From a “Bicycling” point of view, our City of Warrenville has taken a giant step forward by the creation of the Warrenville Bicyclists and Pedestrian Commission. (WBPAC) The Commission had its first meeting in December of 2006.
The commission’s predecessor, the Warrenville Bicycle Advisory Committee, (WBAC), had a list of accomplishments including:
o Establishing Warrenville Business Database
o Developing Warrenville Client Database
o Developing Bike Day Participants Database
o Conducting a Bridge Inventory
o Conducting a Survey of Warrenville Business
o Reviewed plans and submitted comments for Warrenville Road
o Presented Bike Day event with Warrenville Park District and Police Explorers
o Arranged for $5000 allocation in City Budget for signing and striping of bike lanes
The group also acquired a number of resources including Municipal Bike plans for Batavia, Geneva, and other municipalities.
So, 2007 has been WBPAC’s inaugural year. The Commission is made up of a Chair and four Commissioners, a Council and staff liaison. They meet once a month on the first Tuesday of the month. Alan Gard is Chairman, and the following is taken from his annual report.
Accomplishments are many. The Commission’s first meeting began with a review of the League of American Bicyclists Bicycle Friendly Communities application. This gave the Commission a good foundation on how to proceed with their mission.
The Commission’s major focus this year was constructing a citywide bikeway plan. This plan is the first step towards getting a Bicycle Friendly designation and will fit well in the Council’s Sub-area and strategic plans. The Commission gathered sample plans from other communities. Each Commissioner took responsibility to research and develops a part of the plan. This work is ongoing.
The City’s second annual Bike Rodeo, planned and executed by the Commission was a huge success. About 70 children participated, attendance was steady throughout the event, and in addition, over 40 bicycles were donated to the Working Bikes Cooperative.
A number of citizen concerns Citizen Concerns were fielded by the Commission at their meetings. One resulted with the recommendation by the Commission to City Council to add signage at Route 59 and Batavia Road that states, “No Right Turn When Pedestrians Present.” In addition, they had City staff investigate other measures that would improve safety at that intersection. Research regarding another citizen safety complaint is ongoing..
The Commission recommended and Council accepted striping along Continental Drive. While not specifically a bike lane, this striping allows bicyclists to bike in an area that increases their safety.
Research continues on potential grant opportunities. The commission supported staff by reviewing and providing input on the Safe Routes to School grant application.
A number of regional transportation and bicycle plans were updated this year. WBPAC reviewed and provided input on the County’s bikeway plan update and IDOT’s transportation plan update. They also reviewed the City’s sidewalk plan and the Sub-area plan as well as participating in the Strategic planning process.
Some huge goals lie ahead for the Commission in 2008. Their work will continue to on the bikeway plan.\, hosting another successful Bike Rodeo, continue to review requirements of the Bicycle Friendly designation making appropriate recommendations, and review citizen concerns and work for resolutions.