McHenry County plans to widen Rakow Rd to 5 lanes by 2010. Currently, there is a 4-foot wide shoulder that bicyclists use today on this busy road. Once the road is widened, there will be no shoulder and no bike path! At least they're leaving a 10 foot shelf for future MUP creation, but it is needed now. I see bikes riding on the shoulder in the mornings all the time where cars are going by at 55 mph (in a 45 zone). Aside from the 5-lane US-14 going through Crystal Lake, Rakow Rd is the only other east/west route that many people use to get across town or to the
McHenry County Prairie Trail, which connects to the
Illinois Prairie Path.
The
McHenry County Bicycle Advocates have submitted a petition signed by 227 people urging the county board to include the bike path in the construction plans for 2009/10. The county actually asked Crystal Lake and Lake in the Hills to help with the cost of including the bike path but both declined, presumably due to a lack of available budget.
The article appears in the Nov. 23 edition of the Northwest Herald,
here.
1 comment:
It's almost unbelievable that states continue to 'upgrade' transportation infrastructure with absolutely no thought given to modes besides cars and trucks. THis has probably gone through the EIR phase already, but in any case I urge you show up at public meetings and make your case and encourage other cyclists also. Pay attention to meeting agendas to see when this will be discussed.
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