrilled to see the bold leap forward in Aurora’s bikeway infrastructure and to recognize this transformative project. It’s also smart policy, as Illinois’ second-largest city, like many others, seeks to attract businesses and a young workforce.”
The City of Danville was presented with the Ride Illinois Partnership Award for their exceptional participation in the Illinois Mayor’s Bicycle Safety Challenge. Ride Illinois invited towns throughout the state to join the Mayor’s Bicycle Safety Challenge this past spring. We asked mayors to proclaim a bike safety week and encourage their residents – cyclists, motorists, and children – to learn more about sharing the road by using Ride Illinois’ online education tool, BikeSafetyQuiz.com. Danville stood out in terms of their organized community outreach and social media efforts. Mayor Eisenhauer led by example, took the quiz, and proudly promoted his participation. He inspired residents to learn more about safe riding and driving techniques, and motivated city employees and Danville residents to take the quiz. During Danville’s Bike Safety Week, city staff and residents posted their selfies with the quiz certificate of completion on social media. They also hosted a ride with the mayor and promoted safe cycling, provided helmet fittings, and showcased their ongoing commitment to bike safety by highlighting their shared use paths, on-street bike lanes, and bike sharrows. Mayor Eisenhauer and Danville’s municipal planners Ross Hilleary and Chris Milliken accepted the award.
George Bellovics, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources’ Landscape Architect and Grand Illinois Trail Coordinator, was presented with the Ride Illinois Professional Award for his instrumental role in developing many of the state’s most popular bike trails. George has been instrumental in developing many of the state’s most popular and strategic bike trails. From the Great River Trail in northwestern Illinois, to Rockford’s Perryville Path, to the south suburbs’ Old Plank Road Trail, George has provided guidance, secured funding, and proven a steady hand in dealing with political challenges. One project exemplifies George’s success – a segment of the 65-mile Great River Trail was proposed through the Upper Mississippi National Wildlife Refuge. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was leery of a bike trail on Refuge property, especially through a sensitive ecological area. George helped design a solution to and complete a paved bike trail on the Refuge, a first for the Service nationwide.
Over 250 bicycle advocates, planners, civil engineers, public health researchers, and elected officials joined us on September 19 in Bloomington-Normal for the Illinois Bike Summit and witnessed the award presentation. Featuring over 35 speakers and 15 different sessions, the goal of the Summit was to educate planners, engineers, advocates, and decision-makers throughout the state on the how’s and why’s of making their communities more bicycle-friendly. Topics ranged from bike planning basics, bicycle law, and using data to improve bicycling, to the economic and public health benefits of bicycling, trail development, and encouraging children and families to cycle.
View all the photos from the 2016 Illinois Bike Summit on our Facebook page.
