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Active Transportation Plan

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Active Transportation Plan is Completed

The Sustainability Task Force presented an overview and funding request for a biking and walking planning study, also known as an active transportation plan, to the Village Board at its September 2017 meeting. The goal of the study was to provide a detailed action plan for potential improvements to biking, walking and transit in the Village; and to place strong emphasis on creating safe connections to important destinations in the Village, including the downtown business district, local parks and schools. The focus on safe connections to important destinations included a review of traffic patterns to school and park facilities, and documentation of safe routes to/from school facilities based on the surrounding streets, roadways and crosswalk configurations. The Park District and District 35 agreed to jointly fund the plan and partner with the Village on this community-wide effort.

The Village, Park District and School District worked collaboratively with the Active Transportation Alliance to develop the plan. To begin the planning process, a steering committee of interested community stakeholders representing a broad spectrum of Glencoe was assembled. Steering committee members included residents and staff from the Village, Park District and School District, including the Village Manager, District 35 Superintendent and Park District Executive Director. 

ATP Planning Process

The steering committee met formally seven times in 2017 to discuss goals and priorities, develop a vision for the plan, identify issues and concerns, and review and approve plan recommendations. A robust program of activities aimed at gaining resident and parent input on barriers to bicycling and walking, as well as identifying key destinations that residents and students might want to reach by bicycle or on foot, was developed. The Active Transportation Alliance solicited input from residents and parents at community events, hosted community meetings, utilized online mapping exercises and surveys, as well as social media outreach, and provided updates to partnering organization websites. 

Key recommendations from the plan include the following:

  • Proposed improvements by major corridor;

  • Proposed improvements to trails, bicycle facilities and sidewalks on local streets;

  •  Proposed intersection improvements on major road and at key school and park crossings;

  • Strategies to implement a community-wide campaign focused on walking and biking to local destinations.

The plan was presented to the District 35 Board on October 4, 2017 and to the Park District Board on October 16, 2017. At the October 18 Committee of the Whole meeting in 2017, the plan was presented to the Village Board which discussed and provided feedback regarding various components of the draft plan. Staff incorporated the recommendations from that feedback into the final draft of the Glencoe Active Transportation Plan.

If you are interested in more information about the study, please contact Jeff Mawdsley, Management Analyst, via email at jmawdsley@villageofglencoe.org or call (847) 461-1141.