The Village of Oak Park adopted its first comprehensive plan to encourage and facilitate bicycling in 2008. The 2008 Bicycle Plan outlined a comprehensive framework for increasing bicycle use by making the community more bicycle friendly. The formal planning document gave Oak Park the tools to move toward developing a world-class bicycling network and facilities that are accommodating and safe for all users.
In 2014 the Village of Oak Park contracted with the Active Transportation Alliance to conduct a more targeted study focusing on bike sharing systems and bicycle routes that would connect neighborhoods via low-traffic, low-speed, residential streets. This study, which now is as an addendum to the 2008 Bicycle Plan, was approved by the Village Board on July 20, 2015. Click here to read the latest study.
Bicycle boulevards, or neighborhood greenways as they are called in the study, are streets designed to prioritize bicycle travel. The study includes recommendations on infrastructure that calms and reduces vehicle traffic on neighborhood streets, and improves safety at busy intersections. The goal is an attractive, safe and comfortable environment for people on bicycles, and more peaceful residential streets.
In 2023, the Village launched its Vision Zero initiative to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries. Find more information at www.engageoakpark.com/visionzero