More than 50% of daily transportation trips in the U.S. were less than 3 miles in 2021, data shows.
But residents in Oak Park can now get more active and help the environment at the same time.
The 2024-2028 Oak Park capital improvement plan has a blueprint for that. It’s the biggest investment in active transportation infrastructure so far, officials said.
A key component of the plan focuses on large projects designed to make roads safer for pedestrians and bikers because, in part, switching to active transportation can reduce up to a quarter of an individual’s personal carbon emissions.
One project outlined in the recently approved CIP increases active transportation for residents by including new or improved bike lanes and an updated greenway plan.
In 2024, residents living on Ridgeland Avenue will be contacted about a potential protected bike lane on that street, village President Vicki Scaman said. The village will have to address any concerns about the bike lane, including reduced parking access, she said, before approving a design and greenlighting construction.
A Neighborhood Greenways System Study, created eight years ago, recommended routes to implement traffic-calming measures, such as reduced speed limits, as well as additional crossing infrastructures and signs to make it easier for pedestrians and cyclists to cross safely. The new budget allows for the plan to become a reality.
“The primary [benefit] is to make it safe for cyclists,” trustee Susan Buchanan said. “A lot of people in this village want to ride their bikes, but they don’t feel safe.”
Oak Park also recently launched Vision Zero, an initiative with the goal of reducing traffic-related injuries and fatalities while increasing transportation safety, according to Vision Zero Network. Scaman said this strategy is a holistic examination of the community’s pedestrian, cyclist and vehicle safety.
“This is a Board that is listening to what our constituents want,” she said. “We’re being responsive and we’re taking action.”
A clear benefit of active transportation is the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, Buchanan said. The more people who walk or cycle, the less gas from cars can pollute the environment.
“It’ll increase the use of cycling for transportation, which is great for the environment and great for traffic and great for people’s health,” Buchanan said.
Sylvia Schweri, a board member of Bike Walk Oak Park, has always enjoyed biking. Schweri said she was hoping to bike more in Oak Park but was disappointed with the lack of locals interested in active transportation. She mostly cycles when running local errands and as a mode of transportation to public transit.
“My average ride is usually not more than two miles,” she said. “I just try to substitute driving whenever I can.”
This year’s CIP is the largest investment Oak Park has made in cycling infrastructure, Schweri said, partially due to the amount of residents saying they feel unsafe walking, cycling and even driving on the streets.
Bike Walk Oak Park has been asking for increased funding in active transportation infrastructure since 2019, Schweri said, focusing on the greenway plan since it had been adopted but not yet implemented. The group has also asked for improvements in intersections because that can create the biggest difference in safety on the road, Schweri said.
In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the village budget had to eliminate anything deemed unnecessary or yet to be contracted, Scaman said. Now, the budget can accommodate more.
“We’re grateful that they’re taking the plan seriously,” Schweri said.
Bike Walk Oak Park has not spent as much time advocating for bike lanes, however, because they are often unpopular with homeowners due to potentially reduced parking access.
Rob Sproule, public works director, and village engineer Bill McKenna are responsible for overseeing these changes as they are implemented, Buchanan said.
The investment in active transportation will hopefully encourage more people to feel confident and safe riding their bikes, Schweri said. It may also increase quality of life by encouraging people to be active and improve their physical health while also helping fight climate change.
“We’re creating the opportunity for a generational shift in transportation choice,” she said. “Which is, in the end, going to impact our greenhouse gas emissions overall, as a community, significantly.”