Wheaton parks official sought path at site of fatal bike accident

Rob Sperl felt an uncomfortable sense of familiarity upon reading about a Carol Stream cyclist's death along Pleasant Hill Road on Thursday.

He'd pitched creating a bicycle path along that very stretch of road.

In fact, the Wheaton Park District director of planning last September organized a community meeting to garner support for a districtwide series of paths.

Only 10 people attended.

That stretch of road leading to the widely traveled Illinois Prairie Path has no sidewalks. The gravel shoulder in the unincorporated area outside Wheaton is narrow -- 18 inches at best in some spots.

Walkers and cyclists frequently go against the flow of traffic in the area near Armbrust Road where people are trying to access the Prairie Path, said Patti Adams. She not only lives in the area but owns the Patrick Adams Salon and Spa near Armbrust and Pleasant Hill roads.

That area is where John M. Rigdon, 53, of Carol Stream was hit by a car early Thursday as he rode his bicycle to work.

Rigdon was heading south on the east side of Pleasant Hill, traveling against northbound traffic, when he was hit by a vehicle driven by Davor Jovic, 20, of Winfield.

On Friday, family members said Rigdon usually traveled with traffic but was struck while trying to get to the Prairie Path.

"We know that he was an experienced rider," said Jim DeMarke, Rigdon's brother-in-law. "He rode to work every day."

The DuPage County sheriff's office had no new information to release about the accident Friday.

Sperl said various plans for bikeway paths throughout the park district have been around since the 1970s. He tried to create a new one last year that connected main areas with major parks, points of interest and existing paths.

The plan was presented to city and county officials. A Sept. 18, 2007, meeting was held to get resident reaction.

Ten people attended and eight others asked to be kept informed of the plan's progress. No officials from other agencies attended.

DuPage County Trail System Coordinator Deborah Fagan said a proposed path along Pleasant Hill Road is in the county's long-range plan.

However, Fagan said, the project would require action from the agency that owns the road: Milton Township. Highway officials in Milton Township didn't return calls Friday.

Sperl said ultimately there has to be a sense of buy-in from the overall surrounding community to implement a plan that creates a trail system.

But it seems obvious, he said, that any major attraction like the Prairie Path should be safely accessible.

"It's great to have regional trails, but you have to have a way to get there," he said. "It's disappointing that it takes something like this to get it going."