If your street winds up being so safe that joggers and skateboarders feel like using the bike lane, that's a GOOD thing!

Elaine,
Bike lanes are defined as "a portion of the roadway which has been designated by striping, signing and pavement marking for the preferential or exclusive use by bicyclists".
There have been no conclusive studies that bike lanes provide anymore safety. Keep in mind it is only a strip of paint.
If you feel it would be such a "GOOD thing" I suggest you nominate your street for a Bike Lane and make it a "No Parking Zone"

I am looking forward to the new bike lane.

NIMBYs. The increased emphasis on becoming a bicycle friendly city is a great thing for Crystal Lake. These streets have been main thoroughfares for years - get a clue.

I live on Dole Ave. where there is a bike lane. We can only park in the street if we have a permit for special use. The neighbor has a lawn service and the men have to unload their equipment and park the truck and trailer on a side street. I really don't notice that many people using it. I actually saw a family ride on the sidewalk because the parents didn't want the kids that close to the street

The big issue here is safety, living on Berkshire, I have seen the unsafe traffic patterns that go on 24/7. Cars going thru houses, people getting killed and injured, cars spinning out on the curves, drag racing down the street, and now you want to add groups of bicyclists to the mix? Unthinkable!!!! With the amount of car/truck traffic on Berkshire, many residents have to pull into driveways, which means backing out at 7:30 am, have you ever tried it? Good luck. If you don't live on Berkshire or one of the other streets to be affected by this, you're not grasping the full impact of the issue.

Like the mayor, I ride about 1000 miles per month from the end of February to the end of October. I ride on Dole most every day. I rode on Dole before it was a bike lane. IMO, the only good thing about the bike lane are the signs for the bike lane serve as a reminder to share the road. Other than that, I don't see much use. The only problems I get in a bike lane or anywhere else typically come from teenagers yelling at me out of their car window. If residents want to park on Bershire, don't make it a bike lane.

Bike lanes have been proven to make cities and towns safer. That's a fact. Even strips of paint can help people know which lane to stay in and keep streets more controlled.

Please keep in mind that it is not only Berkshire Dr. residents who will be affected by this, the route proposed is Berkshire Dr, to Coventry Dr, to Buckingham, to Barlina, all residents on these streets would be affected. The only way to be heard is to show up to the meeting scheduled on February 16, please come to be heard. Thanks!

Meeting on February 16 is from 6-8 pm, hope to see you there!

Sharpie,
Thank you for your comment it is good to hear how a city resident is being impacted. How where Dole Ave. residents notified about bike lanes being put on their street?
Eddy,
Thank you for expressing your view as a cyclist that is using the route. There has to be other alternatives to raise awareness other than denying hundreds of residences the use of the their streets for parking. Not to mention the negative impact to the resale value of the homes.
Who would want to buy a home that you can't park in front of?
If biking safety is really the issue than why put the bike lanes on the busiest street? One of my alternate suggestions was to open Dartmoor at the east end to Bicycle an pedestrian traffic and make it a signed bike route to direct people to the bike path. No need for exclusive bike lanes Dartmoor is a low traffic volume street in comparison to the named streets with fewer stop signs and easy access to the bike path.

just paint the lines on the side walk and put in sensors and see how that works the street is for the cars i think we have plenty of side walks that lead to the bike path that is long enough to ride and it takes you from McHenry to Elgin

keep in mind now days everybody wears earphone when they walk, jogs or ride their bike now with that in the mix of the text driver or cell phone users on some of these curved streets or roads its like having a sing on your back that says hit me. Just look at some of the lawns on Berkshire at times i've notice tire marks on lawns some people dont notice these things because you don't live on these streets. Yes the city got $65,000 and if they don't spend it then they get that much less next time why can't the city use that money to make the Crystal Lake Beach better or some of the other parks. How about a nice bike path around Three Oaks Beach if their is not a plan for that yet.

A bicyclist was airlifted to the hospital after a crash Wednesday morning involving a car.
According to the Crystal Lake Police Department, police and fire rescue responded to the area of North and Millard Avenues at about 7:30 a.m. Wednesday to the scene of a motor vehicle crash. Upon arrival, emergency crews determined that one vehicle and one bicyclist had been involved.
Police determined that a 2004 Acura TL, operated by Bradley A. Harding, 39, of Lakewood had been traveling eastbound on North Avenue in the area of Millard Avenue when a bicycle, operated by an eight-year-old female, attempted to cross North Avenue while traveling southbound across the roadway. The bicyclist collided with the vehicle within the eastbound lane, resulting in the bicycle impacting the driver side front quarter panel.
The eight-year-old was flown from the scene by helicopter to Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge where she is listed in critical condition.
The driver of the vehicle involved in the accident reported no injuries on scene.

Motorist are in to much of a hurry and think the road belongs to them now why add bike lanes if the motorist don't pay no mind to cross walks a bike lane doesn't change anything other then take away the parking spaces.

According to police, the driver has cooperated with the police investigation which remains ongoing.

So far, no citations have been issued or arrests made as a result of the accident.

The Public hearing is tonight. From 6 to 8 p.m. Feb. 16 in the City Council Chambers at City Hall.