Evanston’s Administration and Public Works Committee will make a recommendation tonight on a plan to improve the city’s existing system of bike routes and paths and create new bike lanes.
The proposal was initiated by the city’s Parks/Forestry and Recreation Department and drafted by a team of both local and national consultants. It would create 12 miles of new bike lanes — separately marked paths for cyclists — and 31 miles of bike routes, where signs would warn motorists to share the road with cyclists. The proposal would be implemented over a six-year period.
“There are lots of streets that are considered bike routes, but nobody knows where they are,” said Stefanie Levine, who works for Parks/Forest and Recreation. “The current system is kind of lacking.”
Ald. Lionel Jean-Baptiste (2nd) said the proposal should have “no problem” being passed by the committee. If it passes the entire Evanston City Council will vote on the plan at tonight’s meeting.
One set of proposed bike lanes runs down Sheridan Road from University Place to Central Street, cutting through Northwestern. The city also wanted to include paths that run through the campus in the proposed bike route, but university officials would not allow it, Levine said.
In downtown Evanston, where bikes currently are not allowed on the sidewalk, the plan would create a system of bike lanes and routes so that cyclists are not competing with cars, Levine said.
The plan also calls for improvements to three miles of bike trails that run through Evanston’s parks. Some of the funding comes from state and federal grants that were earmarked for this specific project, according to Jean-Baptiste. The rest of the money will come from local funds.
Jean-Baptiste, a member of the Administration and Public Works Committee, said improvements are important because Evanston is “full of bikers.”
He said, “A lot of people are looking forward to improved bike paths.”
Levine said her department made an effort to determine residents’ opinions as the proposal developed. The city hosted a series of workshops and public forums about biking concerns beginning in September 2001.
“We’ve been trying to involve everyone,” Levine said.
