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| Getting there is half the challenge | |
| May 10, 2007 | |
| Mike Mitchell, Staff Writer mmitchell@scn1.com | |
| The Naperville Sun | |
| Pertains to Naperville | |
| Bike riding a great way to travel, but finding a safe path not always easy Bob and Karen Snyder have ridden to Minneapolis from Naperville on their bikes and yet, the toughest part of the venture was getting out of Naperville. "I've been biking for 25 years, so for an experienced rider it's not as big a deal. But for the casual (bike) rider, it's quite difficult heading out of Naperville," said Bob, 63, of Naperville. "The issue for me is there are no connections, links between the paths to head west or north or south through Naperville. In other towns, like Wheaton, there are bike route signs that are posted. You'll look up at it and see 'Oh, if I want to go to Elgin, I can go here. If I want to go to Downers Grove, I can go here.' The paths are not connected in Naperville, so you have to take the roads to get north and west. You really have to know your streets. "It's not a problem for me, but for the families and the recreation riders, it's hard," Bob said. It's true that few people have the expertise and courage to ride along the streets and sidewalks in Naperville to get to the Illinois Prairie Path or the Prairie bike trail. But in a bike-rider's world, it's a crime to load a pair of mountain bikes into a van and head to a forest preserve to ride. "I don't want to do that," said Bob, who has been riding with his wife Karen for more than 10 years. "I want to walk out my door and jump on my bike and ride." So now that summer weather will be inviting to those anxious to be outdoors while gas prices soar well above $3, using a bike to get around the west suburbs looks like a sound alternative to driving. Bob started riding his bike again because his knees ached too much from jogging. But even at 63 - and his wife, Karen, at 64 - Bob is not intimidated by 300-mile bike-rides. So a ride from Naperville to Brookfield Zoo would seem like a casual stroll to Bob. But unfortunately to so many people, it seems like an unreasonable ride. But that might not be true. Downtown Naperville to Brookfield Zoo is about a 25-mile trek. According to Google Maps, the ride by car would take approximately 38 minutes without traffic. While people ride bikes at different speeds, 10 miles an hour would not be an unreasonable pace for most riders, which means that a ride to the zoo by bike can take a little more than two hours. But speed is not the point, Bob said. "When I ride, I want to enjoy the ride. I'm already getting exercise. I just want to take everything in - the view and all," he said. "I came from a family where we had one car and my father used it for work. So if I wanted to go to a movie as a kid, I had to run five miles and I did." The Snyders aren't the only people who remember their childhood zeal for pedaling a bike through town - or necessary exercise for that matter. Dan and Kate Kotecki, of Naperville, usually take the DuPage County Forest Preserve Bike Trail at least once a week from the their home on the south side of town to downtown Naperville for brunch. Jeff Batterson and Amy Williams, both of Wheaton, will often ride through the trails of Danada Woods, sharing the same roads as horses. "There is a stark difference between riding on a bike and the experience in a car," Snyder said. "There's no comparison." But there remains a barrier, said BC Calma, of Wheaton, who was riding through the Fox and DuPage River Trails on a Sunday morning in late April. "It would be really nice if Kane and DuPage County would commit to putting bike lanes on their main streets to make it a safer ride home for the cyclers in this area after they get off a trail," Calma said. Contact Mike Mitchell at mmitchell@scn1.com or 630-416-5279. |
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