Bicycle friendly: Downers Grove volunteers map local bike racks to boost cycling culture

“Knowing where to secure one’s bike safely before riding.”

Nanci Gasiel succinctly captured the reasoning behind the Downers Grove bike parking project now underway. Along with residents Bill Chalberg and Steve Ruffolo, as well as several village staff, Gasiel volunteered to help identify and prioritize an active mobility project.

This project results from the League of American Bicyclists selecting Downers Grove — one of only five U.S. communities — to participate in its newly launched Active Mobility Leadership Lab. This biking-related training program provides planning tools for communities achieving or aspiring to Bicycle Friendly Community status.

The Downers Grove group set two goals: Developing a complete bicycle parking inventory and establishing a village bike parking standard, informed by the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals.

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funds LAB’s training program in support of its Active People, Healthy Nation Initiative, which initiative aims to help 27 million Americans become more physically active by 2027. Per the CDC, regular physical activity can help reduce the risk of at least 20 chronic diseases and conditions.

Earlier this year, LAB conducted virtual training with representatives of the five communities. Each had established a working group to apply the planning process to brainstorm/rank local project possibilities.

Amelia Neptune, LAB’s director of Bicycle Friendly America, spearheads the Active Mobility Leadership Lab with three training staff. She has worked on other health and physical activity projects as part of LAB’s ongoing CDC partnership.

“The whole reason the CDC funds this bicycle work,” Neptune said, “is because physical activity is a good way to improve one’s health. It’s important to make it routine by incorporating physical activity into one’s daily life.”

The four other participating communities are Bowling Green, Kentucky; Wichita Falls, Texas; Fairbanks, Alaska; and Springdale, Ohio. LAB intended to start small in this pilot year, but with a broad geography, according to Neptune. Populations ranged from Springdale’s 11,000 residents to Wichita Falls’ 100,000. Training was free.

Emily Ericson, transportation manager in the Downers Grove Engineering Department, led their group which included Sustainability Coordinator Jason Michnick, Planning Manager Jason Zawila, and Engineering Manager Stephanie Graves.

In early 2026, Ericson had applied for this program as follow-up to the village’s April 2025 Active Transportation Plan. A professional planner, she researched how to achieve a key goal of that plan: that Downers Grove is known for and celebrates an active transportation culture.

Coalition building

“I saw the Active Mobility Leadership Lab as an opportunity to build a coalition through creating a Downers Grove working group that could own a specific piece of the Active Transportation Plan implementation process,” Ericson said.

The Downers Grove Active Mobility Action Plan focuses on a comprehensive inventory of bike parking, public and private. Public parking covers all village-maintained locations — currently 20 locations at the train stations and in the downtown area. Private parking covers anything else: schools, parks, retail shops, etc. That total is still being collected.

Working group member Steve Ruffolo, former Public Works assistant director and Downers Grove North High School biology teacher, represents Greener Grove, a nonprofit organization focused on multiple sustainability issues.

Ruffolo sees the project as part of a greater sustainability effort for the community.

“It’s a first step in making Downers Grove more bicycle friendly, more welcoming to bikers. A parking inventory will help residents know where to park as they bike somewhere.”

As a bike commuter, Ruffolo’s overall encompassing view is that “Downers Grove becomes a biking destination, not just for kids going to school but community members riding short distances for errands and other local trips.”

Ericson considers the Downers Grove Bicycle Club a key working group element. Longtime club members Bill Chalberg and Nanci Gasiel seemed natural fits as the club’s former and current advocacy chairs, respectively.

Gasiel expects the project will produce a bike parking map that residents can easily use. She also hopes funding plans can be developed to improve substandard bike racks and assist local businesses installing racks for the first time.

“Identifying where to place bike parking, and then doing it, would go a long way to getting people to use a bike within the confines of Downers,” Chalberg said. Additionally, he “would like to see the working group morph into a bike/pedestrian commission guided by LAB’s Bicycle Friendly Community application process.”

Batavia ramp open

Walkers, bikers and officials gathered at the Peace Bridge’s east end July 11 to celebrate the Batavia Peace Pedestrian Ramp’s dedication. Accessible before Memorial Day, it provides a smooth, inclusive, ADA-compliant connection to the lower Fox River Trail, supplementing existing stairs.

In her remarks, city administrator Laura Newman noted the ramp is much more than infrastructure. “It’s making the community more connected, more accessible for everyone.”

Owned by Batavia, it was built utilizing TIF (Tax Increment Financing) funds, according to Public Works Director Andrea Podraza. The Batavia Park District will take it over in the next few weeks. The Peace Bridge itself is a park district facility.

Former Public Works director Gary Holm was all smiles at the event, sharing that the concept originated in 2016, and noting Podraza “had put all the numbers together” to make it happen. Construction began in spring 2025.

New bill

Gov. JB Pritzker signed the Super Speeders Bill (HB4948) June 26. Drivers convicted of reckless driving causing death, or twice convicted of excessive speeding within 12 months, may apply for restricted driving privileges. Their vehicles must be equipped with Intelligent Speed Assistance technology that prevents speeding. This law becomes effective no earlier than Jan. 1, 2028.

• Join the ride. Contact Ralph Banasiak at alongfortheridemail@gmail.com.