House bill would help Illinois cities be more “bicycle friendly”

Posted on March 6, 2021
State Rep. Anna Moeller (D-Elgin) says for exercise, the economy, and the environment, bicycles are a winner. (Dave Dahl/WJBC)

 

By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – Cities would have an easier time getting bike lanes and sidewalks put in, under a bill advancing in the Illinois House.

State Rep. Anna Moeller (D-Elgin) says for exercise, the economy, and the environment, bicycles are a winner.

“Under current practice, if a community wants to have a sidewalk or a bike lane as part of state road expansion, they would have to pay twenty percent of the cost,” Moeller says. “For many smaller communities with smaller budgets, that’s a deal-breaker. They can’t afford that.”

Moeller’s bill, which has passed a committee, would have IDOT pick up all the costs.

HB 270 has passed the House Transportation: Regulations, Roads, and Bridges Committee.

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]

Blogs

Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all

By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year.  It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …

Is federal mobilization the answer?

By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city.   Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…

In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans

By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…

Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life

Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University.   We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk.  Going to work every day for some people means…