We have good news to share. IDOT has hired a new Bicycle and Pedestrian Policy Engineer, Jon McCormick. With 20 years of experience on IDOT roadway projects, Jon brings expertise in engineering, Complete Streets policy, and public involvement to this new role. He will also be speaking at this year’s Illinois Bike Summit. We recently interviewed Jon to learn more about his background and hopes for the position—and how we and other advocates can support his work.
Why did you seek this new position?
It blends and builds on what I have done in my career to this point, which includes urban roadway project development and geometric design. I enjoy working with people and this job involves a lot of coordination with roadway users, designers, engineers, and groups like Ride Illinois. I also have worked on many safety-related projects, and safety is IDOT’s top priority. Pedestrians and cyclists need to be seen, respected and protected.
What kind of biking do you do?
Now that I live in Springfield, I enjoy the rails-to-trails. When I commuted in the Chicago area I often biked. It was twice as fast as taking the bus.
What are your responsibilities and goals? Where does the state bicycle plan fit in?
My primary responsibilities are for the development, implementation and interpretation of engineering policies which govern the design of bicycle and pedestrian facilities on the State highway system. My goals are to ensure those policies are clear and consistent with federal guidelines, yet provide enough flexibility to allow for innovation and provide very good context-sensitive solutions. In the near term, my efforts will be focused on reviewing nationally recognized best practices and finding ways to include some of that newer guidance in Chapter 17 of our Bureau of Design & Environment Manual. This is one of the key action items of the State Bicycle Plan, reflecting the insights and expertise we received during its development.
Some of my other responsibilities include: assisting design engineers and planners in identifying options and opportunities to accommodate walking and cycling in their projects; providing training related to bicycle and pedestrian design; coordinating the Recreational Trails Program with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources; assisting with the Illinois Transportation Enhancements Program; and implementing technical elements of the State Bicycle Plan. The department will soon be posting an opening for a Bicycle and Pedestrian Planner. I will work closely with that person as they begin to address more of the needs identified in the State Bicycle Plan.
How can we make cycling accessible to people with a broad range of abilities, ages, and needs?
This goes back to prioritizing safety for the most vulnerable users of our roads. There are so many things to consider when developing a facility that keeps everyone safe and accommodated. Consistency in both design and use are important, and education has to be a component to address behaviors such as biking on the wrong side of the road or not being visible at night.
How has IDOT evolved in the last two decades in terms of its approach to bicycling?
We’ve transitioned in several ways. We are more data driven and focused on safety for all users of our roadways. We use a Context Sensitive Design process for major urban projects to ensure we properly incorporate public input. As part of that we have been able to move away from the more traditional “inside out” approach to urban road design, where travel lane widths and automobile throughput was considered first and then we worked with the space left over to address the needs of people walking and cycling. We are becoming more open to strategies such as narrowed vehicular lanes or road diets to better accommodate all users of our roadways.
How do you hope Ride IL and our members support your work?
I value the positive working relationship with have with Ride Illinois. I recognize that it can feel like IDOT moves slowly. We are a large organization with many individual bureaus that have different priorities. But we all share your goal of making biking better in Illinois. I encourage you to keep advocating at the highest levels and being empathetic to some of the challenges we face. This is a daunting job and I am glad to have Ride Illinois as a resource with extensive knowledge of the bicycling community.
* ITEP is currently the biggest source of funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects. See our previous post about it here: Big Buck for Biking and Due Diligence for ITEP
Jon McCormick pictured above on right with Ed Barsotti, Ride Illinois’ Chief Programs Officer