With holidays approaching, my annual book reviews offer suggestions for biking gift lists, your own or others. First, however, positive bicycling news: League of American Bicyclists recently awarded official Bicycle Friendly University status to three Illinois institutions on Nov. 13, including Elgin’s Judson University.

If the past is any predictor, more than 70,000 Illinois students will learn bicycling safety this school year through the Bike Safety Quiz developed by Ride Illinois, the statewide nonprofit bike advocacy organization.

As the weather turns colder, many suburban bike clubs’ activities transition to volunteer efforts such as roadside cleanups and food drives, along with meetups known as “zero mile rides.”

Visible are bike rodeos, community rides, and bike information booths. Behind the scenes are the unsung community heroes - local volunteers planning, organizing and often staffing various events.

Cook County has awarded grants totaling over $1.5 million for biking infrastructure projects in several suburbs and the Forest Preserves of Cook County.

The Active Transportation Alliance’s Bike the Drive event, coming up on Aug. 31, gives cyclists a chance to bike on Lake Shore Drive without cars.

Easterseals DuPage and Fox Valley marks the 10th anniversary of Bike for the Kids, a community festival where riders, teams, and advocates support adaptive biking experiences and pediatric therapies for children with disabilities.

Electric bikes and scooters are gaining popularity, leading to municipal ordinances regulating their use. Ride Illinois released guidelines hoping to introduce uniformity across communities.

Illinois has allocated $139.2 million for biking and walking infrastructure projects over the next four years.

Several new Illinois bills improve biking and pedestrian safety, including requirements for e-bike battery safety standards and fatal crash studies to protect vulnerable road users.