Cook County unveils plan to boost bicycling
Cook County has unveiled a plan to boost cycling, calling for hundreds of miles of new bike lanes, routes and paths across the region.
The plan recommends adding 230 miles of bike routes on roads throughout the county, 150 miles of shared-use paths alongside roads and 90 miles of off-street, paved trails. The goal is to create a “low-stress” network of bike lanes to help riders feel more comfortable, better connect existing bike trails to major destinations and increase access to bike lanes and paths across the county.
Once the recommendations are added, 96% of county residents would live less than a mile from a bike path or lane that is easy to use, the county estimated.
“We can reduce our carbon footprint by prioritizing low-emissions travel,” Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle wrote in the study. “For bicycling, that means building bike paths and other facilities to make biking attractive for any rider. However, research shows that not everyone has the same access to bike facilities. Where a person lives has too long determined whether or not their neighborhood receives a bike path or bike lane.”
But it will take time and work with other agencies to put the paths and lanes in place. For example, the plan recommends constructing at least 15 miles of paths alongside county-owned roads in the next 10 years, and, beginning in 2024, working with at least two communities per year to designate neighborhood bike routes and intersection safety upgrades.
Projects in the plan could involve coordination with the city of Chicago, other municipalities and the state, and would likely still need approval from various entities involved.
The cost of the projects depends on the type and location of the path, Cook County spokeswoman Natalia Derevyanny said. Funding could come from federal grants, and the county will also likely provide some funding. Municipalities could also kick in money, depending on the project.
The plan is geared toward encouraging cyclists who are “interested but concerned” about biking near cars. It includes side paths alongside roads and off-street trails that can connect with paths in the county’s forest preserves. It also focuses on bike routes on low-traffic, residential streets.
The plan highlights the potential for bike routes along Chicago’s boulevard system, and the possibility of better links to the end of the Major Taylor Trail in the Dan Ryan Woods on the city’s South Side. Extending the trail and improving bike paths along local roads could make it easier to reach the Major Taylor Trail, the report found.
Adding bike lanes and paths has been seen as a sign of gentrification in lower-income communities, as high-profile investment heats up the local real estate market or residents see bike facilities as meant for someone else, the report noted. But county officials outlined solutions in the report, writing that equitable distribution of bike lanes and paths, and designing them for use by anyone at any ability level, can help.
“Bike facilities are only one part of meeting a community’s transportation needs,” they wrote. “Balanced investment in transit and roads is required as well, so that implementing new bike facilities isn’t a lost opportunity for other transportation priorities. As the bike network expands, negative reactions to new bike facilities are likely to diminish over time.”
Another barrier to installing more bike lanes — especially in low-income communities — has been county requirements that local communities contribute to the cost of designing and constructing bike projects, and the cost borne by local communities to maintain those projects after they’re built, according to the report. But the county now pays for projects along its own roads and can help high-needs communities with maintenance, according to the report.
“The Cook County Bike Plan is an essential component to re-imagining the County’s role in transportation,” Preckwinkle said in a statement. “There are plenty of residents who enjoy biking or walking with their families, but do not have access to safe and comfortable facilities. The Bike Plan is our guide as we work to address these inequities. Ensuring residents have better access to other forms of affordable and convenient transportation will make Cook County a better place to live.”
