• Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to note a new location for the Adaptive Cycling Night from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 15. The new location is the parking lot of Otter Cove Aquatic Park, 3615 Campton Hills Dr., St. Charles.

The Kane Kendall Council of Mayors will be partnering with several local agencies, non-profits, and municipalities to host the first annual KKCOM Bike Week.

“Bike Week is a celebration of everything bikes!” said Ryan Peterson, transportation planner for the Kane County Division of Transportation. “It’s a week-long celebration throughout Kane and Kendall county that will bring together bike advocates through coordinated events and public demonstrations to encourage more permanent bicycle infrastructure and programming.”

The purpose of Bike Week is to start a larger conversation among residents of participating municipalities about the role of biking in their communities and the positive benefits that it can offer. Officially, Bike Week will be hosted from May 13-19, 2019. However, there are events that will take place during the entire month of May.

Local governments, park districts, forest preserves, bicycle advocacy groups, and non-profit organizations were invited to participate in the first annual Bike Week in a variety of different ways.

The most popular form of participation is creating temporary bicycle infrastructure during Bike Week to re-imagine how roadways would look and function if more design considerations given to cyclists.

Temporary infrastructure examples include temporary bike lanes; removing automobile parking and replacing it with bike parking; wayfinding signage; creating a pedestrian/bicycle-only street; and/or adding sharrows to a street.

However, some participants have chosen to create programming opportunities during Bike Week. Examples of programming opportunities include bike safety classes, bike rodeos for younger age groups, bike tours, group bike rides, or bike repair classes.

Communities and organizations are still able to participate in Bike Week if they are interested. There is no fee to participate in Bike Week, as one of the main objectives of Bike Week is inclusivity, both for residents and sponsors.

Below is a list of all the participating communities and organizations:

City of Batavia

The city of Batavia will be implementing permanent sharrow markings along some of their busiest roads during Bike Week.

In addition, the Batavia Bicycle Commission will create safety videos to educate automobile drivers and bicyclists on how to safely share the road.

City of Aurora

The city of Aurora will be implementing several temporary infrastructure elements during Bike Week.

The city will be creating a two-way temporary bike lane on the east side of River Street from North Avenue to Spruce Street to act as a bypass during the construction near the Fox River Trail.

In addition, they will be removing parking near Aurora’s Restaurant Row (West New York Street) and converting it to an outdoor community space. Be sure to stop by Restaurant Row on Saturday to take part in the community chalk drawing event.

All cyclists who stop by Endiro Coffee will receive a discount on their order. All Spoked Up will be providing free bicycle safety checks and discounts on accessories during Bike Week.

City of Elgin / Elgin Bike Hub

The Elgin Bike Hub will be hosting a number of events before and during Bike Week.

The festivities start on May 8 with Bike to School Day. They’re also putting together a number of other events, including Cyclofemme,

Ride of Silence/Blessing of the Bicycles, Bike to Work Day, Full Moon Ride, and Bike Elgin Ride. Check out the Elgin Bike Hub website for more information!

Project Mobility & The Bike Rack

Project Mobility and The Bike Rack are partnering to host an Adaptive Cycling Night from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 15, in the parking lot of Otter Cove Aquatic Park, 3615 Campton Hills Dr., St. Charles.

Folks interested in attending the event should note that the location has been changed to the Otter Cove Park from its original site at the Prairie Green Community Gardens in Geneva due to inclement weather eroding the limestone paths at Prairie Green.

Project Mobility will provide specialized bikes suited for a wide range of disabilities. Hal Honeyman, of Project Mobility, will be at the event to help interested riders get fitted for a bike and test out the bikes in the parking lot and nearby trails.

In addition, The Bike Rack will also be providing electric assist bikes, electric assist attachments, and new bike models to test at the event.

The event is free and no registration is required.

Geneva History Museum

The Geneva History Museum will be offering historical bike tours throughout Bike Week.

Tour-goers will experience the scenic Fox River, Fabyan Forest Preserve, and historic downtown on their seven mile tour. The tour is $25 per person, which includes a bike rental from Mill Race Cyclery, or $15 if you bring your own bike.

The tour includes a goodie bag full of Geneva shopping and dining offers. Sign up for the tour at their website.

Elgin History Museum

The Elgin History Museum has prepared a self-guided biking tour that residents and visitors can experience at their own pace while they take in some of Elgin’s most historical sites!

Kane Kendall Council of Mayors Bike & Pedestrian Committee

The next KKCOM Bike & Pedestrian meeting will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, May 9, at the Forest Preserve District of Kane County Headquarters, 1996 S. Kirk Road, Suite 320, Geneva.

With the recent emergence of shared mobility technologies throughout the country, KKCOM will be hosting several shared mobility companies that specialize in these technologies to better inform our municipalities and residents about their services.

There will be four companies presenting and demonstrating their technologies/vehicles at the meeting: Spin, Via, Mike’s E-Bikes, and Zagster.

All are welcome to attend the meeting.

Kane Kendall Council of Mayors

The staff from the Kane Kendall Council of Mayors will be putting together a month-long challenge in May to track how many miles that the staff and residents of Kane & Kendall County bike.

The challenge will be conducted using the Endomondo app, which is a social fitness app used to track cycling mileage using GPS data. Bike commutes and workouts can also be entered manually into the app or website.

All are welcome to join the competition, and it’s free to join. To sign up for the challenge, download the Endomondo app and search for the challenge.

Residents can contact Ryan Peterson, Kane County’s Bike & Pedestrian Coordinator, at petersonryan@co.kane.il.us with questions or comments regarding Bike Week.