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Greetings
January is not only the start of the calendar year, but also the start of the Spring Legislative session in Springfield. Keep scrolling to read Ride Illinois' 2024 Annual Report, to learn about our legislative priorities, and to get the latest scoop on the 2025 Illinois Bike & Walk Summit.
Thanks for your interest in Ride Illinois and our mission to make Illinois better through biking! Individual contributions fund our important advocacy, education and awareness efforts.
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FY2024 Annual Report
Ride Illinois’ Annual Reports provide concise summaries of the programs, events, and advocacy efforts from the previous fiscal year and a glimpse at the future. Our FY2024 Annual Report is available at this link.
Advocacy & Legislation
2025 Legislative Priorities
Ride Illinois has established legislative priorities that aim to make it easier and safer for adults and children to ride a bicycle in Illinois, including:
Allowing Municipalities to Reduce Speed Limits
Recognizing Bicyclists as Permitted and Intended Road Users
Including Trikes in Legal Definition of a Bicycle
e-Bike Battery Regulation and OCEVs
Dig deeper into Ride Illinois' legislative priorities in this article.
Transportation Reauthorization and What to Expect
The next federal transportation bill will include funding for a wide range of projects between 2026 and 2030. Discussions about this important bill are underway in Washington D.C. League of American Bicyclists recently hosted a webinar that explains the transportation reauthorization process and what to expect in 2025. Click here to watch the webinar.
Education & Safety
Update: 2025 Illinois Bike & Walk Summit
Planning for the 2025 Illinois Bike & Walk Summit has kicked into high gear! Several generous sponsors have contributed financially, over a dozen proposals have been received, and registration will open next week! Also, we'll be announcing keynote speakers soon. Make plans to join us in Springfield in May for ILBWS25.
Bicyclist-Alert Tech in GM Vehicles
General Motors is making bicyclist-alert technology standard equipment on most of its lineup across its brands, starting with the 2025 model year. GM does not yet have data about the effectiveness of the technology in preventing car-cyclist crashes from vehicles already on the roads because it is still too new. But GM knows that similar systems used to alert drivers to other vehicles has helped reduce crashes by about 45%. Learn more in this article.
Environment & Awareness
Updated E-bike Impact Calculator from RMI
E-bikes can significantly lower the number of vehicle miles traveled (VMT), reducing transportation-related emissions and their negative effects on the environment, public health, and transportation costs.
Rocky Mountain Institute's free E-Bike Environment and Economics Impact Assessment Calculator quantifies these environmental, health, and economic benefits, giving stakeholders critical information they can use to accelerate e-bike adoption, lower overall VMT, and reduce transportation-related emissions. Learn more at this link.
Why is Bicycling So Popular in the Netherlands?
You know that getting out on your bike can be a great way to travel, stay healthy and it's good for the environment. Check out this short video from the BBC that shines a spotlight on reasons that so many people in the Netherlands use bicycles for everyday trips. Feeling inspired?
Community
Book Suggestion
In Roadways for People: Rethinking Transportation Planning and Engineering, Lynn Peterson draws from her personal experience and interviews with leaders in the field to showcase new possibilities within transportation engineering and planning. The community solutions-based approach moves away from the narrow standards of traditional transportation design and focuses instead on a process that involves consistent feedback, learning loops, and meaningful and regular community engagement.
What bike-related books do you recommend? From epic adventures to practical advice, to the benefits of biking, there are lots of books about bikes out there! Send your suggestions to info@rideIllinois.org.
Illinois is Represented on National Youth Bike Council
Our friend, Pablo Granados, was recently appointed to a leadership role with the National Youth Bike Council. NYBC is a youth-led non-profit that creates a space for our peers to feel empowered and have the tools, leadership skills, and youth role models necessary to be leaders in their own community. Pablo will be a great addition to NYBC's ongoing work!
Generosity
Affiliated Clubs & Community Organizations
Ride Illinois is grateful to the bicycle clubs and community organizations that support our work. Their efforts at the local level are a critical component to progress at the state level. Thanks to the following:
McLean County Wheelers is a club of cycling enthusiasts in Central Illinois. Their members have many different skill levels and riding preferences.
Quad Cities Bike Club's mission is to promote, encourage, and support the safe participation in bicycle riding of all ages and abilities, as well as to anticipate and address needs and interests of all aspects of bicycling in the Quad Cities area.
Chicago Cycling Club is a friendly, diverse group including a wide range of ages, ethnicities and professions who find common ground in a love of biking.
Corporate Members
Ride Illinois appreciates the support of businesses, companies, and organizations for their generosity.Click here to learn more about our generous Corporate Members from a variety of industries.
Maple Leaf Coffee Roasters is an artisan coffee roaster that strives to serve both the casual coffee drinker and coffee obsessive by offering a variety of roasts, origins and carefully crafted options for individuals and wholesale programs for businesses.
Play Design Scapes, LLC has over two decades experience in the site furnishings and playground equipment industries representing several long standing and reputable lines, including Most Dependable Fountains.
Grants & Other Opportunities
AARP Community Challenge Grants
In 2025, the AARP Community Challenge is accepting applications across three different grant opportunities. Three unique funding opportunities are available. Application deadline is March 5, 2025.
Metro East Park and Recreation District Grants
MEPRD offers grant assistance for the development of community wide Parks & Greenspace Master Plans and Bicycle & Pedestrian Master Plans. Eligible applicants include municipalities, townships, counties, transportation districts and park districts located within St. Clair and Madison Counties in Illinois. Application deadline is May 30, 2025.
Events Calendar
Ride Illinois helps to promote the organized rides of affiliated bike clubs and supporting organizations. Below are some events we think you will appreciate:
Ride Illinois recently met with lawmakers, including Senator Seth Lewis, during Climate Day at the Capitol in Springfield (L) and enjoyed a tour of Blackstone Bicycle Works on the south side of Chicago (R).
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