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| Oak Park bikeway plan praised | |
| Jun 27, 2008 | |
| Victoria Pierce | |
| Chicago Tribune | |
| Pertains to Oak Park | |
| It's only a first draft, but a plan for 20 miles of dedicated bikeways throughout Oak Park was unveiled this week to praise from biking enthusiasts. The plan includes lanes on some busy streets, such as Chicago, Oak Park and Ridgeland Avenues and Division Street. A bike lane would be marked with white lines and a bike logo to visually separate it from auto traffic. In some areas, parking would also need to be moved to accommodate the bike lanes. In addition, the plan, unveiled Thursday night, calls for other streets to be designated "bike boulevards" where fewer motorists drive and those that do would be encouraged to drive slower. The proposed boulevards would create larger loops in the village along Home, Forest and Lombard Avenues, Pleasant, Erie and Harvard Streets and Le Moyne Parkway. Other streets also would be part of the bikeways but wouldn't have dedicated lanes. The goal is to have all Oak Park residents living within a quarter mile of a bikeway, said Katie Tully of the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, which helped develop the plan. Safety was a big concern for the bicyclists at Thursday's meeting. They noted that many people don't ride their bikes to work, shopping or leisure because they fear for their safety on the busy streets. "Make them feel safe, then they will ride," said village resident Christopher Wallace. The plan also calls for extensive signage throughout the village as well as education and encouragement efforts. The plan suggests offering incentives and promotions so more students and shoppers will use bikes. It also suggests that village employees use bicycles for their jobs when feasible. Residents may comment on the plan until July 10 via e-mail at bikeplan@oak-park.us. The full draft proposal is also available online at www.biketraffic.org/oakpark. The cost of implementing the plan, which would take about 10 years, has not been determined. The bike plan advisory committee will incorporate public suggestions into a final draft of the plan, which will be presented to the Village Board in August for discussion and possible approval in September. |
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