May 24, 2025 Secret scenic road: Callahan Road in Lake County West Lake County is a great place for peaceful scenic roads and a pocket of road riding opportunities. My money road out here is Callahan Road out of Wauconda.
May 21, 2025 4 bridge/underpass projects happening: Mount Prospect, Streamwood, Barrington, Elk Grove Four major bridge or underpass projects important to bicyclists in the northwest suburbs are happening now and next year. Here’s a peek at what they look like.
May 16, 2025 Schaumburg’s move to off-road paths: Updates on Salem, Walnut, Martingale There was movement this week in Schaumburg’s efforts to add off-road paths, including a key change in construction happening right now and a new step away from bike lanes.
May 9, 2025 ‘Paths to the paths,’ be patient and keep going: Bike summit takeaways I attended the Illinois Bike & Walk Summit in Springfield, and not surprisingly, I found scores of like-minded people with common messages on making bicycling safer and persevering.
May 9, 2025 Work (major work?) coming to bumpy Busse Woods Trail Some needed patchwork is coming to the Busse Woods Trail in the northwest suburbs, and after that, major repaving could happen.
May 1, 2025 May is National Bike Month: What’s happening in the Chicago area A lot goes on in the Chicago area for National Bike Month, including commuting challenges and a bike-to-school day. Here’s a summary and list of suburban events.
April 30, 2025 Is Cook County removing all the bollards at bike trail intersections? We on our bike club noticed that on the Poplar Creek Trail bollards have been removed and strips of new pavement laid down in their place. Is this a Cook County trend?
April 23, 2025 What the East Branch DuPage River Trail survey is about Anybody who wants to ride the proposed East Branch DuPage River Trail, or even near it, can take the survey about it. Here’s what’s in the slightly competing proposals.
April 17, 2025 Vacation planning: Which national parks are really bike-friendly? I know that Grand Teton is an awfully bike-friendly national park for vacationing bicyclists. What about the other ones? Here’s what I know so far from my visits.
April 16, 2025 Spring break: Why the Tetons are great for Chicago-area bicyclists I just got back from Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming — a national park that accommodates bicyclists well. Is this the perfect national park for us Chicagoans?
April 9, 2025 Road work in Schaumburg: Eliminating bike lanes in favor of off-road paths Neighborhood road construction in Schaumburg includes plans to remove bike lanes and widen sidewalks to make off-road paths. But the shift was debated and is not necessarily permanent.
March 20, 2025 ‘Bike Vessel’ documentary: Where exactly father and son rode, and ride, in the Chicago area The stars of the documentary “Bike Vessel” have talked only generally about their route from St. Louis to Chicago. So how exactly did they ride from Joliet to Chicago’s lakefront?
March 16, 2025 Road project in Lake County: Two new Darrell Road roundabouts One good Lake County road will be closed off in spots again this year as two new roundabouts will be built, with a new bike path included. Here’s what the Darrell Road project looks like.
March 13, 2025 Play the wind! How to bike in the suburban and exurban breezes March is the time of year when we’re venturing back out on our bikes. Unfortunately, it’s also the time for wind. That requires some strategy and techniques — no trash bags, please.
March 6, 2025 Daylight life-saving time: Should you always ride your bike with lights on? Daylight saving time is returning. That means more sunshine for late-day bicyclists! But the question of using daytime running lights isn’t quite settled. What research and laws say.
February 27, 2025 Great ride: Sheridan Road through the North Shore suburbs If you live on or near the North Shore, you know how great Sheridan Road is to ride. Here’s my little video tour of this fantasyland in the North Shore suburbs on a June day.
February 25, 2025 Priority projects that can help bicyclists: Old McHenry Road, Randall Road, Gougar Road A list of big transportation projects gaining priority for funding includes three in the far suburbs — one north, one west, one south — that include new bike trails.
February 21, 2025 Dreaming of summer on Lake Michigan: Riding Lake Shore Drive in Michiana We survived the cold snap, but I’m still dreaming of summer, like my road trip last August to Michiana and another Lake Shore Drive.
February 19, 2025 Dreaming of summer on Lake Michigan: See the sunrise during Bike the Drive Until summer’s here again, let’s imagine riding on Chicago’s DuSable Lake Shore Drive with no cars on it and the sun still rising.
February 18, 2025 Cook County taking input on dangerous streets: What stats say Cook County has been kicking the 2025 portion of its Safety Action Plan into gear by collecting input on streets that are dangerous for bicyclists and pedestrians.
