The Lake County DOT has been a leader among Illinois counties in adopting Complete Streets policies. Their menu of bicycle accommodations includes 4’ shoulders, which can make all the difference between a comfortable and harrowing ride, especially on busy roads. However, not all shoulders are equal in terms of ridability.

Where there are no curbs, cyclists can use the full shoulder (barring the existence of rumble strips, something we are also working on). When curbs are involved, the gutter pan used for drainage divides the shoulder.* As anyone who has ever been upended by a wheel glancing a horizontal edge knows, it is best to stay away from those seams.

LCDOT originally used 2’ gutters, meaning the seam ran down the middle of the 4’ space. Ride Illinois alerted them to the problems this can cause for cycling. Through advocacy related to a specific project on Weiland Road, we convinced LCDOT to use 1’ gutters instead, leaving 3’ of shoulder space clear for riding. Although this meant more drains were needed, we made the case that increased cyclist safety was worth the incremental cost difference.

When the more bicycle-friendly shoulder design was not adopted as a default standard, Ride Illinois, with backing from the Bicycle Club of Lake County, continued to advocate. LCDOT did upgrade the standard, but with a tweak. They decided it would be more cost effective to simply keep the 2’ gutter pans (and number of drains needed) and add one additional foot to shoulders. The result: 3’ shoulders + 2’ gutter pans = 5’ total.

We appreciate LCDOT’s openness to feedback and change. Sometimes the little changes make a huge difference.

*If you are interested in transportation lingo, roads with shoulders are rural cross sections. Those with curb and gutter are urban cross sections. In these contexts, the terms “rural” and “urban” don’t always match the road’s surroundings.