NWMC Board Approves Bicycle Plans
2/15/2012 12:02:18 PM
At its meeting on February 8, the Northwest Municipal Conference (NWMC) Board unanimously approved two bicycle plans: The North and Northwest Cook County Bicycle Signage Plan and the Northwest Highway Corridor Bicycle Facilities Plan. The two plans represent key implementation steps from the 2010 NWMC Bicycle Plan. Shortly after the adoption of the NWMC Bicycle Plan in 2010, the NWMC sought and secured grant funding for the two bicycle plans. Under the federal Communities Putting Prevention to Work program and through the Cook County Department of Public Health, the Conference received $66,000 to complete these two plans.
The signage plan recommends a network of wayfinding and destination signs in the Conference's regional bicycle corridors and can be used by municipalities when implementing segments of these routes. It also provides a recommended design for the network of signs and proposes incorporating a website address and smart phone technology on the signs to give riders more information about the full network.
The Northwest Highway plan recommends a series of bike facilities, including sidepaths, bike lanes and signed bike routes to provide a continuous, 20 mile bicycle corridor from Barrington to Park Ridge. The plan includes cross section views of the proposed improvements, cost estimates and an implementation strategy.