The Tri-County Regional Planning Commission is working with a group of cycling enthusiasts from throughout the region to create what they are calling BikeConnectHOI.
The steering committee of 23 people include representatives of the communities in the tri-county area, the Illinois Department of Transportation and area cycle clubs.
Nick Hayward is a senior planner with the regional planning commission.
“The value of this regional bicycle plan will be to collaborate with communities, collaborate with other bicycle stakeholders to build momentum so that in the future the region can establish new bicycle connections to complete a regional bicycle network,” Hayward said.
Hayward says many of the cities in the Tri-County area already have established bikeways.
It’s a two-part effort. One is to identify future bicycle connections that could be established in the region to connect communities.
“The second primary objective is to identify other actions that could be pursued to help make the Peoria area an even more bicycle friendly region,” Hayward said.
That might include things like educational initiatives and a marketing campaign, Hayward said.
Draft recommendations for the regional bike plan are expected by April with a final plan set for June.
More information about BikeConnect HOI is available here. The group's community feedback portal is here.