Democracy on the Front Lines
City Administrator’s Blog
Walter Denton
July 9, 2007
Before I start, I need to point out that the purpose of this blog is an attempt to correct an error. Several days ago, a resident called me and asked whether the City has any future plans to build a connection to the Illini Bike Trail in the area of the cemetery. I subsequently contacted the Parks and Recreation Department and received an answer to his question. When I tried to call him back, I soon discovered I had written down the wrong phone number and therefore had no way to contact him with the answer to his question. In addition, his name is not in the phone book or our water account database.
City policy is to return all phone calls and to respond quickly to citizen inquiries. Now I was put in a position where I could not respond because I did not have the correct phone number. He may think I blew him off or never intended to call him back.
At this point, my only alternative is to broadcast the inquiry through this blog and hope he will read it. So here is the answer to the question:
The City Bike Facilities Master Plan only shows an on-street trail on Wesley north to the Hesse/Illini bike trail. There is a large ravine between Wesley and the trail, and a bikeway bridge to the trail would cost around $100,000. There is currently no funding source for a bikeway bridge, and it will be something to look at in the future for possible grant funding.
The Bike Facilities Plan was completed in 2005 and includes a variety of recommendations on improving cycling accessibility throughout O’Fallon. The City is committed to extending and creating new bike trails in the community. The plan is on our web site, and some of the documents in the plan are quite large.
I know this blog is not as personal as a phone call, but I hope this answer gets to the intended resident. If not, then other readers at least may benefit from knowing we have a plan for improving bicycle facilities and are working to implement the recommendations.
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