The Illinois Bike Transportation Plan has the potential to impact the design of state roads in the purview of the Illinois Department of Transportation: 2,775 miles, or nine percent of the total mileage, of road in the Chigagoland region.
John Greenfield reports on the release of the Illinois Bike Transportation Plan, which is being touted by bike and pedestrian advocates as a new direction for the Illinois Department of Transportation.
“The bike plan focuses on the design and management of state roads, as well as the distribution of federal and state transportation money to Illinois municipalities. Improving state roads could go a long way towards making biking and walking safer, since these highways are often overly wide, with multiple lanes and high-speed traffic,” writes Greenfield.
In addition, “IDOT design manuals will be updated to reflect modern standards for accommodating biking and walking, which should increase the quantity and quality of bike facilities incorporated into state road projects. And the plan calls for hiring a full-time bike and pedestrian coordinator to work within the agency to ensure these modes are accommodated.”
Already, “the Active Transportation Alliance heralded the release of the bike plan…as a sign of IDOT’s growing commitment to improving conditions for non-motorized transportation.”
FULL STORY: Could IDOT Bike Plan Represent a Turning Point for the Car-Centric Agency?
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
5 New England states march closer to 800 megawatt wind energy project
Securing federal approval for the project may be complicated under the Trump administration, which has historically been hostile towards domestic wind power.
Baltimore to break ground on $50 million Transit Priority Project
The project will bring faster bus trips, safer streets and better bike connections to Baltimore.
Airbnb launches $250 million 'last-dollar financing' housing accelerator, makes first investment in Austin
The company will put $6.4 million towards affordable housing development in Texas’ capital.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association