Bike Month: Pedal and Save at the Pump
by Karin Daly, Co-Founder, Go Green Glen Ellyn
May is National Bike Month, and TODAY, Friday, May 16, is Bike to Work Day — the perfect excuse to dust off your bike, pump up the tires, and enjoy the ride! And hey, have you looked at gas prices lately? Bikes may be the answer! Read on for other great reasons to hit the road on two wheels!
Learn
So Many Compelling Reasons to Get on Your Bike!
Many of the trips we make every day are surprisingly short. In fact, more than half of all trips Americans take are under three miles, and many are less than two miles — ideal biking distance.
With gas prices on the rise, biking can also be a great way to save money while helping the environment...not to mention the health benefits and the fact that is just fun!
Swapping even a few short car trips each week for a bike ride reduces air pollution, lowers greenhouse gas emissions, eases traffic congestion, and saves wear and tear on your vehicle. Plus, short car trips are some of the least fuel-efficient and most polluting because engines are less efficient in the first few miles.
Riding a bike gets you outdoors, boosts physical and mental health, reduces stress, and helps you experience your community at a slower pace where you can notice birds, blooming flowers, neighbors on porches, and local businesses you might otherwise drive right past (like two, count 'em two ice cream shops going up this summer in downtown GE!)
And thanks to the rise of e-bikes, biking is becoming possible for even more people. E-bikes can help riders tackle longer distances, hills, strong winds, or simply arrive at work less sweaty. They’re opening up biking to older adults, people recovering from injuries, and residents who may not have considered cycling before. At the same time, communities everywhere (including Glen Ellyn) are navigating how to safely integrate e-bikes on trails and streets. Glen Ellyn recently adopted new ordinances governing e-bike use, highlighting the importance of balancing safety, accessibility, and active transportation. Now to get the middle school kids to cooperate!
Learn more about how communities can be better served by active transportation from the Active Transportation Alliance. And Ride Illinois is another non profit dedicated to make it safer and easier to ride in Illinois. Learn more HERE.
Luckily, Glen Ellyn is a fantastic place to ride. We are home to the historic Illinois Prairie Path (IPP) — the very first rail-to-trail conversion project in the country! The trail remains one of the gems of DuPage County, connecting communities through miles of pathways. Head to the downtown Wheaton on the IPP to one of the best French Markets in the area (Saturdays), or to the Winfield Mounds, or even for lunch in Geneva or West Chicago! The Great Western Trail offers another beautiful east-west route for recreation and commuting alike. And we are still working on building the ultimate North South route: Great Western Trail to the Arboretum with the East Branch DuPage River Trail. See the “Dos” below to take action to make this happen in our lifetime!
Speaking of the Prairie Path. Glen Ellyn broke ground on the new Downtown Park last week, adjacent to the Prairie Path. Go Green was an early advocate of the village purchasing the US Bank building to add green space to the downtown, so we were thrilled to grab a shovel and pose for a photo opp during the ground breaking! A brand new park in an established village is a rare thing indeed, hence the army of politicians celebrating our newest green space. Work will continue steadily this summer as we see the space emerge, including a full size ice rink! The park still is not fully funded, so if you want to support this space with a donation or to buy a brick, visit the Park District Foundation. What a great destination to ride our bikes in the future!
Do
Tune up your bike!
After sitting in your garage or shed all winter, make sure your bike is tuned up and safe to ride. Two local shops that can make your bike run like new (or sell you a new onw) are:
Retro Glow Cycles (307 S Main St, Lombard, IL): This cool shop, right on the IPP in Lombard, is highly rated for repairs, maintenance, and custom work, with a focus on friendly service. They will even pick up and drop off. They sell used bikes as well, and are very involved in the community. Plus you might find bike parts transformed into art and jewelry!
Midwest Cyclery (117 E. Front St. in downtown Wheaton) was established in 1958. They offer bike sales, accessories, and repairs, with tune-ups often completed within 1–2 days
PARTICIPATE
REASONS TO HIT THE ROAD!
Celebrate Bike to Work Day this Friday, May 16 — or simply bike to coffee, the library, downtown, or the park.
Glen Ellyn is lucky to have a family-friendly monthly slow roll bike ride led by Bike Glen Ellyn. Join a ride and meet fellow cyclists and neighbors. The next Slow Roll family friendly bike ride is tonight at 6pm at Main Street Rec Center. More info HERE
Explore the Illinois Prairie Path or Great Western Trail this weekend and enjoy some of the area's best car-free spaces - perhaps heading to one of the destinations mentioned above.
Support efforts to build the East Branch DuPage Trail, an important future north-south route connecting communities to The Morton Arboretum and beyond. Join the movement HERE.
Bring the family to the upcoming Bike Rodeo hosted by the Glen Ellyn Park District on June 6th to practice bike safety skills, obstacle courses, and riding confidence.
Bike to our next Go Green Glen Ellyn Walking Club! It will be at Panfish Park, see graphic below.
Learn more about local transportation challenges and solutions at the “DuPage Transportation Panel: How Do You Get There Without a Car?” on May 21 at 6 p.m. at the Main Street Recreation Center. The panel will feature representatives from PACE, PADS, Ride Illinois, DuPage Senior Citizens Council, and DuPage County Transportation Committee Chair Mary Fitzgerald Ozog. Ride your bike or walk to the event to be entered into a raffle! Go Green Glen Ellyn will also be tabling along with other sustainable and bike related organizations such as EBDRT, Prairie Path, Retro Glow bikes, and Bike Glen Ellyn. Brought to you by the League of Women Voters of Glen Ellyn.
May 1st at the groundbreaking for the new downtown park.
