I’m back!

I spent last week riding my bike around Illinois like a mad woman. (Photos and a description to follow.) Tonight as I catch up on Elgin news I find out two bicyclists were hit by cars in Elgin while I was gone! One is only twelve and the driver who hit him ran (boo!) and the other is a teenager who the Courier refers to as a pedestrian. (Bicyclists are not pedestrians!)

The good news is that neither of these bicyclists were seriously injured. Maybe this can start a conversation in Elgin about what needs to happen so bicyclists and motorists can share the road together safely.

Tags: accident, bicycle, bike, Courier News, crash, Elgin, hit and run, Illinois, police report
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Fox River Trail South to IL Prairie Path

A couple of weeks ago I rode my bike south on the Fox River Trail and then on the Illinois Prairie Path (my first time!). Here is a video of some geese that blocked the path while I was still in Elgin:

An “information” sign on the Prairie Path. It must be some sort of koan.

The sign welcoming me to DuPage County.

A video of a man-made waterfall in Wayne:

Tags: bicycle, bike, DuPage County, Elgin, Fox River, geese, goose, IL, Illinois, Prairie Path, Pratt Woods, trail, waterfall, Wayne
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Elgin okays bike plan!

Image by Thomas Hawk.

Click here for the story. Everything about the bike plan sounds great–a grid of bike routes no more than four blocks away from each other, an underpass below Kimball street (yes!) and a few other places, bike racks everywhere, and wayfinding signs to let people know where they’re headed.

The end of the article worries me, however. It sounds like the mayor is not very big on the idea of on-street bike lanes. Usually plans only come into fruition with political will. His worry has to do with liability, aka, could the City of Elgin get in trouble if someone on a bike gets hurt while riding in a designated bike lane. The answer is sort of yes. Illinois is the only state that has a liability issue because of the landmark Boub v. Wayne case. Click here to read all about it.

The thing is, on-street bike lanes are safer and more appropriate than trails and sidepaths in a lot of places. Trying to keep bicycles off of roads out of liability worries could actually have the unintended effect of causing more crashes. Sidepaths are really only appropriate on high-speed roads with few driveways and intersections. Those who don’t know much about bicycling might think bicyclists should usually ride on the sidewalk. Nope! That puts pedestrians in danger and makes it more likely cyclists will get hit by cars at driveways and intersections. This page has a compilation of studies comparing the danger level of bicycling in different places (sidewalk, on-road, trail, etc.).

Tags: , bicycle, bicycle planning, bicycling, bike plan, Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, Elgin, mayor, Trans Systems
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