We are happy to announce that Ride Illinois continues to make progress in our campaign to get 3 feet passing state law signs placed on popular cyclist routes. Signs have now been installed in Wayne Township, Bartlett, Lake County and now in Edgar County and Campton Hills! 3 feet passing signs are also expected to be installed in Highland Park and areas of Kane County soon.
Last year, we wrote about how Ride Illinois has been working with the Illinois Department of Transportation and other agencies to adopt better signs that educate all road users about the 3 feet passing law and provide clarity on how to “share the road.” The law, written and lobbied for by Ride Illinois, addresses a major safety concern for cyclists: drivers “squeezing by” as oncoming traffic approaches.
Edgar County details: A total of six “State Law – 3 Feet Min To Pass Bicycles” signs were recently installed by Edgar County Highway Department on Terre Haute Road, a popular rural route for bicycling between Paris IL and Terre Haute IN. Edgar County Engineer, Aaron Lawson, contacted us last year to suggest the signs after seeing a Ride Illinois eNews (you can subscribe to our newsletter here!) item about them. Ride Illinois funded the newly installed signs with funds from our Share the Road license plates.
Campton Hills details: A “State Law – 3 Feet Min To Pass Bicycles” sign was installed on Campton Hills Road, westbound from St. Charles. Another will be installed eastbound on Beith Road near IL47 soon.
Kane County Department of Transportation plans to install signs on westbound Beith Rd. west of 47, and on westbound Silver Glen Rd and Hughes Rd. just after those roads’ sidepath bike trails end. Highland Park has approved the installation of dozens of signs this year.
We are advocating for signs in several other communities throughout the state, often with input from local bicycle clubs. We invite cyclists to help us identify problem roads and locations where better signs are needed, and contact us through our online Make Biking Better form.
Please consider making a donation and help us expand our efforts to get 3-foot min passing signs installed on all popular cyclist routes.
Photo Credit: Joe Van Denburg of J’s Bikes Racing