Palatine's new bike lanes are smart, safe
Helmets off to Palatine - bike helmets, that is!
Congratulations for making our village more bicycle-friendly with 12 miles of roadway markings - new bike lanes, shared parking/cycling lanes and bike route signage.
This project began nearly seven years ago when Palatine's Bicycle Transportation Plan was revised and then approved in 2011.
Working with village officials, volunteers from the Greater Palatine Bicycling Task Force - now the Bike Palatine Club - and a bike transportation consultant provided input. A $147,000 grant from the Illinois Transportation Enhancement Project, a federal program for community transportation projects, helped pay for the improvements.
As a Bike Palatine Club member, I am proud of our group's support in making Palatine more bike-friendly. As a daily cyclist, I feel safer on the roads with the new lanes and markings - I have my space and vehicles have theirs. Other cyclists have told me the same thing: Bike lanes give them a safer riding experience.
As a motorist, the bike lanes funnel my driving into a definite space on the road. They narrow the roadway visually for me as a driver, so without even thinking about it, my speed lowers, known among transportation engineers as "traffic calming." Moreover, I worry less about where cyclists will ride.
A 2006 Texas study (three major cities, 8000+ events of vehicles passing cyclists) found bike lanes to be safer for drivers, too - there is less overcorrection into oncoming traffic lanes to avoid riders.
Other research finds bike lanes are safer for cyclists since they do less sidewalk riding, where the accident risk increases 25 times. This is due primarily to motorists focusing on street traffic and failing to see cyclists as they cross driveways, intersections, etc.
Great work, Palatine!
Ralph Banasiak
Palatine