Using a bicycle for transportation
in Oak Park has gotten a lot easier over the past few years, as efforts
to make the Village more bicycle friendly have raised awareness of riders’
needs and dramatically increased places to safely park and secure a
bike.
Over the past year alone, the
Village has installed more than 60 new bike racks, with special attention
given to mass transit nodes. New bike racks have been installed near
the CTA Green Line at Austin Boulevard and Oak Park Avenue, the Blue
Line at Austin and East Avenue, and the CTA/Union Pacific intermodal
station. Other key bike rack locations include public parking lots and
garages, and key shopping areas.
To help find a place to park,
the Village has installed more than 50 signs directing bicyclists
to the nearest rack.
Fully enclosed, weatherproof bike
lockers also are being tested to gauge the demand by commuters who bicycle
to mass transit nodes year round. The five lockers were installed last
year on North Boulevard by the intermodal station near the downtown
mall. So far, four of the five have been rented for an annual fee of
$75 each and a refundable key deposit of $25.
Other efforts to encourage safe
cycling and promote the community as being bicycle friendly include
“Share the Road” signs at all major community entry points.
Augusta Boulevard between Harlem Avenue and Austin Boulevard also was
officially designated a part of the Grand Illinois Trail, a 475-mile
loop between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River.
Based on input from citizens and
bicycling enthusiasts, the Village also has made consideration of the
needs of bicyclists a top priority when implementing traffic control
and calming measures, such as parking lanes, curb bump outs and cul
de sacs.
For more information on the Village’s
efforts to promote bicycling, or to suggest locations for bicycle racks,
call 358.5700 or email publicworks@oak-park.us.
Getting ready for
a ride to see first hand how programs are helping to make Oak Park more
bicycle friendly are (from left) Parking & Traffic Commissioner
Paul Aeschleman, Village Manager Carl Swenson, Parking Development Manager
Adolfo Benages, Business Development Manger Loretta Daly, Village Engineer
Jim Budrick, Chicagoland Bicycle Federation Planning Director Nick Jackson,
Public Works Director John Wielebnicki, Deputy Police Chief Frank Kennedy,
Park District Executive Director Gary Balling and Village Civil
Engineer Ellen McKenna. Environmental & Energy Advisory Commissioner
Ilhan Avcioglu and resident Roger Thompson also were along for the ride.
Residents asked to help support public art
The Village’s
newly created Public Art Advisory Commission (PAAC) has begun to build
a fund to purchase and commission art for permanent installation throughout
the community. The first in a series of fall fundraising events will
be a Founder’s Opening, scheduled for 6 – 11 p.m., Fri.,
Sept. 5, in Cheney Mansion, 220 N. Euclid Ave. Tickets to the special
founder’s event, which will include dinner, an outdoor exhibit
of works by area artists and music by noted Oak Park jazz pianist Jeremy
Kahn, are $175 each. Only 100 tickets are available, and those who participate
will have their names engraved on a bronze plaque that will be displayed
in a prominent location in the Village. For more information on the
event or the PAAC, call 358.5770 or email village@oak-park.us.