Trails & Bikeways: Valuable Assets for Vibrant Communities
Anne Marie Smith - Contributing/Managing Editor

Sheet 1: Vital Elements of a Trail/Bikeway System

Popular destinations
The purpose of your system is to provide people with the opportunity walk or bike to local destinations, so it is important that your system connects them to:

  • recreational attractions such as parks, public pools, and miniature golf;
  • local businesses;
  • service centers such as city hall, library, post office, schools, churches;
  • places of employment to allow citizens to bike to work, and;
  • local Metra station and other forms of mass transit.
Links to neighboring municipalities/jurisdictions
Such linkages provide access to your community from surrounding municipalities and increase the value of your system as well as your neighboring community's system. The DuPage County Regional Planning Commission in cooperation with DuPage Mayors and Manager Conference developed the DuPage County Regional Bikeway Plan with information about key linkages on a county scale. For a copy of the plan call the DuPage County Regional Planning Commission at (630)682-7230.

Appropriate infrastructure
Without the appropriate infrastructure a system will not be used to its potential. Therefore, be sure to provide:

  • Bike storage facilities at the destinations to which your system is linked. Every bicycle trip begins and ends with the need for a safe and secure place park one's bike. The fear of having a bicycle stolen in one of the biggest deterrents to people riding to their favorite destination. 1 There are numerous bicycle rack designs available. Consider soliciting the opinion of local bicyclists when choosing a design.
  • Safe accessibility from trails and bikeways to destinations is essential. If users need to cross unsafe intersections or fight through bushes, they will be less likely to frequent businesses. Provide safe crosswalks, signals, sidewalks and other facilities.
  • Bike-friendly road designs and bike-activated traffic lights are also important.

Encourage bike and bike accessory businesses
Having numerous bike shops in your community will ensure that bicyclists using your system have access to reliable, safe equipment.

Construction costs for on-road bikeways
The DuPage County Division of Transportation estimates a cost of $54,000 per lane mile to construct a bikeway within a paved road. Earthwork, drainage and restoration costs are additional and vary from project to project.

Construction costs for off-road trails
(See the enclosed fact sheet from the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy entitled, Surfacing Your Trail.)

1Chicagoland Bicycle Federation, Bike Parking For Your Business, (Chicago: City of Chicago, October 1998)