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Multi-village bicycle plan presented to Broadview board; draft proposes 2.4 miles of low-stress bikeways in village
Summary
A regional West Cook bicycle and pedestrian plan presented to the Broadview Board recommends a 2.4-mile low-stress bike network through Broadview and divides projects into transformative, municipal and neighborhood tiers; the plan is in draft, CMAP-funded and includes grant-readiness recommendations.
Franny Ritchie, a consultant with T.Y. Lin, presented the draft West Cook Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan to the Broadview Village Board, describing a multi-municipality effort that includes Broadview, Bellwood, Berkeley, Hillside and Westchester. The plan, funded by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) technical assistance program, aims to create a connected, "low-stress" bike network across five villages and offers a tiered set of projects and funding strategies.
Ritchie said outreach included surveys, in-person events, school visits and advisory-committee meetings across the five communities. "The goal of the plan is to provide a roadmap for how to improve and encourage walking and cycling," she said, and noted the plan includes short, mid and long-term tiers for recommended projects. In Broadview the plan identifies about 2.4 miles of low-stress bikeways and highlights corridors such as 14th Street, 16th Street/Avenue, 9th Avenue and Gardner Road as candidate near-term or long-term elements.
The presentation emphasized connecting neighborhood-level routes to regional trails such as the Salt Creek Trail and the Illinois Prairie Path. Ritchie said the plan does not propose removing parking; instead it focuses on connecting existing low-stress routes and addressing "pinch points" where crossings or barriers reduce walkability and bike access. She described three project scales: transformative (multi-municipality), municipal (village-level), and neighborhood (intersection or mid‑block improvements) and gave examples of quick-build treatments and bicycle parking needs near public buildings.
Mayor Katrina Thompson and trustees thanked the presenters for the regional collaboration and noted the plan’s value in coordinating grant applications and shared resources. The presenters recommended next steps including grant-readiness actions (sample grant language, intergovernmental agreements and letters of support), and pointed trustees to a draft executive summary and project website hosted by CMAP for more detail.
The consultant invited trustees to review the draft and follow up with questions: "If anyone has questions, I'd be happy to take them," Ritchie said. No formal vote was requested on the plan at this meeting; the draft and supporting materials remain available for trustee review and future board action.
