Palatine bike lane plan takes step forward
Around 19 miles of bike lanes and bike routes will be added to Palatine streets next summer.
The village council on Monday approved a $39,186 payout to Rosemont-based Christopher B. Burke Engineering Ltd. to finalize the design. The lanes will be painted on existing roads, and signs will clearly mark the routes.
Harry Spila, Palatine's director of community services, said that after the civil engineering is complete the project will go to IDOT for bidding in the late winter. He said work will likely begin next spring.
Wayne Mikes, the president of the Bike Palatine Club, was among the people who approached the village in early 2009 about making Palatine more bike-friendly. He acknowledged that it has been awhile since any progress has been made but was grateful that the village council is still interested in moving forward.
"I'm very happy that the village approved it," said Mikes, who also owns Mikes Bike Shop at 155 N. Northwest Hwy. "It is a big step forward."
Mikes said when his group approached the village their ultimate goal was and still remains to create a continuous loop of bike lanes to bring cyclists to downtown Palatine. This plan does not do that, but Mikes said it is a big move in the right direction.