Despite cloudy skies and the threat of rain, event organizers say the inaugural Bike Barrington family bike ride was a great success this Saturday. The community ride was free and open to the public as part a series of new initiatives aimed at making Barrington an even more friendly place for bicyclists and pedestrians.
The Village of Barrington partnered with the Barrington Junior Women’s Club and the Bike & Pedestrian Advisory Committee to host the event, which included activities to promote bike safety plus a 2-mile bike ride starting at Barrington’s Village Hall.
Nurses from Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital were there giving away 300 bike helmets and helping make sure they were fitted properly for each cyclist.
Village Cycle Sport offered free bike checks and prizes.
And Heinen’s Fine Foods manager, Neal Farren and Wellness Expert, Kadi Shipley were on hand, helping riders fuel up with healthy snacks, Bananas and water.
About 120 people registered to take part in the activities and Barrington’s Police Department led about 60 bikers, of all ages, on the ride down Station Street and Dundee Avenue to promote proper riding techniques in a street setting.
Village of Barrington Economic & Community Development Planner, Kevin Kramer, played a big role in organizing Bike Barrington and says hosting more bike-themed events is just a small piece of the community’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Plan, an initiative adopted by the Village of Barrington last October. The Bike and Pedestrian Advisory Committee helped draft that plan with a focus on finding ways to improve safety and ease of access for people who enjoy walking and biking in Barrington.
The committee advising the Village is looking at a combination of ways to promote pedestrian and bike safety in Barrington, including improvements to intersections for pedestrians and cyclists, added signage, more crosswalks and striping for more bike lanes on streets in the Village.
They will also be putting larger-scale, longer-term plans into place, some of which will will require inter-governmental funding.
The Village recently secured an $800,000 federal grant through an Illinois Department of Tranasportation enhancement program, for example, to add a path for bikes & pedestrians on Main Street and and Hart Road outside Barrington High School. Kevin says they won’t break ground until the project makes it through engineering and construction phases, but it’s just one example of the improvements we can expect through this new local initiative with a renewed focus on cycling.
“I think there’s a lot of momentum right now for bikes. And, especially with gas prices a little bit higher, we want to give more people in Barrington who want to come downtown for events, the opportunity to safely ride down to Cruise Nights or the Farmers Market, for example, without having to drive, park and walk.”
“The goal is to make Barrington more bike friendly and to connect Barrington not only to itself so that a resident from the north side of town can get down to Beese Park on their bike, but also to connect Barrington to other towns so that residents here can safely bike down to communities like Schaumburg or even Chicago, for example.”
Barrington currently has one mile of bike lane, eight-tenths of a mile of shared use path, and many miles of recommended streets for bike riding.
Outside of the village, there are more than 17 miles of off-street paths within the park district and forest preserve immediately adjacent to Barrington. That includes 13 miles in the Deer Grove Forest Preserve, 4 miles in Cuba Marsh and another mile-and-a-half in and around Citizens Park. And they’re all mapped out on Barrington’s Bikeways map…
CLICK HERE for a larger map that you can print out and keep handy for your next bike ride in Barrington.
Kevin Kramer says, based on the turnout and early feedback from the Village’s first ever Bike Barrington community ride, they’ll likely turn the ride into an annual event.
“Biking is a lot of fun and I think people are starting to realize again that getting their families out on a Saturday or Sunday morning is a great time to ride and the option to ride safely is just another great amenity that’s part of life here in Barrington.”
