Palatine adding 12 miles of bike lanes this month

Work crews will finish painting lane lines to mark 12 miles of new bike routes on Palatine streets this month, a project village officials say will make it easier and safer to pedal around town.

"We are looking forward to making Palatine a more bike friendly community," said Harry Spila, the village's director of community services.

The work will create new dedicated bike lanes, along with shared lanes for bicycling or vehicle parking. The project also includes the installation of signs informing riders of the new routes.

Spila said 80 percent of the project's $185,000 price tag was paid for by a grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation, with the village funding the rest.

"We really have been trying to fund this through grants, whenever grants are available," Spila said. "That's the game plan."

This year's work gets the village almost halfway to their goal of 26 miles of painted bike routes.

The streets getting new lane markings include sections of Illinois Avenue, Sterling Avenue, Wood Street west of Cedar Street, Wilmette Avenue, Winston Drive, Anderson Drive, Carpenter Drive, Cunningham Drive, Old Hicks Road, Gardenia Lane, Baldwin Road, and Colfax Street.

For a map of the current and proposed bike routes, visit www.Palatine.il.us.

According to the village website, feedback from residents regarding any problems encountered as a result of the new lane markings is welcome. Any questions or concerns can be directed to Spila's office at (847) 359-9027.