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Suburban Chicago Bicycling

Sidepaths vs. bike lanes, Busse Woods work, bike summit report

Published about 1 month ago • 2 min read

In what direction is bicycle infrastructure headed in the Chicago suburbs? I got some clues in the past week.

Seen and heard at the bike summit

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I went to the Illinois Bike & Walk Summit in Springfield on Wednesday, and I saw some presentations by Chicago-area planners and advocates. I learned that Richmond, the town at the north end of McHenry County's Prairie Path and just south of the Wisconsin border, is implementing a bike route system that favors sidepaths, while Mount Prospect is studying what to do along its arterial roads. The Cook County side of the Des Plaines River Trail is seeing dramatic improvements, while Illinois Prairie Path organizers are tending to the path's east end, including the scary crossing at Mannheim Road. Plus some near-west Cook County suburbs are coordinating on a bike and pedestrian plan.

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All in all, it was an inspiring gathering of like-minded bicycling and pedestrian advocates who care about improving their communities, and who must persevere as they tussle with countless agencies and obstacles. See my takeaways.​

The issue of bike lanes vs. off-road paths

After I wrote about Schaumburg's shift from bike lanes to off-road paths, I reviewed what several other suburbs are doing. It turns out there's a wide range of bike route systems. St. Charles, for example, is far along with bike lanes and sharrows, while Lombard and Palatine are progressing slowly. See my study.

Time to tackle Busse Woods bumps

Have you noticed that the Busse Woods Trail is a little beat up these days? So has the Cook County forest preserve district, a planner there told me. After I asked about the removal of drop-gate bollards on paved ​Cook County ​trails, I learned that work to fix up Busse Woods' trails is on the district's mind, but a timetable or even final plan hasn't been set yet. Patchwork will come before any large-scale repaving — which would create havoc in the short term but a great ride in the long run. See my scoop.​

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ALWAYS AVAILABLE ON THE WEBSITE

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​Invitational/charity ride calendar — coming up:

  • Pedalpalooza in McHenry County, both Saturday and Sunday, May 17-18
  • Tour de Farms 2025 Spring Kickoff, Sunday, May 18, to promote charity ride
  • Everybody Rides, Project Mobility fundraiser, on Sunday, May 18

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Hey, May is the time to get in shape for summer. Those trails and roads aren't going to ride themselves. See you out there. — Neil

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* At top, a rare Elgin bike lane is on Bluff City Blvd., but this is the nice part; debris mars a lot of it.

Suburban Chicago Bicycling

Neil Holdway

A source for the great trails and roads to ride a bicycle in Chicago's suburbs, and to learn about efforts to make bicycling easier there.

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