Schaumburg considers 4-year plan to improve network, safety, education for bicyclists
Schaumburg's transportation committee Tuesday recommended adoption of a four-year plan to improve the village's bicycle program, with more specific goals for the fiscal year that's just starting.
If approved by the full village board next week, the priorities for the next 12 months would include improving programs promoting safety for children on commutes to school or recreation, developing outreach and media campaigns for existing and new bicycle facilities and events, and implementing a bicycle count system to collect data on usage in specific places.
These and some of the plan's longer-term goals were derived from both suggestions for improvement the village received when designated a bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Community in 2020 as well as feedback from its own Bikeways Advisory Committee in September 2021.
Successful activities from last year that village staff intends to repeat this year include a bicycle education presentation for adults as well as a number of promoted Bike Month events in June.
Among the latter were the relatively new Business Bike Classic that attracted 12 teams of four whose combined mileage for the month was 13,385.
The older tradition of the Fahrrad Tour von Schaumburg - a police-escorted 5-mile ride along the village's designated bike paths attracted 99 participants in 2022.
Some of the longer-term goals in the recommended four-year plan include increasing the amount and accessibility of high-quality bicycle parking throughout the village, developing a bicycle-friendly driver education and outreach plan for motorists, and networking with experts who can assist with encouraging programs and provide feedback on Schaumburg's bikeways network and programs.
The plan also restates such existing priorities as engaging residents on bikeways planning, working with the Bikeways Advisory Committee, regularly updating the bicycle and pedestrian sections of the village's website and continuing to expand and improve the bicycle network with an eye on protecting bicyclists from motor vehicles.
The village board will vote on the plan at its next meeting at 7 p.m. May 9.