Ride Illinois, and its partner bike clubs, continued to make progress in our campaign to have three feet passing state law signs installed on popular cyclist routes. Signs were approved the past year in Cary, Highland Park, Bartlett, Will County, Troy Township, Frankfort, Ottawa, Naplate, and Marseilles.
The signs remind drivers of the Ride Illinois-initiated 2007 state law that vehicles need to pass bicyclists with a minimum of three feet. On roads where adding paved shoulders or bike lanes seems very unlikely, the signs can provide at least some benefit of increasing motorists’ awareness of the minimum space they need to safely pass cyclists.
Members of the Joliet Bicycle Club worked with us for the installation of two signs by the Will County Department of Transportation on Hoff Road, IL53 to Wauponsee Glacial Trail. Two additional signs have been ordered for County Line Road, between Seil to Bell, by Troy Township. Members of the Starved Rock Bicycle Club met with village and city officials and worked with Barsotti to have signs in the village of Naplate (Dee Bennett Rd./Ottawa Ave.), the city of Ottawa and the city of Marseilles.
Our process has been to work with bike clubs or individuals to identify priority locations for signs and verify that it is an appropriate location. Ride Illinois, then, sends a request letter to the road agency, offering to help pay if needed. We are currently partnering with the Quad Cities Bicycle Club on 3-Ft Law sign requests in their riding area.
We invite you to help us identify problem roads and locations where better signage is needed.
