Last winter, the Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways (DoTH) launched the O'Hare Area Bike Network Study, looking at opportunities to build a cohesive cycling system in the area around the airport.
It's one of a dozen local regions that are being analyzed with the goal of filling in bike network gaps, as suggested in the county's 2023 Cook County Bike Plan. The O'Hare study includes portions of Bensenville, Chicago, Des Plaines, Elk Grove Village, Franklin Park, Mount Prospect, Park Ridge, Rosemont, and Schiller Park.
"The goal is to outline a series of improvements such as new bike lanes or sidepaths along roadways and new trails within public open space to create a connected network of low-stress bike facilities around O'Hare connecting all local jurisdictions and major open spaces," said Cook County Bureau of Administration spokesperson Natalia Derevyanny. "Each of [dozen study areas] contain multiple elements which create obstacles to creating and connecting bike facilities, including railroads, limited access highways, waterways, and large logistical facilities and other industrial properties."
The study overview on the Cook County website provides more details. "These recommendations may include on-street bike lanes, off-street trails and shared streets to create a complete bike network that promotes safe, comfortable, accessible, connected and equitable biking opportunities to major community destinations," it says. "The study will prioritize various segments based on criteria such as ease of construction, consistency with other planning efforts and availability of funds, and the plan will propose an implementation plan for the next 10 to 15 years."
DoTH will collect feedback from stakeholder at each phase of the study, receiving guidance from a Steering Committee that includes representatives from the relevant communities, Derevyanny said. This is includes advocacy groups like Friends of Cycling in Elk Grove Village.
Dave Simmons, the president of Friends of Cycling in Elk Grove Village and executive director of Ride Illinois, said that the County initially asked FCEGV to organize a casual ride through the study area. That would give participants to get a sense of the state of local cycling infrastructure, and provide feedback to DoTH staff.
Attendees were asked, "Where were they comfortable?" said Simmons. "What felt not so comfortable? Where are they more prone to ride? Where have they ridden? Where haven't they ridden? That kind of stuff? So it was kind of an active listening and feedback session. We developed a route that started and ended Bussey woods."
"The point of this was not how do you get to O'Hare via bike," Simmons said. "It was just in this area that lends itself to traveling by bike. What's the experience, what's connected, what's not connected? Where are the connection points between communities, and how can we improve some of the existing connections."
Other steps taken in the O'Hare Area Bike Network Study include interviews with key stakeholders, a public survey, three other bike tours, and two virtual public meetings. The network strategies will be developed in late 2025, with a goal of releasing a final report next year, including priorities and implementation strategies.
"Certainly there's good intent," said Simmons. "I guess it remains to be seen what can be accomplished once the strategies are developed and things start rolling out. But there are just so many businesses that offer opportunities for people to avoid driving, especially to work, which is a key focus here. And there are some really bikeable communities, the further you get away from the airport. Des Plaines has a nice grid. Park Ridge has a nice grid. Elk Grove, Franklin Park. So, folks can move around within their communities, but going any distance or to adjacent communities is currently a challenge. So we appreciate the effort, and we're cautiously optimistic that some good recommendations and outcomes will be result from this study."
View the O’Hare Area Bike Network Study webpage for more info.
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