The Tri-County Regional Planning Commission is pedaling forward on the bike plan that aims to connect routes in Peoria, Tazewell and Woodford Counties.
TCRPC Executive Director Eric Miller says part of the Heart of Illinois Regional Bicycle Plan includes extending the Rock Island Trail in Peoria southward to Park Ave.
“We look at the Rock Island Trail as kind of the backbone of the trail network, and it extends to the Riverfront, and across the river to East Peoria and up through Morton,” Miller said.
Currently, the trail stops abruptly at Harvard Ave., just north of War Memorial Dr. That has been the source of confusion and frustration from cyclists.
Miller says the next phase of the plan awaits approval from I-DOT before designs and funding can be finalized. Upgrades to bike routes in Peoria are estimated to cost $406,000.
City traffic design engineer Nick Stoffer says for bicycling to become a viable option for getting around, the region needs more connections to the trail network -- and a visible biking community.
“Get the number of bicyclists out there, the more people see bicycles out there in the paths that we make, their comfort zone, I think it’ll help encourage drivers to be more accepting of that behavior," Stoffer said. "It’s going to be a community mindset change.”
The proposed regional bike plan also includes connecting Washington Middle School to surrounding residential areas with a multi-use path that would run parallel to Cruger Rd. Washington's plan is estimated to cost $418,000, Miller said.
The next Bike Connect HOI: Regional Bike Plan Steering Committee meeting is Thurs. at 4pm.
Miller says the group will discuss other possible connections to the region’s bike network, in hopes of linking communities in the Tri-County region.
