Newly created Aurora panel will focus on bicycle, pedestrian safety

Aurora's Bicycle, Pedestrian and Transit Advisory Board was created by the city council Tuesday and already 15 residents have expressed an interest in joining.

Three of those residents addressed the council to make their case as to why the mayor should appoint them to the board. Seven ultimately will be chosen within the next month, Assistant Chief of Staff Alex Voigt said.

Dee Hakala, a city employee, thanked the council for the creation of what she and others have dubbed the "green mile," a bicycle thoroughfare through downtown that was opened earlier this year.

The bright green strip of pavement connects the Fox River Trail north and south of the city so it is now possible to ride from Oswego to Algonquin without a break in the trail.

Hakala said she has had a number of run-ins with cars, including being hit more than once, while riding her bike.

"Thanks for providing a safe way to get through town and also for this advisory board," Hakala said.

David LaSee said he is an avid bicyclist who rides 1,500 miles per year, all on local trails and roads. "I have a good grasp of what's going on in the local transportation scene," he said, adding that he has "read the city of Aurora bicycle and pedestrian plan," a 60-page document the city created in July, 2009.

"We have made big strides downtown since 2009," Fourth Ward Alderman Bill Donnell said.

The downtown bike path was opened this year and the city approved a contract with Zagster to make rental bicycles available at three locations.

Kim Rubis, the third resident to speak Tuesday, said she is a triathlete who has logged more than 1,500 miles on her bike this year, and who has had "a lot of near misses" with other bikes, pedestrians and cars. She said it concerns her many riders do not wear helmets, and that Illinois is among the top states for bicycle fatalities.

After the meeting, Rubis said if she is placed on the board, one of her aims would be education. "There is no helmet law in Illinois," she said, adding that when a Zagster rider rents a bike and rides without a helmet, it is like "giving them the car with no seat belts.

"We can't put a helmet on someone's head, but we can educate them … and we can try to make wearing helmets cool."