It’s cold outside and you may not be thinking about cycling during this season. However, even though you may not be riding these days there is something you can do to make cycling better in the future. The League of Illinois Bicyclists (LIB) has developed a road project notification (RPN) form for the Chicagoland area. The purpose of the form is to notify bicyclists of planned various road projects; it asks them to contact the league to express concerns about bicycle accommodations on new roadways. The league will then relay the comments to the appropriate agency.
For years the LIB was a part of the League of American Bicyclists as a state chapter affiliate. Last year the LIB became an independent organization, and in 2001 Ed Barsotti became its executive director. Ed is an electrical engineer and a cycling enthusiast. Membership dues, bike club donations, and government contracts fund the LIB. The organization has joined with the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation (CBF) to improve cycling throughout the Chicagoland area — and ultimately throughout the state. The RPN form is only one aspect of these efforts.
The form is sent to LIB and CBF members. On the front of the postcard are these words: "Roadwork is being planned for your town, right now. If you don’t ask for a bicycle-friendly design, who will?" On the back are listed road improvement projects that are planned for our area. (This information came from the Chicago Area Transportation Study.) You are asked to suggest appropriate additions to these projects that would provide safe travel for bicycles. Your responses will be entered at the LIB Web site, and Ed Barsotti will then relay them to the road designers and elected officials in your town or ward. The tag line on the card reads, "Unless they hear from you, bikes may be ignored."
Both CBF and LIB are funded in part from membership dues — if you aren’t already a member of these organizations, you should be. Each has an excellent Web site complete with membership information. The CBF Web site is www.biketraffic.org; LIB’s is www.bikelib.org. The details of the proposed improvement plans are listed on the Web sites as well. Even if you don’t receive an RPN form in the mail, you can go to the CBF Web site to find the transportation improvement plan (TIP). Included is a list of road projects in the area, which allows you to let road designers and elected officials know of your concerns. The roadway improvement survey is an extensive outline that you can complete and send to CBF/LIB. They will relay your suggestions to the appropriate officials. This well-thought-out form includes such questions as: What road or bridge project are you evaluating? What is the TIP number of the project? List places along the road where bicyclists want to go. Do you know of any future developments that would increase the need for bicyclists to use this roadway or bridge? List reasons why this route isn’t used more by cyclists.
How do you decide what is to be included in these road designs? At the CBF Web site there is information that will help you make these decisions. The bicycle level of service and bicycle compatibility index are roadway bike-friendliness measures. These are becoming national standards for quantifying the bike-friendliness of a roadway. Look for the BLOS/BCI calculator form, fill in the appropriate blanks, hit the calculate button, and check the numerical result.
If you feel that a particular roadway will not safely accommodate bicycle traffic, perhaps an off-road path is called for. In that case, go to the side path suitability form. This form rates the suitability of a sidewalk or a separate side path as a bicycle facility. Fill in the blanks, hit the calculate button, and a numerical result will allow you to make an appropriate assessment. Of course you will need to interpret the numerical score that you receive for a particular roadway, but we point this out to illustrate the level of sophistication now available.
So even if you aren’t riding your bicycle these days you can participate in a project that will make your cycling better in the future. The CBF and LIB have worked hard to make their Web sites informative and functional. Please join these vital organizations today. If you can’t get out your bike now, get yourself out, take a walk, and stay healthy.