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Bike Month Activities
Celebrate Bike Month
Bike Month Around Town
Introduction
Share the Road
Share the Trail
Bike Month Activities
June 5, 2010 – Reuse and Recycle Extravaganza
June 14, 2010 – Naperville Bike Day
- Take the challenge to travel only by bike all day
- Encourage Others, Post a Flier (PDF 138 KB)
- Bike to Metra - Naperville and Route 59 Stations. Receive a gift bag, coupons, biking information, and register your bike
(Sponsored by DuPage County and Active Transportation Alliance)
June 21, 2010 – Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee Meeting
- Become involved with city planned bicycle and pedestrian initiatives, 7 p.m. in Room 247 of the Municipal Center
Summer 2010 – Opening of the DuPage River Trail, Segment 4
Celebrate Bike Month
The city encourages all residents to celebrate biking in June. Here are Ten Ways to Celebrate Biking in Naperville to get you started:
- Perform an ABC Quick Check on your bike to ensure it is in proper working order.
- Visit a local bicycle shop to purchase properly fitting helmets for your family. Naperville bike shops include:
- Bicycles Etc. – 536 S. Route 59
- Bike Line of Naperville – 1277 S. Naper Boulevard
- Endure It Sports – 504 W. 5th Avenue
- Performance Bicycle Shop – 428 S. Route 59, Suite 106
- Spokes Cyclery – 1807 S. Washington Street
- Download the Naperville Biking Map & Guide.
- Take a scenic ride on the DuPage River Trail.
- Hop on your bike, instead of in your car, to run short errands to the grocery store, farmers’ market, post office or library.
- Participate in the Bike to Metra Commuter Challenge on June 14 by biking to the Metra Stations and receive a gift bag. (Sponsored by DuPage County and Active Transportation Alliance)
- Attend the city’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee meeting on June 21 at 7 p.m. to learn more about bicycling in Naperville.
- Register your bicycle with the Naperville Police Department. Registration will help to recover your bike if it is ever lost or stolen.
- Sign up for a Traffic Skills 101 course hosted by the League of American Bicyclists to learn how to ride legally and safely in traffic or on a trail.
- See your share by tracking your rides on the League of Illinois Bicyclists bike log Web site.
Bike Month Around Town
Naperville businesses can join in Bike Month celebrations through the following:
- Compete in the Chicago area Commuter Challenge
(sponsored by Active Transportation Alliance)
- Promote Bike Day on June 14
- Promote Bike Month
- Post messages on outdoor sign boards
- Distribute fliers by email, in health centers or on bulletin boards
- Distribute biking and safety information
- Form a bike club
- Organize a group ride
- Make plans to install secure, accessible bicycle racks
- Make plans to install showers
- Offer an incentive to alternative commuters
- Promote additional bike encouragement initiatives
Did you know?
The City of Naperville was designated as a bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists on May 1, 2009. The Bicycle Friendly Community designation is a prestigious award that recognizes community efforts that actively support and promote cycling. Naperville joins the City of Chicago and the City of Schaumburg as the third community in Illinois to receive a designation.
Learn more on the city’s Bicycle Friendly Community Web Page.
Remember, safety first. Inspect your brakes, chain, and wheels before riding. Wear a helmet. Know the rules of the road and rules of the trail. Ride responsibly and be predictable.
Introduction
Bicycling is not only a great recreational activity, but it can be an environmentally and economically friendly travel alternative to driving. The City of Naperville’s bicycle network includes both on-street and off-street route options. To make full use of the network, bicyclists need to feel safe when using all parts of the system. A safe bicycle environment requires responsible behavior on the part of bicyclists and motorists.
Share the Road
When traveling on-street, a bicycle is granted the same rights and responsibilities as a motor vehicle. It is your responsibility to know the Illinois traffic laws. Read the tips below to learn how to safely share the roadways:
Tips for Motorists
- Drive cautiously
- Expect cyclists on the road and treat them as a slow moving vehicle.
- Reduce speeds when encountering cyclists.
- Allow extra trailing and passing room, especially in inclement weather.
- Be aware when backing up, drive slowly and look carefully.
- Yield to cyclists
- Consider bicycles to be vehicles and give cyclists the appropriate right-of-way for riding and space to adjust to obstacles.
- Understand that cyclists may use the entire lane when hazards, road width or traffic speed dictate the need to do so.
- Allow extra time for cyclists to traverse intersections.
Pass cyclists with care
- Leave at least three feet of space between your car and a cyclist when passing and wait until road and traffic conditions allow you to safely pass.
- Check over your shoulder after passing a cyclist before moving back into normal position.
- Watch for cyclists when turning right, a cyclist may be going straight as you turn right.
- Watch for oncoming cyclists when turning left.
- Be considerate
- Be aware of cyclists and check for them in traffic and at intersections as you would for other motor vehicles.
- Watch for cyclists when opening car doors.
- Do not honk unnecessarily at cyclists. If the need does arise to alert a cyclist, do so at a respectable distance.
Tips for Cyclists
- Ride responsibly, act like a vehicle
- Obey all traffic control devices, such as stop signs, lights and lane markings.
- Always use hand signals to indicate that you are stopping or turning and to communicate with motorists.
- Know your surroundings. Know what is in front of you and what is behind you and be aware of obstacles and hazards.
- Be courteous.
- Ride predictably
- Ride in a straight line and don’t swerve in the road or between parked cars.
- Check for oncoming traffic before entering a street or intersection and plan a line of travel.
- Ride on the right
- Always ride in the same direction as traffic and use the lane furthest to the right that goes in the direction you are traveling.
- Never pass on the right.
- Be visible
- Make eye contact with drivers.
- Wear brightly colored clothing.
- When traveling at night, wear reflective clothing and use a white front light and red rear light or reflector.
- Protect yourself
- Always wear a helmet. Be sure that it is fitted and fastened.
- Inspect your bike before riding. Check the brakes, wheels, tires, gears, chain, lights, and seat.
For additional information on safely sharing the roadways, watch this brief video.
Share the Trail
The City of Naperville offers many miles of off-street shared use trail facilities, including the DuPage River Trail and the Southern DuPage County Regional Trail, for your enjoyment. The shared use trails have been designed for recreational purposes that include biking, walking, jogging, and rollerblading. All trail users are responsible for their own safety and for knowing the rules of the trail. Read the tips below to learn how to safely share the trails:
Tips for Trail Users
- Respect the rights of all trail users
- Be predictable and expect others to be unpredictable.
- Share the trail and prevent pets and children from crossing in front of oncoming trail users.
- Be aware of where you stop. Move off of the trail to allow others to pass.
- Travel on the right
- Stay to the right, pass on the left.
- Be considerate of other trail users and announce “Passing on the left.”
- Yield
- Yield to others when crossing a trail, entering a trail, or merging trails.
- Higher speed trail users yield to lower speed trail users.
Wear a helmet
- Be sure that your helmet is fitted and fastened.
- Preserve the Trails
- Clean up pet waste.
- Dispose of trash in trash receptacles.
- Do not disturb wildlife and fauna.
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