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Greetings
Hello {{First Name}},
It’s been a busy and exciting time for Ride Illinois! From a strong and inspiring showing at our recent Bike & Trail Lobby Day, to being out and about in communities across Illinois, real momentum is building for better biking, walking, and rolling. The best part – we’re just getting started!
With new partnerships, more events on the horizon, and growing energy across the state, there’s plenty ahead of us this year – and we’d love to have you in the center of it. If you're not yet a member – or if it's time to renew – now is the perfect time to get involved. Joining Ride Illinois is a simple, meaningful way to contribute to safer streets, stronger communities, and better biking throughout the state.
The more voices we have, the stronger our message becomes! Please click the button below to contribute.
Ride Illinois has maintained our Three-Star rating from Charity Navigator for 2026. You can support us with confidence 👏👏👏
Ride Illinois is proud of our accomplishments and transparency with the public and our members. We maintain our Charity Navigator profile to summarize the impact that contributions help us achieve.
Friday, April 17 was affectionately referred to as “Deadline Day” – the third reading deadline for legislators in both the Illinois Senate and House of Representatives to pass bills out of the chamber in which they originated. It was also the date of Ride Illinois’ 2026 Bike & Trail Lobby Day. Thanks to all who join us in Springfield to meet with their legislators to discuss important legislation and topics. Many constructive conversations were held over the course of one action-packed day!
The Latest from Springfield
Ride Illinois continues to work closely with our lobbyist, elected officials, and partners on priority legislation. Both SB3336 and HB4948 have cleared major hurdles! These bills will soon be discussed in committee in the second chamber. A recent update is available on our News page.
👉 Stay tuned to Ride Illinois email and social media for relevant updates, requests to submit witness slips, and to complete Action Alerts!
Education & Safety
Bike, Walk, Micromobility Curriculum for Illinois Schools
Ride Illinois is a key member of a working group that will develop curriculum for use in Illinois schools as soon as spring 2027. This important initiative aims to teach students life skills: safe walking, biking, and use of micromobility. Ride Illinois is pleased to partner with the Illinois Secretary of State, Illinois State Board of Education, and Illinois High School and College Drivers Ed Association on this effort!
More to come on this exciting opportunity for generational change in how Illinoisans navigate their communities!
June 5-7: League Cycling Instructor Seminar
Interested in teach safe cycling skills to adults and children? Ride Illinois is hosting a League Cycling Instructor (LCI) Seminar on June 5-7 in cooperation with the City of Evanston. The fee for registration is $425. Ride Illinois members receive a 10% discount! Contact elizabeth@rideillinois.org with questions.
Environment & Awareness
NEW Ride Illinois Website
Ride Illinois has been developing a new website for the past few months. The old website served us well for about 12 years, but it was time for an upgrade. The new website is live and includes features such as:
✅ Mobile-friendly interface ✅ Accessibility assistant ✅ Translation to the 10 most popular languages spoken in Illinois ✅ Helpful Advocacy, Education, and Awareness content ✅ A variety of ways to support nonprofit bike advocacy in Illinois ✅ The Illinois Bicycle Calendar – a useful public resource
Get to Know: Springfield Bicycle Club
The Springfield Bicycle Club is a 380+ member club made up of riders from all over the Springfield, IL and surrounding area. They welcome all types of cyclists and offer a variety of group rides. Whether you’re a complete beginner or have years of experience, it’s likely you’ll find a group ride to suit your style. Their riding season generally runs from late April to October. In addition to group rides, the SBC offers summer riding programs for both road and gravel.
Infrastructure
Project Spotlight: Englewood Nature Trail
The proposed Englewood Nature Trail project is the result of extensive public input that in 2014 led to the Chicago Plan Commission's adoption of the Green Healthy Neighborhoods Plan, which envisions the trail serving as the spine of an urban agriculture district that occupies adjacent land, along with other productive uses. The rail line runs east-west along an elevated berm, crossing 26 viaducts. After years of waiting, Chicago will soon break ground on a new 1.8-mile 'nature trail in the sky' on the south side.
Article: Painted Bike Lanes on Dangerous Roads
For millions of Americans, it's not only that bike lanes in their community don't feel safe, they often aren't safe. A new study in the Journal of Cycling and Micromobility Research puts data behind that discomfort, finding that roughly 61% of paint-only bike lanes in the United States are located on “high-stress” roads — fast, multi-lane corridors where traffic speed and volume make riding uncomfortable for most people.
During the recent Ride Illinois Annual Member Meeting, members in attendance approved a slate of three accomplished individuals to fill open seats on the organization’s Board of Directors.
Ride Illinois is fortunate that Shawn Gossman, Charles Kay, and Valerie Kramer are now serving the nonprofit organization and Illinois residents in this role. They join twelve other directors who currently serve on the Ride Illinois board – a knowledgeable, strategic, determined team.
This book has been out for a few years, but remains relevant. In this revelatory book, Jesse Singer tracks accidental death in America from turn of the century factories and coal mines to today’s urban highways, rural hospitals, and Superfund sites. Drawing connections between traffic accidents, accidental opioid overdoses, and accidental oil spills, Singer proves that what we call accidents are hardly random. Rather, who lives and dies by an accident in America is defined by money and power.
💡What bike-related books or podcasts do you recommend? From epic adventures to practical advice, to the benefits of biking, there are plenty of options! Send your suggestions to info@rideIllinois.org.
Generosity
Affiliated Clubs & Community Organizations
This month we’ve been very fortunate to have the support of Illinois Valley Wheelm'n and the City of Batavia Active Transportation Advisory Commission for their generous support of Ride Illinois’ mission. Join me in extending a warm appreciation to our recent supporters and all our other wonderful affiliated clubs and organizations!
👉 Click here to learn about generous clubs and community orgs.
Corporate Members
We’re excited to welcome our newest corporate member: Taxman, Pollock & Bekkerman to the Ride Illinois Community! Their commitment to supporting safer streets and advocacy for people who ride bicycles aligns with Ride Illinois’ work and we’re very grateful for their support.
Our corporate members play a vital role in our work, join us in extending a sincere thank you to all of our Corporate Members. If you’re a business owner – or work for a company that shares our values – become a Ride Illinois Corporate Member.
Corporate Membership is a great fit for businesses of all sizes, and we’d love to add to the growing list of civic-minded business that support us.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) established the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) competitive grant program with $5 billion in appropriated funds over 5 years, 2022-2026. The SS4A program funds regional, local, and Tribal initiatives through grants to prevent roadway fatalities and serious injuries. Approximately $1 billion is still available for the next round. Application deadline is May 26, 2026.
Bike Safety Quiz Mini-Grants
Illinois schools can receive $2 per student (up to $2,000 per school per grant year) for completing one of Ride Illinois' quizzes. The funding covers school staff time to assign Ride Illinois' free, online quiz as a 15-30 minute assignment. Reimbursement is based on the number of students who complete a quiz in the 2025-2026 school year.
Metro East Park and Recreation District (MEPRD)
The FY2026 Grant Cycle offers four unique funding opportunities for qualifying applicants in Madison and St. Clair Counties, IL. Each grant opportunity is listed below by program name and status. Eligible applicants can receive up to one MEPRD award per grant program, per fiscal year. Application deadline is May 29, 2026.
Illinois Transportation Enhancement Program (ITEP)
The application window for ITEP Cycle 17 includes $157M in funding is available with a maximum of $5M per project. Project applications must be submitted through the ITEP application portal which opens on August 1, 2026 and ends October 5, 2026.
Illinois Bicycle Calendar
🗓 Our handy online calendar includes organized or charity rides, advocacy events, education courses, races, community slow rolls, and other bike-related happenings.
Want to add your ride or event to the Illinois Bicycle Calendar? It’s so easy! Visit the Illinois Bicycle Calendar and click the yellow button on right side of the screen to complete our brief form.
Below are a few rides and events that we think you'll appreciate:
Board members, Kaci and Rudy, represented Ride Illinois at a recent Earth Day Green Fair (L) and the board met in Springfield for their quarterly meeting (R).
