Hot Topics

Hot Topics includes subject matter that remains newsworthy over a significant period of time with the potential to impact the character and integrity of the village. Items covered on this page may not change frequently. We will maintain the latest public status as the information becomes available. While not all of the subject matter may be in the “backyard” of all residents, the decisions have far reaching ramifications to the village as a whole and as such we encourage all residents to show support. Latest news in each topic area will be at the top followed by references and older information.

Bicycles in the Village - Last Updated October 4, 2009

Bikes and Horses: Mutual Respect for Mutual Safety

Patty Dowd Schmidt
Barrington Area Conservation Trust

We are fortunate in our area to have many beautiful trails and roadways that provide a wonderful setting for horseback riding, biking, running, and walking. Equestrians, horse trailers, and bicyclists share the same roads, making it important to adhere to a few “rules of the road” for everyone’s safety.

Here are some expectations for street bicyclists who may encounter equestrians and/or their trailers:

1. Always ride single file. (Barrington Hills Ordinance)

2. Keep a safe distance.

3. Follow the legal rules of the road. (State Law and Barrington Hills Ordinance)

Horse Photo in village - courtesy of Debbie Stone

4. When encountering equestrians on horseback:

• Always announce yourself long before you encounter a horse — at least ten bike lengths before you reach them to give proper notice.

• When approaching from behind, a pleasant “on your left” is appropriate, as is “biker behind you.” This allows the horse to identify your presence before they hear the whir of the wheels or see you coming up very quickly, which can cause a startle or a kick.

• When approaching from the front, remember that a younger horse may not have experience with bikers so they may not recognize you as a bicyclist, but may view you as a mountain lion absent hearing your voice.

• Do not crowd the dividing line. Stay to the edge of your lane so that the horse does not interpret your movement as threatening, and so that the truck/trailer has adequate space. If you have a conversation with the rider, the horse can identify you as a person and not a mountain lion — it is amazing how much this helps.

• Do not pass by riders in close proximity. Horses can move sideways extremely quickly, and if startled they could easily move into you, causing serious injury. Move across the dividing line before you approach the riders if there is no oncoming traffic. A horse often views anything coming from behind as a predator and can react badly to it.

5. When encountering horse trailers/trucks:

• Do not ride between the truck/trailer and the edge of the road. It’s possible that you won’t be noticed by the driver and that you’ll be forced off the road.

• Do not ride so fast that you remain in the lane where the truck/trailer return after they pass you. The truck/trailer must cross back over the center line, and you may place yourself in harm’s way.

• Avoid “blowing by” the truck/trailer at a stop sign. Bicyclists may be tempted to pass a truck/trailer, usually on the left but sometimes on the right, at a stop sign. The rig stops at the sign, AND the bikers must stop too. If the truck/trailer can’t easily see you and they run the risk of hitting you when it starts moving again because you are not supposed to be there.

• If a trailer approaches you from behind, the truck/trailer will pass you if room permits. They cannot safely remain over the dividing line for very long, so they will move back into the traffic lane as quickly as possible. If you ride too close to the trailer, you run the risk of getting hit by the trailer as the truck/trailer crosses back over. You may not be seen depending on where you are in relation to the trailer, and the impact of the trailer hitting your bike won’t be felt by the truck at all. They most likely will have no idea that your bike was hit.

• Be aware of traffic back-ups. Many roads in Barrington Hills are very narrow, so the truck/trailer cannot safely pass you until they get to a suitable spot. Be aware that this can cause traffic back-ups behind you and anxious drivers. There will be great motivation to cross back over very quickly – be prepared to slow down to give the truck/trailer right of way or you risk being hit.

Barrington Hills tells bicyclists: Get in line

Cyclists take notice: Barrington Hills has some new rules for you

August 7, 2009
By MIKE DANAHEY mdanahey@scn1.com
http://www.couriernewsonline.com/

The village of Barrington Hills wants it known that it has some rules of its own for bicyclists.

Jeff Provisor, owner of Main Street Bicycles in Carpentersville, and four of his fellow riders wound up serving as a means for conveying that message. Provisor and his pals had a mandatory court appearance Wednesday for violating what appears to be an uncommon local law about bicycling: They were ticketed for not riding single file. The case was dismissed.

"We're dismissing the case, but we want word to get out that you've got be riding single file on the roads in Barrington Hills because of our new ordinance," prosecuting attorney John Clarke told four of the riders, who appeared before Cook County Circuit Court Judge Edward Pietrucha in Rolling Meadows.

Barrington Hills Police Chief Mike Murphy said the law went into effect in January in reaction to more than a dozen residents' concerns about bicyclists and auto traffic, in light of several bicycling accidents in recent years, and because of an Illinois law requiring cars to give cyclists a berth of at least 3 feet. Murphy said that last task is hard to do safely on some of the narrow roads that make up the more than 40 miles of pavement maintained by the village.

Illinois law states that "riding two abreast is permitted as long as the normal and reasonable movement of traffic is not impeded. Riding more than two abreast is prohibited except on paths or parts of roadways set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles."

Pushing for safety

So in Barrington Hills, you can ride two abreast on state- and county-maintained roads, just not village ones, Murphy said. Murphy said court appearances are mandatory now because the village is still working to set up a procedure for paying such fines. Convictions don't appear on a person's driving record, he added. Murphy noted that Barrington Hills also has a "negligent operation of a bicycle" law on its books that states, "It shall be unlawful for any person to operate a bicycle upon a roadway within the village in a manner which is negligent or creates a risk of bodily injury or damage or loss of property." "We're not trying to stop anyone from using our roads, but we want to keep them as safe as possible," Murphy said.

So far, Provisor and his bike buddies — Cameron Pease of Palatine, Skip Fotland of Fox Lake, Rob Dongoski of Kildeer and Gus Vas de Costa of Lake Zurich — are the only riders to be cited under the new rules, Murphy said. The five men were out on Sunday, June 21, just after 9:30 a.m., and "we had come up Meadow Hill Road from Lake-Cook Road and turned left on Spring Creek," Provisor said. The riders missed a sign telling them of the Barrington Hills rule. So along Spring Creek Road, which is just east of Algonquin and northeast of Carpentersville, a squad car drove by, saw the group, turned around, came back, and the officer issued the five men citations, Provisor said.

Fotland and Dongoski were riding next to each other, but the group wasn't riding in a pack, the men said. The officer told the cyclists about the rule and mentioned the signs, then issued tickets to all five, with the mandatory court appearance. "I understand residents being upset by being delayed by the larger group rides on the weekends, but this is a little over the top," Provisor said. "Instead of just enforcing the state law, they had to turn it up a notch to basically discriminate against group cycling."

Others follow state

Murphy had not heard of any other local towns having cycling laws like the ones in Barrington Hills. Carpentersville and Elgin police said their towns follow the state law and don't often ticket cyclists. "If there is a blatant violation or an endangerment situation, we'll issue a ticket," Carpentersville Police Cmdr. Tim Bosshart said. "But riding in groups has never been an issue for us. It's rare to write a ticket to a cyclist, unless there is an accident." "We haven't had a whole lot of complaints or biking issues," Elgin Deputy Police Chief Jeff Swoboda said.

Some Illinois bicycling organizations, including the Active Transportation Alliance and the League of Illinois Bicyclists, are not sure Barrington Hills needs the extra measures. Ed Barsotti, executive director of the League of Illinois Bicyclists, said, "Our viewpoint is that there was no need for the village to adopt additional ordinances regarding on-road bicycling. State law already does a very adequate job of governing car-bike interactions and safety."

Both groups said they are in the process of talking to Barrington Hills police about their concerns. At court Wednesday, though, there seemed to be at least some tension between bicyclists and motorists. "Now if they would just do something about (cyclists) blowing through lights," one man mumbled. "Both cyclists and motorists must do their part in sharing the road, by following laws and being respectful," Barsotti said. "Education and fair enforcement of these state laws, for both motorists and cyclists, can address most problems."

"Barrington Hills has a unique status amongst local cyclists," Provisor said, "as their roads are so nice to ride on for several key reasons. The area is not heavily traveled by vehicles, the speed limit is low, and the roads offer beautiful tree-lined undulating terrain that can really test the legs of even the best-conditioned cyclist." Provisor noted that "on any given weekend in good weather, bicycles might outnumber cars 10 to 1.

Bicycle Season Safety Ordinances - New 2009

Effective January 26, 2009, the Village Board of Trustees passed two bicycle ordinances for the village roads. The Ordinances are in part due to comments and safety concerns from residents during the 2008 Police Survey.

Signs will be posted before the Ordinances go into effect as official Code on Village maintained roads. Go to www.barringtonhills-il.gov. See the Code Button on the left. Search for the Bicycle Ordinances which are in the process of being codified. This will take you to: http://sterling.webiness.com/codebook/index.php for full details of the two Ordinances.

Mandate of Single File Bicycle Riding.

(a)      Persons riding bicycles upon a roadway within the Village shall only ride single file. Persons riding bicycles on a roadway are hereby prohibited from riding side by side.

Negligent Operation of Bicycles.

(a)      It shall be unlawful for any person to operate a bicycle upon a roadway within the Village in a manner which is negligent or creates a risk of bodily injury or damage or loss of property.

(b)       Any violation of this Section, by any person, shall constitute a minor violation under Section 9-9-3 of the Village Code.

It's Official! Signs are posted (June 2009) along the Village Roads so bicyclists are aware of the requirements. Police are reminding riders of the new Ordinance as they see them along the roadways. Happy and safe cycling!

Posted Bicycle Signs make it Official - photo courtesy of Pamela Cools

Note: Skateboarding is not permitted on Village Roads and there are other regulations not mentioned here.

Police Resident Survey 2008 -

Written Comments on Bicycles and Safety on Village Roads

Bicycles - (13) added comments below, plus the survey questions answered in favor of better regulation of rules of the road that exist and single file for riders since there is little room for cars and bicycles to pass, especially dangerous for safety of riders and horses and horse trailers on hills. Ed. Posted in June when Signs were Posted per new Bicycle Ordinances.

• Very concerned about bikers – they obey no laws and I am tired of almost running over them and them into me.  They need to be ticketed – sit by our house on "x" and Spring Creek and you will increase profits from biker tickets.  They need to have permits to ride in Barrington Hills!
• I understand Chief Murphy has already looked into the problem with the cyclers.  He suggested I call 911 if I observe any individuals spray painting arrows, symbols, etc. on the B.H. roadways.
• Bikers on our roads consistently break the rules of the road by going through stop signs and riding 3 and 4 across on the road – I see this often on Spring Creek, Ridge and Haegers Bend – station more patrol cars and issue tickets.
• More has to be done to control / force bicycle riders to follow the rules of the road while biking in Barrington Hills.
• I would like to see enforcement of traffic laws, including stop signs etc. on bicyclists that includes not blocking ability to pass because they are riding in large groups.
• If some how possible, to enforce the “Rules of the Road” for the many bikers using our roads.  Twice I almost struck a biker at a “T” intersection where they violated a stop sign.
• Is there anything / rules to enforce for bicycle riders?  When driving on Ridge / Oak Knoll / hilly roads, the cyclists take up the road and don’t even attempt to move over to make one lane.  They continue to take up the road without looking back.  If bikers want cars to be courteous, they in turn need to do the same.
• Ticket bicycles for running stop signs.
• Monitor bike riders, issue tickets.  They never stop at stop signs – they travel over 25 mph – they are not properly lighted – they hog the road in packs of 100’s and give one finger salutes.  Spring Creek, Braeburn, Ridge Road.
• Please start enforcing the rules of the road for bike riders.  It’s become dangerous.  They don’t stop at stop signs, ride 3 across on busy streets and create a serious hazard.
• I would prefer enforcement of stop signs for both automobiles and bicycles.  The combination of cars and bikes ignoring stop signs will prove deadly.
• Some how improve bicycle [large groups] safety i.e. single file on the right side; at least slowing down at intersections and stop signs.  They need to co-exist.
• Bicycles are a menace, never stop for stop signs, take over the roads, and are indignant, arrogant and totally unsafe.  Especially Plum Tree and Braeburn.