Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan

The City of St. Charles has officially adopted a Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan and a Complete Streets Policy. The direction given in these documents will provide guidance as we seek to improve walkability and cycling around St. Charles. The Plan is the result of a year and a half of research; directed by feedback from a steering committee, City staff, and members of the general public. The Plan and Complete Streets Policy are accessible from this page.

View interactive bicycle and pedestrian trail map.

“Making St. Charles more walkable and bicycle-friendly are consistent themes that come up when we ask residents what we can do to make St. Charles even better. We are fortunate to have an active downtown and beautiful pathways along the river. Improving access by foot or bicycle to these amenities and to existing trail networks will only add to the vibrancy of our beautiful city.”
-- Heather McGuire, City Administrator

Next Steps

Keep an eye on this page for updates on the implementation of the plan!

Ongoing Projects

Civiltech Engineering is currently researching wayfinding improvements to help bicyclists better navigate through downtown from the Fox River Trail to the Great Western Trail.

Completed Projects

2024

Construction 

• Painted 300+ sharrows on streets identified for shared use in the Bike and Pedestrian Plan
• Installed over 25 wayfinding and bike route signs 
• Striped multiple high-visibility crosswalks on school routes throughout town
• Installed a pedestrian refuge island at the corner of Prairie and 14th Street.  Refuge islands increase pedestrian safety on busy roads by allowing them to cross one direction of traffic at a time. Their presence also tends to slow speeding drivers. This location was chosen because of the speed and volume of traffic on Prairie along with its proximity to high density housing and multiple schools. 

Design

• Applied for an ITEP grant to design and construct bike and pedestrian improvements in the Dunham/Foxfield/Kirk corridor surrounding St. Charles East High School and Wredling Middle School
• Designed improvements for five high-priority crossings throughout town and submitted permit plans to IDOT
• Designed improvements for the Fox River Trail crossing on Route 25 north of Moore. Construction to begin in early 2025.
• Completed the concept for a new midblock crossing and pedestrian refuge island on Illinois Street at the Bob Leonard Walk. Design is now underway with an eye toward installation in summer of 2025. 

2023

• Conventional bike lanes added to Fox Chase Blvd. between Waverly Circle and Dunham Rd.
  
• Over 200LF of sidewalk installed along Kautz Road north of Commerce Drive. This sidewalk provides bike and pedestrian connectivity between the East Side Sports Complex and Main Street.

2022

• Re-alignment of the intersection of S 7th St. and Indiana St. to better serve pedestrians.
   
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