You can also view
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or download the PDF at www.biketraffic.org/biketraffic/BT0304.pdf.
| You're not a member? Good god, not so loud.
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a new transmission. So they've all joined the Chicagoland Bicycle
Federation and are making a difference (and getting discounts
on maps, at bike shops, and events to boot). So carefully now,
slip off with this issue of Bike Traffic (another member benefit)
and call us or join at www.biketraffic.org.
That was close, but it's gonna be okay. |
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| March 8 - Chicagoland
Bicycle Conference and Bike Town Bash registration deadline March 11 - Bike Culture Lecture: "Urban Cycling Secrets" by Dave Glowacz (aka Mr. Bike) @ Chicago Cultural Center, 77 E. Randolph @ 12:15 pm. FREE, and could possibly include a garment malfunction. March 18-20 - Chicagoland Bicycle Federation Conference. Register at biketraffic.org. March 19 - Bike Town Bash & Photo Contest @ Chicago Cultural Center. Tickets @ biketraffic.org. May 30 - Bike the Drive September 12 - Boulevard Lakefront Tour Deadline for the May '04 Bike Traffic is April 8. I've got my serious face on. |
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This Man Wants to Install YOUR Bike Rack!
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| Chicagoland Bicycle
Federation At 650 S. Clark: Randy
Neufeld Dan
Korman Steve
Buchtel Dave
Glowacz Cathy
Haibach Anne
Hatcher Keith
Holt Nick
Jackson Matt
Maloney Jennifer
Martin Anne
Nepokroeff Ben
Seligman Randy
Warren Alex
Wilson At Chicago Department John
Greenfield |
Legisative mandate moves agency to build better roads...for everybody
When one thinks of bike-friendly organizations, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) might not exactly leap to the front of your mind. But perhaps it should. IDOT's Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) policy is working to incorporate bicycle interests into transportation planning, ensuring that the greater public plays a role in community development.
The general term for this approach is context sensitive design. Context sensitive design grew out of the concern of state and federal highway officials that roads built with the usual priorities—generally stated as moving the maximum number of cars as fast as possible within safety guidelines—were destroying some characteristics of communities and countryside worth preserving.
According to IDOT's Michael Moss, who has championed the policy since being named policy adviser to IDOT secretary (and Chicagoland Bicycle Conference keynote speaker) Tim Martin in 2001, the CSS program is designed to give communities hosting IDOT projects a voice in the planning process. Moss first learned of context sensitive design while working as a policy and legislative aid to then-Congressman Rod Blagojevich. After his appointment to IDOT, Moss was able to help guide passage of Public Act 93-0545 in the Illinois General Assembly, which mandates that IDOT incorporate Context Sensitive Solutions into its projects beginning this past January.
"The benefit of this approach to both IDOT and Illinois has become very apparent to me," says Moss. "CSS promises to transform IDOT's way of approaching transportation projects focusing on stakeholder participation that leads to excellence in design."
He adds that bike users can be a major part of those affected by the projects. Before making final decisions on a road plan, IDOT will determine the impact on the communities and places affected by the completed project. In other words, they'll determine the context into which their project must fit. "One of the things we ask ourselves is: Is this a situation that involves bikes? These questions should be asked up front," says Moss.
This is especially true in suburbs, where bike paths and routes might be limited or complicated by new roads or other additions. Communities are also consulted to figure out if new paths or shelters are needed and are thought of as stakeholders in the planning process. The communication between the department, the bike community and other individuals helps to create projects that benefit all parties. IDOT also uses federal Enhancements money and other setasides to make amendments to current conditions, including adding greenery, creating facilities and shelters and changing designs.
In addition to its attention to people affected by its projects, IDOT is also involved in a joint venture with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) to find a use for old tires. In the program, which is mostly funded by DCEO, used tires are recycled, and the rubber is then added to asphalt to create smoothly surfaced bike paths, says Moss. The rubber is an environmentally neutral material and will not affect the location in any way. The group is currently looking for communities wanting to add bike paths who would be willing to serve as a pilot for the project. Call Moss at 312/793-1536 (and let it ring ten times) for more information.
Considering the stereotype of IDOT as pavement worshipers, you might think that Context Sensitive Solutions has perturbed the old guard. But Moss feels that the implementation of CSS, buoyed by legislative mandate, is going well. The legislation requires that IDOT report on CSS to the General Assembly April 1, and Moss is looking forward to it. Says Moss, "IDOT's committed to putting CSS into practice project by project until it becomes standard procedure.
"I hope that CSS policy will provide the genuine benefits for IDOT that similar approaches have achieved in other states."
Infest Wisely
Colony campaign creates a bicycling buzz
When they're not in your Captain Crunch, ants inspire awe for their ability to carry heavy loads at speed, their tenacity, and when acting in numbers, their awesome ability to overcome obstacles and change their environment.
Since we also like Captain Crunch, using ants as a metaphor in the Federation's spring and summer marketing campaign was a natch. The campaign uses the tag line "Join the Colony" as a rallying cry and call to action.
Each full-color image depicts changes bicyclists are making as an organized community. "Ants on Parade" shows bikes carrying automobiles in an effort to reduce traffic congestion much like ants carry food, while "Ant Hill" shows bikes working to advance bicycle-friendly legislation as they swarm a capitol building. "Ant Farm" shows bikes tunneling through a street grid, opening bike lanes and trails.
"Bicycle riders in the region often feel vulnerable and powerless. Yet, when cyclists work together, great things are accomplished," says Derek Sherman who, with Ryan Dickey, developed the campaign.
The campaign consists of a direct-mail drive to more than 20,000 prospective members, posters, point-of-purchase materials at area bike shops and print advertising. In March and April 2004, more than 1,300 advertising cards will appear on Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Red, Blue and Brown lines, as well as suburban Pace buses, through a co-promotional trade agreement.
You can do your part: Get Join the Colony postcards from Dan Korman, 312/427-3325x24 or browse and select at biketraffic.org. Look under "shop."
Accent on "Ban" in "Suburban"
Post-Wauconda, thousands of kids still can't bike to school
Wauconda School District 266's reactionary ban on kids bicycling to school set fire to the headlines of print and TV media in August of 2003. The issue remained hot enough that its repeal in November still found some embers to fan, casting a warm glow of attention on the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation and its successful implementation of a suburban Safe Routes to School program.
What's really fueled our fires over the winter, however, is the potential for Wauconda's Safe Routes to School program to serve as a model for lifting bike bans at suburban schools throughout Chicagoland. Assessing that potential meant first getting a handle on the size of the problem. We knew of the bike ban at Oak Park's Lincoln Elementary (Bike Traffic, July 2003), but where else?
We employed long-time member and Bike Traffic contributor Jeff Balch to survey a sample of the region's public school districts. Jeff chose to look at five communities in different parts of Cook County whose districts had large school populations or at least one Bike Traffic managing editor with a daughter about to turn five.
Jeff wound up with nine districts to survey, representing 61 elementary and middle schools in or near Evanston (District 65), Oak Park (District 97), Schaumburg (District 54), and Markham (District 144) and their 11 corresponding high schools. Jeff also contacted Chicago public schools, but did not receive their survey response in time for his report.
Considering the attention the news media gave to Wauconda, you might find Jeff's report surprising: every district he surveyed has at least one school that bans all students from riding to school or bans the youngest students. Here's the list of 14 schools with bans in place:
Evanston, Dist. 65 (16 schools):
Oak Park, Dist. 97 (10 schools):
Schaumburg, Dist. 54 (27 schools)
Markham, Dist. 144 (8 schools)
Schools cited safety most often as their rationale for the bans, and most schools with bans also flagged theft as a concern. Anne Fox in Schaumburg reported it simply has no place to park bikes. All the high schools generally encourage bicycle use, but Jeff rightly reports that the most-cited rational--to alleviate parking problems--is not so encouraging.
We can't confidently extrapolate the report's findings to every district in the region. But the number of students at schools with bike bans in this small sample exceeds 5000 (more than 2500 in Oak Park alone). A survey of all the region's school districts could easily uncover tens of thousands of students and families waiting for the benefits that Safe Routes can bring.
Is the opportunity insurmountable? "The one thing keeping us from rolling out a suburban Safe Routes program is funding," says the Federation's director of education Dave Glowacz. "But we know part of the health crisis with kids is that fewer are biking to school. As we proved in Wauconda, a ban on bicycling is an inappropriate response to safety concerns.
"With this survey, we can show foundations and other funding sources the scope of this public health problem in our area, and how they can really make a difference by funding Safe Routes to School."
What do schools in your district ban bicycles? If you haven't got a first-rate writer/researcher in debt to you over a Tour de France bet, do the work yourself by calling the principal. Pass the information on to Liz Wuerffel, Safe Routes to School program manager, at 312/427-3325 or liz@biketraffic.org.
You'll find more information on Safe Routes to School at www.biketraffic.org/saferoutes.
PEOPLE PROFILE
Marcus Arnold
Transportation Planner,
South Suburban Mayors & Managers Association
Good
news! The South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association (SSMMA) has hired
a second Transportation Planner. Marcus Arnold is a graduate of the University
of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign with a degree in Urban Planning. His specialty
is transportation and community development. Part of his assignment includes
the development of bikeways! There are 43 different municipalities (in Cook and Will Counties) that comprise the area within the jurisdiction of the SSMMA. Marcus' job is to encourage economic development along various corridors including U.S. 30, Harlem Ave., I-57 and I-80. His prior position was with the Chicago Area Transportation Study, where he became familiar with transportation issues throughout the region.
An Open Space Plan is being developed for the areas surrounding the Calumet River, Thorn Creek, Butterfield Creek, and other waterways, and bikeways are an integral part. Connecting the bikeways within his jurisdiction will be a real challenge. Who pays for all of this development? That's another problem. Marcus will be responsible for promoting the implementation of these projects to municipalities and helping them find funding. He has a challenging and rewarding job. But as his plans become reality we will be the ones to reap the rewards. Thanks to Marcus Arnold we can look forward to more and better bikeways for the Southland and a more rational public transportation system.
POLICE BEAT
Driver Sentenced to Seven Years for Killing Cyclist
Samuel Staples, the 38-year-old Park Ridge man who killed a bicyclist last summer while driving on Milwaukee Avenue, was sentenced February 18 to seven years imprisonment in a plea agreement for the charge of reckless homicide.
The bicyclist, Robert Heinbockel, 50, was hit on July 9, 2003, as Staples drove through a red light outside the Jefferson Park CTA station. He died two hours later.
Staples appeared visibly moved as the sister of the slain bicyclist, Patricia Mulloy, read a statement to the court prior to sentencing. "Samuel Staples, I forgive you for killing my brother," said Mulloy. "I would like you to use this opportunity to realize that your actions affect everyone, not just me and my brother. I pray that you will take control of your life and embrace it."
"i have concluded that every life is valuable... maybe the only solution is to challenge Samuel Staples to be more like my brother," Mulloy said. "i believe Robbie volunteered his life that day, because someone was going to get killed, given the manner in which Mr. Staples was driving," Mulloy said.
Heinbockel, a maintenance engineer for American Airlines, was riding home from the el stop about 5 p.m. that evening when he attempted to cross Milwaukee Avenue from the east side of the road, just north of Gale Street. A bus that was poised to turn left onto Gale blocked Heinbockel's view of the oncoming, northbound car driven by Staples, whose half-brother Stephen Burns rode in the passenger seat.
According to witnesses, Staples passed the bus on the right at about 50 to 60 miles per hour and drove through the red light at Gale before hitting Heinbockel. Staples then pulled Heinbockel off of the windshield of his car and fled the scene. When police caught up to him later, he tried to pin the crime on his half-brother. As a result, Staples' plea agreement includes a concurrent sentence for perjury.
Staples was reported to have been intoxicated during the incident. He reportedly had a previous conviction for burglary and had done time in the Arizona corrections system. At the time of the incident, he had been employed as a laborer by an area social services agency.
In court, Staples apologized for the death of Mulloy's brother. "Man, sorry," he said. "Really, it was an accident. I was driving too fast. I feel for you. I'm going to have to live with this for the rest of my life and I'm sorry, okay?"
Judge Gaughan commented that the defendant's apology, while "not too articulate," was sincere. "I know that he meant well," Gaughan said.
Tollway an Oasis for Bikes?
Plus: plans, paths & parking proliferate
Bicycles on a tollway oasis? That's the offer made to Southland communities by the Illinois Tollway Authority in its reconstruction of the Lincoln Oasis and the Thorn Creek Bridge in south suburban Thornton. If there's enough interest from nearby towns, the tollway will build a bike path beneath the oasis along Thorn Creek, with a connecting ramp allowing bikes to use the oasis' planned facilities and restaurants. A Thorn Creek bikeway is an important component of area bike plans. "If we have to tear up this whole thing anyway," says the Tollway's Rocco Zuccario, "we should do it right and accommodate the area's plans for bike paths." So Southland: are you interested? Contact Rocco at 630/241-6800x3909 or rzucchero@getipass.com.
The City of Harvey plans to connect its five public schools, public library, senior center and the Harvey Transit Station with an off-street bike path. The city has applied for federal funding through the CMAQ program. Contact city planner LaTonya Rufus, 708/210-5300x346 for more info.
The Village of Tinley Park will consider bicycle facilities as part of its 183rd St. reconstruction project, as directed by the village's 2002 Master Bike Plan. The completed street will provide an important connection between 80th Ave. and LaGrange Road's exploding commercial development for all road users. For more info on the project, contact village manager Scott Niehaus, 708/532-7700. For a copy of the bike plan, contact village planner David Samuelson, 708/444-5100.
Naperville might soon require new or expanding businesses and apartment complexes to include parking for bicycles. If the change to the city's zoning ordinance is approved in March, Naperville would become the second Chicago suburb and one of only a handful of communities in the nation to mandate bicycle parking. Schaumburg is the only other Chicago-area community known to require businesses to provide parking for bicycles. It added the requirement in 1981.
The Village of River Forest has recently created a Traffic Control Task Force, made up of both village administrators and community participants. The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation plans to be active at these meetings and voice the importance of walking and bicycling as well as Safe Routes to School programs. All interested River Forest residents should contact Pamela Brookstein at 312/427-3325 or pamela@biketraffic.org.
Skokie has adopted a Bicycle Facility Plan. It is posted at: www.skokie.org/comm/compplan.html.
Glencoe will receive $200,000 in this year's federal transportation appropriations bill for the proposed trail connection between the North Branch Trail and the Green Bay Trail, through the Chicago Botanical Garden and Glencoe. U.S. Representative Mark Kirk fast tracked the project, which will close the critical Grand Illinois Trail gap.
Northbrook has adopted its first bike route plan that lays the framework for future bike facility planning and design.
Gurnee, as part of its proposed Cemetery Road improvement, plans to include a bike path from the intersection of Washington Street and Cemetery Road to Woodland Intermediate School. In addition, Gurnee is hoping to extend the Washington Street path to Almond Road.
The McHenry County Conservation District recently received a federal Recreational Trails Program grant for $304,000 to develop a 10-foot wide, 1.75 mile recreational trail that will connect the 26-mile McHenry County Prairie Trail with the 5-mile Hebron Trail near Richmond. This trail is part of the Grand Illinois Trail.
Magical History Tours
Chicago-area riding offers more than mileage
It's never too early or too cold to plan rides for next summer. With a little research under your helmet, you can plan rides that bring together pleasant pedaling and an appreciation for the history that's shaped and defined our region:
Urban Sprawl Rides
Urban sprawl isn't new. It started with trolley and train suburbs in the 1880s. Riding through Riverside, a town nine miles west of the Loop, you'll see open spaces and parks designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux in 1869. Just west of Riverside is Brookfield (originally Grossdale), planned and built by Samuel Gross in 1888. According to his own publicist, Gross was "the World's Greatest Real Estate Promoter," having sold 30,000 lots, built 7,000 houses, and developed 16 Chicago towns by 1891.
Read Building Suburbia: Green Fields and Urban Growth, by Dolores Hayden or Planning the Region of Chicago by Daniel Burnam. Then plan a ride to view the current fringe cities. The Old Plank Road Trail and the Illinois Prairie Path afford fine viewing from the edge. If you keep your eye on the surroundings instead of the cyclometer you'll see Chicago sprawl spilling over collar county farmland.
Architectural Rides
Oak Park is a good place for an architecture ride; guides are available from www.oprf.com/flw. Stop and visit Frank Lloyd Wright's workshop and his Unity Temple. If you want to do a ride-by of Wright's houses on the North Shore get the ride sheet off the League of Illinois Bicyclists web site, bikelib.org. For a view of a post WWII planned community and the original habitat of the Organization Man, check out south suburban Park Forest.
Local History Rides
Local history provides a number of opportunities for rides. An interesting cemetery destination is the Haymarket Martyrs Monument in Maywood. Another cemetery worth a visit is Mt. Glenwood Cemetery in south suburban Glenwood where Marshall "Major" Taylor is buried. Taylor was a champion cyclist winning numerous world titles around 1900. The Folks on Spokes bicycle club (www.folksonspokes.com) has recently hosted rides in his honor.
For a Chicago trifecta look into the town of Pullman with its stories of labor, cycling, and urban growth. Pullman hosted the great 1890s Memorial Day Cycling Races; it was the first planned industrial community in America; and it was the starting point for the great strike of 1894. Find tour info at www.pullmanil.org.
Interested in the Chicago area's industrial past? Plan a ride along the Illinois and Michigan canal which goes through the heart of the abandoned Joliet Steel Works. It's also a great place to view the 1860s Joliet State Penitentiary.
When you've found that perfect Chicago ride don't forget to share it. Write it up for BikeTraffic or post it on a club web site.
Lessons from Europe
If you wanted to learn how to design a road that could carry as many cars as possible, going as fast as possible, then the U.S. is your classroom. However, if you want to learn how to reduce the harmful affects of too much car traffic, and create a truly safe and inclusive transportation system, you'll need a ticket to Europe. A quick survey of traffic policies and programs shows that the 20th century trend of designing for increased car traffic is being eclipsed by a new set of rules across Europe, and bicycles are converging on center stage
A Breath of French Air
We start our tour in Paris, France. Paris was until recently known as one of the least bicycle friendly cities in Europe <> it was known more for its insane traffic circles and speeding motorbikes. The city's new traffic policy is poetically called Let Paris Breathe. At the center of the plan is the recommendation to sharply reduce space available to the car. This includes prohibiting private vehicles from large portions of many streets by creating dedicated bike and bus only lanes, and aggressively implementing traffic calming projects throughout the city. Paris has also rapidly expanded its bike network in the last couple of years. The city has removed many on-street car parking spaces and replaced them with bike racks. A new bicycle rental system run by the transit agency simplifies getting a bike for the afternoon. The facilities for bikes are somewhat of a mixed bag, however. Many new bike lane lanes are too narrow, and some of the curb-separated lanes are filled with debris and infrequently used.
Home Sweet Zones
While many Paris bike lanes try to provide physical separation of bikes
from cars and pedestrians, the Home Zones instead sees mixing travel modes
in the same space as the key to increased safety. The idea got its start
in the Netherlands as the woonerf, or living street. The idea was to take
back the residential street from the car, and return it to the community.
The street was re-imagined as a community space, where cars travel at
safe and non-threatening pace, around 10 mph. The concept has taken off
in England in recent years. Residential streets are being torn up around
the country and replaced with what looks more like a pedestrian mall than
a through street. Sidewalks are removed and the entire street becomes
a shared space where the car must yield to people on foot and on bikes.
For more details, check out www.homezones.org.Move It, Don't Lose It
Our final stop is Sweden. With Vision Zero, Sweden has radically revised the paradigms by which transportation projects and programs are to be evaluated. The fundamental premise of Vision Zero is that the loss of human life is unacceptable, and it is unethical to accept traffic fatalities and injuries as necessary results of a modern transportation system. To understand the radical nature of this paradigm shift, consider that in this county more than 40,000 people die every year in traffic crashes. You'll find more info at www.bfu.ch/vision-zero.
The Big Picture
If reading this has you searching Orbitz for a one-way ticket out of here, consider this recent report by the Harvard School of Public Health. Titled "The Global Burden of Disease: a comprehensive assessment of mortality and disability from disease, injury and risk factors in 1990 and projected to 2020," the report looks at the leading causes of death and disability around the world. In 1990, road traffic crashes ranked as the 9th leading cause of death and disability in the world. The report estimates that by the year 2020, road traffic crashes will jump to 3rd place. This means that more people will be killed or disabled by cars than all wars, tuberculosis and respiratory infections. In this dire context, it is especially critical to listen closely wherever battles are being fought to reclaim space from the wave of auto mobility overtaking the world. The lessons of Paris, England and Sweden show that there is life beyond the car, and the goal of making our streets safer and reintegrating them into the fabric of daily life is a goal worth pursuing.
Alex calls this "Nightmare on MY Street," and we'd call it "Winner!" if the Bike Town Bash Photo Contest had a "What I Did While Randy Was in Washington" category. But it doesn't, and we're not. Categories, rules, and submission guidelines here.
When you drive, you're still a bicycle advocate. Or you could be. Click the sign above to take the pledge. Or read about the Driver's Pledge in the December 2002/January 2003 Bike Traffic.
Oooooooo. Aaaaaaaah. The Chicagoland Bicycle Federation's web site, as realized by Office & Technology Manager Michael Girgis. The new biketraffic.org, while being much easier to navigate, communicates a level of professionalism and sophistication that no group shot of the staff has any hope of living up to.
Whooaaaa. Wooooow. The Venezuelen oil strike unleashed 50,000 bicyclists onto the streets of Chacao on January 19, 2003. The mayor, Leopoldo Lopez Mendoza, embraced the idea and turned to the Chicagoland Biycle Federation's Carlos Cuarta for help. Now they have a city bike plan and nine miles of bike lanes. Bike advocacy: America's newest export!
Aah-OOga, aa-OOga! The Federation's Join the Colony campaign is swarming Chicagoland's trains, buses, mailboxes and newspapers, carrying a message of positive change through organized advocacy. You can get Join the Colony postcards and posters at biketraffic.org under "shop."
Bike to the buildings. Members of the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation qualify for buy one, get one free deals on Chicago Architectural Foundation (CAF) tours. Choose your tour at CAF's web site. Once you've decided which tours you'd like, click on the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation logo in the "Buy Tour Tickets On-Line" section. You will need your current membership expiration date to complete the transaction. Got questions? Dan Korman at 312/427-3325x24 has answers.
Giddyap on the GITAP. The Grand Illinois Trails and Parks ride leaves for another tour of the real and proposed Grand Illinois Trail (GIT) on June 13, and with the completion of the Hennepin, the GIT's never been more real, less proposed. Want to go? The tour lasts until June 19th, and you can register at lib.org, or call Chuck Oestreich at 309/788-1845 or e-mail Chuck.
Bicycle Swap Meet! XXX Racing-AthletiCo will host a swap meet March 27th at the Chicago Bike Show. Reserve a seller's table for only $15 (if reserved by March 15) or just come by to pick up all the great stuff you need. You can also donate bike gear to the Federation and claim a tax-deduction. Money goes toward XXX Racing-AthletiCo's Junior's Program. More info at xxxracing.org. Contact David Callahan or call 312/427-3325 for more information about donating items.
Bike Traffic is published by the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, a nonprofit, volunteer advocacy organization that is improving the quality of life in Northeastern Illinois by making cycling safer, more convenient, and more fun. All material that isn't copyrighted may be reprinted. Advertising rates available on request.
Managing Editor
Steve Buchtel
Editors
Randy Neufeld
Dan Korman
David Callahan
Dave Glowacz
Layout
Steve Buchtel
Copyright
2004, Chicagoland Bicycle Federation
650 S. Clark, Ste. 300, Chicago, Ill. 60605
Ph: 312/427-3325 Fax: 312/427-4907 E-mail:
cbf@biketraffic.org
