 | | 2018 Illinois Bike Summit - Registration Now Open |
Monday, May 7, 2018 at the University of Illinois in Chicago
Join us for a day of learning and networking with up to 300 bicycle advocates, planners, road engineers, elected officials, and others from around the state. With a range of session topics - from bikeway design and tips to advocacy and community engagement - the summit offers strategies to help you make progress in your town.
We're working to put together an exciting agenda for 2018, and we're pleased to announce that Illinois Transportation Secretary Randy Blankenhorn and Chicago Department of Transportation Commissioner Rebekah Scheinfeld will participate as keynote speakers.
Other current session topic highlights include: - Chicago bike infrastructure - presentation and mobile workshops
- STAR (Small Town and Rural) bike infrastructure
- Chicago River and other trail campaigns
- Modest improvements for more bicycle-friendly road projects
- Comparing bike share models: Divvy, Zagster, dockless
- Chicago's Vision Zero education and bike ambassadors
- BikeSafetyQuiz.com in schools, drivers ed, and more
- Bike Walk Every Town advocacy training
- Creative marketing for bike events
- And much more
Space is limited to 300 attendees. Early bird discounts are available through February 15th. Register today! |
| Park Ridge Bicycle Plan Completed and Awaiting Approval by City Council |
Ride Illinois has recently completed a municipal bicycle plan for Park Ridge and the plan will be up for approval at the City Council meeting on Monday, Feb. 12, 7pm at City Hall. If you're a resident of Park Ridge, we hope you'll join us at the city council meeting and voice your support.
The City of Park Ridge engaged Ride Illinois and Active Transportation Alliance as a bike planning consultant in the spring of 2017. The project involves an update to the original bike plan Ride Illinois created for the community in 2005 which was never fully implemented. The new, revised plan includes suggestions for a denser bike network, as well as non-infrastructure campaigns that will encourage more Park Ridge residents to ride.
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| Still Time to Apply for our Bike Safety Quiz Program |
Ride Illinois was recently awarded a $55,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation's Injury Prevention Program to promote bicycle safety education in schools, driver education programs, and police departments. The grant will be used to incentivize schools and police departments to routinely use BikeSafetyQuiz.com in their classroom curricula, officer trainings, and community enforcement campaigns.
Program participants that successfully implement the quiz by September 2018 will receive cash awards. Our goal is to engage: - 50 high schools and driver education programs and award up to $250 each
- 40 elementary schools and award up to $250 each
- 25 police departments and award up to $300 each
While many applications have already been received, and the vast majority will be accepted into the program, there's still time to apply or help us urge your local school to apply!
If your local schools are not on our list of current applicants, we invite you to download and share our informational letters with your schools' principals, drivers ed or physical education teachers. It's easy for schools to apply, participate, and become eligible for a cash award! |
| Join us at the National Bike Summit and Lobby Day |
and led Illinois' delegation of advocates on Lobby Day where we meet with our Senators and Representatives and ask them to protect federal funding for bicycling. With a major infrastructure bill on the horizon, it is more important than ever that we present a strong voice for bicycling on Capitol Hill! If you are planning on attending the National Bike Summit, please contact us to be a part of our Illinois delegation on Lobby Day.
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| 2018 Grand Illinois Bike Tour Is Filling Up Fast! |
Join us June 10-15 for the 16th annual Grand Illinois Bike Tour. The 2018 route will feature historic Lincoln sites in central Illinois, with great bicycling on quiet roads and trails. Our unforgettable six-day ride will make a 250 mile loop starting and ending in Clinton, with overnight stops in Lincoln, Springfield (2 nights), and Decatur (2 nights). Choose between our camping and motel options and enjoy evenings filled with good food and fellowship with riders hailing from around the country. Watch a video from this year's tour to hear from our past riders.
The ride is limited to 225 riders and only 8 spots remain! Register today!
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| Members Receive our Annual Ride Mailing in March |
| Every year, Ride Illinois helps to promote invitational rides coordinated by our affiliated bike clubs, charities, and other organizations throughout the state.
We're in the midst of preparing our annual ride mailing which includes brochures from many organized bike rides taking place around Illinois. Many of the rides are single-day, on a weekend, on relatively quiet rural roads, with a variety of mileage options. Some rides attract dozens, many others bring in hundreds, and a few range from 1,000 to 20,000 riders!
Know of a great ride in your area that should be included in the packet? Encourage them to participate or email us their info.
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| Ride Illinois is currently hiring for two part-time positions, a Membership Manager and a Marketing & Communications Manager. If you're passionate about our mission to make bicycling better in Illinois and have at least 3-5 years of professional experience in membership, marketing, or communications, check out our job postings.
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| Upcoming Rides and Events |
| FEBRUARY
Chicago Area Bike Dealers Association's Trade-Only Show Feb. 14-15 Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center
MARCH St. Patrick's Day Ride Wheeling Wheelman March 18, 8 am - 1 pm Wauconda |
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