The Springfield Bicycle Club is THE advocacy group in Springfield Illinois for bicycling. Funds from our annual Capital City Century (CCC) recreational ride (now in it's 47th year) have been used for local, state and national bicycling infrastructure and advocacy. Below are some of our local accomplishments - many of which which could not have occurred without the support of our local and extended bicycle community and the funds we receive through our membership dues and annual CCC fundraiser event.
In the summary below, each accomplishment is followed by the role Springfield Bicycle Club played in accomplishing it, in the following format: Accomplishment (SBC's role)
Planning/Evaluation
• Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Council established in 2008 (Led, drafted the initial city council resolution for the Mayor’s Office)
• Local Complete Streets Policy adopted in 2011 (Advocated for adoption of the CS policy by local governments)
• SATS Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan adopted by City Council in 2013 (Participated in the planning process and advocated for the adoption of the plan by the city council)
• Springfield/Sangamon County Multi-Use Trails Jurisdictions Committee established in 2016 (Supported and participated in the committee process)
Infrastructure
• Over 17 miles of bike lanes, two miles of shared lane markings, 31.8 miles of wide paved shoulders and 19 miles of paved shared use trails (Partnered with Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Council and city in developing bike infrastructure in Springfield; identifyed 2nd Street and Laurel as key transportation routes for bike commuters; supported efforts to fund the extension of the SVT and led efforts to preserve and reroute the Interurban Trail)
• 25 Lincoln-themed bicycle racks installed in the downtown business area (Advocated for the city to place 25 bike racks at downtown locations)
• Buses equipped with bike racks (Supported the Mass Transit District Project)
• Eight publicly accessible bicycle repair stations installed on all Springfield Area trails and in Washington Park (Partnered with Springfield Park District and local businesses to site and fund the stations)
• Bike corrals available at certain community events
Education
• Children taught safe riding skills through bike rodeos, youth bike clubs, and summer camps, and through helmet fit seminars where 500+ helmets are given away annually (Led efforts to expand bike education to youth groups in the community)
• Safe riding skills, commuting tips and bike maintenance information provided to adults through informational seminars, community access channel, area bicycle map and bike club web site (Partnered with Mayor’s Bike Advisory Council and city to host seminars and information tables at community events)
• Printed/digital bicycle network and trail maps (Partnered with Ride Illinois to develop the map)
• Two local residents certified as League of American Bicyclists’ instructors (Led efforts to recruit and arrange for training sessions)
Enforcement
• Community policing by bicycle in neighborhoods
• Roll call briefings provided to police officers on state bike laws and smart cycling practices (Partnered with Mayor’s Bicycle Advisory Council to develop and deliver the training sessions)
• Police officers assists with youth bicycle events/ride (Partnered with community groups and police department to create the a youth bike club in Enos Park
9 Bicycle Repair Stations Installed & Maintained Around Springfield