Ride Illinois

10/22/2026

This is difficult news to share and comprehend: two bicyclists were killed on Tuesday in Rockford in separate crashes.

On Tuesday morning, a 58-year-old woman was struck by the driver of a pickup truck. She was transported to a local hospital, but succumbed to her injuries later that day. The driver of the truck remained at the scene and is cooperating with the investigation.

On Tuesday evening, a 12-year-old boy was struck and killed by the driver of a truck. The driver has since been charged with reckless homicide, aggravated driving under the influence of drugs, two counts of aggravated driving under the influence and multiple other traffic offenses.

We offer our deepest sympathies to the victim’s family and friends during this time of profound loss. Learn more about both terrible crashes at the links in the comments 💔

Regardless of which mode you use to get around, please slow down, pay attention, and watch out for the other people you encounter 🙏

10/21/2026

🚲 Ride Illinois’ Legislative Scorecard is a one-stop resource for understanding how state lawmakers have shaped bicycling in Illinois. 🚲

It recaps the 2026 spring legislative session and highlights key bike-related bills from 2023 to 2026, with concise summaries of each bill and a clear record of how every state legislator voted. Two interactive district maps also show the level of support for bicycling across the state, making it easy to see where your own legislators stand.

If biking matters to you, this tool is invaluable. With the election coming up, this tool can help you make informed choices. Look up your legislators, review their voting records on bills that affect bicycling, safety, and infrastructure, and see who has been standing up for people who bike, walk, and roll in your community.

10/21/2026

The Rockford region now has a Climate Action Plan, it’s time to use it to help make the community more sustainable. Earthrise815 brings neighbors, business owners, and local leaders together for one full day of learning, connection, and action 🌍

Ride Illinois is pleased to be a presenter at this meaningful conference on November 6. We’ll participate in a panel discussion about how electric vehicles, biking, and walking continue to transform how we move people and materials 🚲🚶🏾🔋

This conference, brought to you by Sustain Rockford, offers an impressive list of keynote speakers, breakout sessions, and sponsors 🙌

👉 Join us at earthrise815 to brainstorm bold ideas and take real steps for a more sustainable and resilient Rockford region!

10/21/2026

Share those Bike to Vote photos with I Can Bike There! 🗳

https://www.rideillinois.org/awareness/icanbikethere

👉 Share your icanbikethere story by submitting a photo (using the link in the comments) and we’ll send you some fun, colorful ICBT stickers 🥹🚴🏻❤️🚴🏾‍♀️

***********
We LOVE this!!! 😍🫶🥰

Susan recently used sustainable transportation to get to the early voting location in Ingleside. This year marks 20 years of riding their tandem bicycle to vote in every election since we moved to Illinois!

Susan’s trusty 2008 Cannondale tandem gets then where they need to go 🙂

Be an engaged citizen like Susan – bike to vote! 😊

Ride Illinois, Working Bikes, and Pointz are collaborating on this positive, empowering campaign to encourage and celebrate the use of bicycles for everyday trips 👏🏿👏🏽👏🏻

10/20/2026

The 2027 Illinois Bike & Walk Summit is 6 months away!

We’d love to hear from you: what topics would you like to see at the Summit? With keynote speakers and multiple breakout sessions, we have room for many unique topics.

What do you want to learn? Who do you want to hear from? Share your ideas in the comments!

10/19/2026

On Saturday, the Ride Illinois Board of Directors held their quarterly meeting in Chicago. 10 of 15 directors attended the meeting in-person and four attended virtually 👥

A big thank you to HNTB for providing the space and technology for this important meeting! 😍

As a nonprofit organization with board members spread out around the state, these quarterly meetings serve as an opportunity for directors to make key decisions, discuss past successes and challenges, strategize for the future, and build rapport. The board meets in locations that are served by Amtrak. Past in-person meeting locations include: Normal, Urbana, Effingham, and Springfield 🚆🤝

Board members are Ride Illinois’ most ardent volunteers! They dutifully serve on committees, impart wisdom to increase impact, represent Ride Illinois at outreach events, mentor and assist staff, and promote the organization to their personal and professional networks. In recent years, the Ride Illinois board has shifted from a group of enthusiastic bicyclists to accomplished professionals from a variety of professions and backgrounds – who also enjoy riding a bicycle 🙌🚴

Enjoy some photos from Saturday’s meeting and send share some appreciation for the Ride Illinois Board of Directors 👏🏿👏🏽👏🏻

10/16/2026

Ask yourself, "can I bike there?". Very often the answer is YES!

👉 Share your icanbikethere story by submitting a photo (using the link in the comments) and we’ll send you some fun, colorful ICBT stickers 🥹🚴🏻❤️🚴🏾‍♀️

***********

Dave recently biked to the rental car facility at O’Hare Airport to pick up a car to drive to the Little Grassy Get Down in southern Illinois (to represent Ride Illinois) 🪕🚲

Dave pedaled his Felt SR81 – complete with flat handlebars, fenders, and rear rack. The sun was just rising, but he was delayed by a freight train. That’s just the way it goes sometimes 🤷‍♂️

Be determined like Dave – bike there! 😊

Ride Illinois, Working Bikes, and Pointz are collaborating on this positive, empowering campaign to encourage and celebrate the use of bicycles for everyday trips 👏🏿👏🏽👏🏻

10/15/2026

The upcoming weekend will be cool and crisp. Get out on your bike and enjoy it! 🍁🍂

The Illinois Bicycle Calendar has recommendations for enjoyable ways to spend your days. Our useful online resource includes more than 185 bike-related events all around Illinois and the Midwest 😊😍🗓️

🗺️ Check out the Map of Future Events
➕ Add events to your personal calendar
✅ Click the button for each event to register or learn more

👉 It’s EASY and FREE to add future rides and events to the calendar! Simply complete the brief form on the Illinois Bicycle Calendar page to share the details. Check out the calendar, spread the word, and register for future events 👏🏿👏🏽👏🏻

10/15/2026

Take the time to watch Power Trip Film on your local PBS station.

The film examines the media culture around high-risk driving, including movies, video games and car commercials that glamorize speed and aggression behind the wheel. Bucking the trend of declining fatalities in other wealthy countries, U.S. crash deaths have spiked to more than 40,000 per year, along with tens of thousands of catastrophic injuries. Speed is a factor in nearly 30 percent of these crashes.

Power Trip is heading your way later this month...

On Monday October 19, Power Trip will air in prime time on about 150 public tv stations across the country that carry the PBS World channel. The telecasts are scheduled for 8 p.m. Eastern time; 7p.m. Central; 6 p.m. Mountain; and 5 p.m. Pacific time. Most stations have scheduled two more showings during late night on October 19 and October 20.

Check listings for your local PBS affiliate to confirm the times in your area.

Executive produced by bestselling novelist Michael Connelly and narrated by the renowned voice actor Peter Coyote, Power Trip examines the rise in road crash deaths and the media culture around dangerous driving, including movies, video games, and car commercials that celebrate the kind of driving that kills people and tears families apart.

More information about Power Trip is at www.powertripfilm.com.

10/14/2026

Some of our favorite moments are when people who share a passion finally meet face to face. 🚲🚶

That’s what the 2025 Illinois Bike & Walk Summit accomplished. Nearly 250 of us came to Springfield: planners, engineers, advocates, and neighbors came together for the same cause. We shared what’s working, what isn’t, and left with new ideas and new friends. On day two, a lot of us took that energy straight to lawmakers and asked for safer streets!

We can’t wait to do it again, and we’d love for you to be there.

This year's summit has the theme: Step by Step, Mile by Mile - highlighting that slow and steady work can make big change. The 2027 ILBWS is coming to the Bank of Springfield Center on April 13-14, 2027 - so mark your calendars!