Ride IllinoisRide Illinois
09/15/2020

2020 Illinois Bike Summit

The 2020 virtual Illinois Bike Summit is in the books! Over 270 people attended or presented at the collaborative, informative online event on Tuesday, September 15th.

Local advocates are the driving force behind positive change in their communities. To learn from the experience of some local advocates, view the recordings and presentations from the Local Bike Advocacy session at the 2020 Illinois Bike Summit by CLICKING HERE.

The Summit opened with a warm welcome from Brad Schneider (Congressman, 10th District). Our keynote speakers – Bill Nesper (League of American Bicyclists), Theresa Mah (Representative, Illinois 2nd District), and Maulik Vaishnav (Transportation Policy Advisor) set the tone during the Opening Plenary session.

Coffee Talks, Breakout Sessions, and Q&A Sessions were ongoing throughout the day. The technical issue that occurred during the Lunch Plenary session was resolved in a timely manner.

We’re grateful to everyone who made the 2020 virtual Illinois Bike Summit a success! Our hope is that everyone who attended has some additional knowledge that can be used in their career and/or in their community to make biking better in Illinois!


Join us on Tuesday, Sept. 15th for a day of online learning and networking with bicycle advocates, planners, engineers, transportation agency staff, and others from around the state. With a range of session topics – from bikeway design and tips to advocacy and community engagement – the summit offers strategies to make your community more bike-friendly. (See below for details on an extra training day for professionals, on Sept. 14.)

The themes for 2020 Illinois Bike Summit are: Infrastructure, Education, and Inclusion. These important themes will be woven into many of the presentations and breakout sessions.

Bill Nesper, executive director of the League of American Bicyclists will be the keynote speaker! Bill started at LAB as a membership assistant, and has directed the Smart Cycling and Bicycle Friendly America Programs, before being appointed executive director.

The Summit features keynote speakers, breakout sessions organized in three tracks, coffee talks and advocacy awards. Continuing education credits will also be available for professional planners and engineers. Explore session topics, speakers, and event details by clicking on the plus signs below or our take a look at our Summit schedule-at-a-glance here – includes session descriptions and continuing education credit info for engineers (PDH) and planners (CM).

Registration Rates

Registration is Open!

Non-member: $60
Ride Illinois Member: $20
Student: $10

Join Ride Illinois to be eligible for the member discount. An annual membership starts at just $35. If you’re unsure of your membership status, email us at [email protected].

Register for Sept. 15 Illinois Bike Summit.

Register for the Sept. 14 professional training.

Ride Illinois realizes that many people in Illinois are under serious financial pressure due to the pandemic and/or loss of income. Contact us at [email protected] to request a reduced or complimentary registration to the Illinois Bike Summit.

Location & Time

Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020
8:30 am – 9:15 am: Coffee Talks
9:30 am – 3:30 pm: Summit Program
3:35 pm – 4:30 pm: Q&A Sessions

Online
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Program & Session Topics

See the schedule-at-a-glance  – includes session descriptions and continuing education credit info for engineers (PDH) and planners (CM)

Opening Plenary – Keynote by League of American Bicyclists executive director Bill Nesper, Chicago Mayor’s Office Transportation Policy Advisor Maulik Vaishnav and State Rep. Theresa Mah

Lunch Plenary —  Keynote by League of American Bicyclists executive director Bill Nesper

Breakout Session Options

10:25-11:25:

  • Infrastructure – Bikeway Types and Bike Planning
  • Bike sharing models
  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

11:35-12:25:

  • Trails – IDOT’s policy on crossings, and practical design/project tips
  • Bicycle Education Resources
  • Bicycles and the Law

1:30-2:30:

  • Infrastructure case studies
  • Sharing the public way with e-bikes and scooters
  • Local Bike Advocacy

2:40-3:30:

  • Bikeway & trail grants
  • Apps and e-maps
  • Cycling During a Pandemic

There will be a separate professional training day on Monday, September 14th. Our morning session will present an overview of bicycle design suited for urban and suburban environments and our afternoon session will be on IDOT’s revamped design policies for bicycle and pedestrian accommodations on state roads. Register for the September 14 session here.

Continuing education credits will be available both days, for engineers and planners.

Coffee Talks - Early Morning Sessions

Attendees are welcome to attend Coffee Talks that will be held from 8:30 am to 9:15 am – before the Summit program officially begins. These are casual, small group discussions on the topics listed below.

  • Adaptive Cycling
  • Biking with Kids
  • Complete Streets 101
  • Free Bikes 4 Kids Chicago
  • Life in the Bike Lane
  • Meet IDOT’s New Bike/Ped Policy Engineer
  • Organizing a pop-up event
Afternoon Q&A Sessions

Attendees are welcome to attend Q&A sessions that will be held from 3:35 pm to 4:30 pm – after the breakout sessions end. These are casual, small group discussions on the topics listed below.

  • Q&A with the Bicycle Attorneys
  • Q&A about Infrastructure and Grants
  • Q&A with League of American Bicyclists
  • Q&A with Ride Illinois
Sept. 14 Professional Training

Professional engineers and planners are invited to an online training with an overview of bicycle design suited for urban and suburban environments and IDOT’s updated policies for bicycle and pedestrian accommodations along state roads. Ride Illinois is hosting the class, to be taught by Epstein’s Tim Gustafson and IDOT’s Carlos Feliciano. Continuing education credits: 5 hrs AICP CMs and PDHs.

Location: Online
Day: Monday, September 14, 2020
Time: 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Registration Fee: $40

Register here.

Continuing Education Credits

At the Summit on Sept. 15, planners can earn up to 4.75 hours of CM credits and engineers can earn 4 PDH hours. Both can earn 5 credit hours for the separate technical training on Sept. 14.

Contact us at [email protected] if you have any questions.

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