Biking

Based on projects listed in the 2014 Campus Bicycle Master Plan, the university has worked on several major bike path/lane projects in the last three years:

1. Sixth Street – Removed abandoned bike path on east side of Sixth St from Gregory to Lorado Taft and added sharrows to the Sixth St from Gregory Drive to Pennsylvania Avenue in FY22.
2. Peabody Drive sharrows and bike path completed in FY22
3. St. Mary’s Road – Bicycle lanes, road diet, and sidewalks on St. Mary’s Road from Neil Street to Oak Street – Completed in FY22 in conjunction with St. Mary’s Road improvement project from Neil St to Oak St
4. Sharrows added to the Pennsylvania Ave between Fourth St and Lincoln Ave. In FY22, added sharrows from Goodwin Ave to Lincoln Ave.
5. Armory Avenue bike path connecting Armory Ave to Goodwin Ave – completed in FY21
6. Abandoned bike path along east side of Wright St Sidewalk from Springfield Ave to White St was removed in FY21
7. Dedicated Green Street bike lanes–MCORE project
8. Bike path along the Red Oak Rain Garden – Read more here
9. Bike lanes on Wright Street–MCORE Project
10. Bike lanes on Armory Ave–MCORE Project

2023 Announcements: Light the Night (LTN) and Bike to Work Day (BTWD)

Bike to Work Day

Hundreds rode their bike to campus on Thursday, September 14, and got a free T-shirt! Welcome stations featured drinks and snacks were available from 7 to 10 a.m., at eight university locations. Participants interacted with other bicyclists and city planners about potential enhancements to the bicycle network and future programming. First-time riders are encouraged to take part and learn more about the C-U bike community.

Light the Night

The 16th annual Light the Night was Tuesday, September 19, from 4 to 7 p.m., at Alma Mater Plaza, Hallene Gateway, and the Ikenberry Commons Quad. Approximately 1,100 bike light sets were available.

Remember, bike lights are required by Illinois law when riding at night. 

The MCORE Project required Champaign Urbana Urbanized Area Transportation Study (CUUATS) to monitor the bicycle and pedestrian activity at the major corridors improved following the completion of the project. CUUATS identified twelve locations to install Eco-Counters’ bicycle and pedestrian counter systems. As of June 2022, F&S TDM department has installed Eco-Counters at the following four locations:

1. Illini Union: Green Street by Illini Union
2. The intersection of Armory Avenue and Sixth Street
3. The intersection of Wright Street and Healey Street
4. The intersection of Green Street and Goodwin Avenue

A first of its kind at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, a 14’x63’ covered Bike Shelter has been installed and is ready for use in the Ikenberry Commons area between Flagg Hall and Noble Hall. It can accommodate up to 96 bicycles at a time, utilizing two-tiered side stage (vertical) bike racks.

Bicycle registration is mandatory for all bicycles parked or operating on university property. The University has procured and implemented a new national bicycle registration system through Project 529. The system will help improve crime deterrent locally and upgrade the resources available for owners involved in recovering lost or stolen bikes. In addition, it is a means to assist with the understanding of bicycling program and infrastructure needs of the community.  Students, faculty, staff, and residents of the City of Champaign, City of Urbana, and Village of Savoy will be able to register their bicycles for a one-time $10 per bicycle at https://bike.illinois.edu/register-your-bike/ or https://go.illinois.edu/mybike. The University has begun to collaborate with various campus units and departments as well as agencies within the City of Urbana, City of Champaign, Village of Savoy, and MTD to distribute the 529 Shields (bicycle registration tags). 

As of FY19, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is able to provide secure parking racks for up to 11,635 bicycles on campus. Nearly 93% of the bike racks are now up to the campus facility standards because of bike rack replacement upgrades and additions over the last eight years. Subsequently, there are bike racks within 150 ft. of every building on campus. In FY20 and summer 2020, the University has added/upgraded bike racks at several locations:

1. Mumford Hall–southeast side of Mumford Hall
2. Mechanical Engineering Laboratory–northwest corner
3. New Campus Bike Center on Gregory Dreve
4. Grainger Library–Circle parking location upgraded off of Matthews
5. Everitt Laboratory–north of the Graziano Plaza
6. Armory and Harding Band Building – west entrance of Harding Building and NE of Armory building
7. Freer Hall
8. Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital

The University of Illinois collaborates with the City of Urbana, City of Champaign, and MTD to manage this bike share program. The bike share vendor, Veo (previously VeoRide), has provided bicycles for rent on campus and community since fall 2018. Currently, there are 500 e-bikes operating on campus. More information is available at https://bike.illinois.edu/resources/where-to-get-a-bicycle/.

F&S coordinates with Champaign County Bikes periodically to collect bicycle data on campus, including the number of bicycles parked on-campus, details about bike racks, on-rack and off-rack bicycle parking, etc. This information will help the university understand the bicycle needs on campus and help determine how to allocate available bike-related funds for infrastructure development. This event is currently being planned to be held in October 2020.

Generally, nearly 30 volunteers are needed to walk around the campus to collect this information. This event has historically been held on a Wednesday between 10–11 a.m.