Our Mission: Leading the way to greater mobility.
Our Vision: MTD goes beyond traditional boundaries to promote excellence in transportation.
A student on the U of I campus uses the bike rack, included on all MTD buses, to easily and securely transport his bike.
As part of fulfilling this mission MTD has been working since 2000 to improve biking and walking conditions
in the Champaign-Urbana community. For example, every MTD bus has a bike rack to allow bicyclists to use the buses
and MTD has been a major sponsor of Walk to School Day.
The Champaign-Urbana community already has a lot of people getting to work by walking, biking or taking the bus.
In the 2000 US Census the percentage of workers walking, biking and taking the bus was 25%. This is one of the
reasons our community is known for having less congestion than similar downstate communities.
Walking and biking are not only good mobility options but they are good for your health. The Surgeon General has
recommended everyone get a total of 30 minutes of physical activity a day.
MTD is working along with the cities, county and school districts to make walking and biking safer and easier in
our community. If you would like do a walkability or bike audit for your neighborhood or area of town you can use
the following link to access an audit form:
ChampaignCountyBikes.org and various sponsors have created a bicycle route map with preferred bicycling routes throughout Champaign and Urbana. The map features routes that are rated by level of "cycling comfort" and are colored green, yellow or orange, depending on their compatability with cyclists. On the back of the map is bicycling safety information and information about MTD routes and bikes on buses. Click below for a .pdf of the map.
Bike Lanes
The Champaign-Urbana area is an ideal community for bicycle commuting. In addition to many bicycling students,
many people employed by the University and private businesses bicycle to and from work each day.
Illinois Street between Goodwin Avenue and Lincoln Avenue was resurfaced in the summer of 2007. As part of the restriping of the street, bike lanes were added.
Why Bike Lanes?
- Bike lanes provide novice and casual cyclists with a safe and comfortable place to ride on city streets.
- Bike Lanes add visual definition and clarity to the roadway making it easier for motorists and cyclists to share the road.
- Bike lane markings can increase a bicyclist’s confidence in motorists not straying into their path of travel.
- Passing motorists are less likely to swerve to the left out of their lane to avoid bicyclists on their right.
What are Bike Lanes?
Bike lane symbols
A Bicycle Lane is a portion of a roadway which has been marked by striping, signing and pavement
markings for the use of bicyclists. Bike lanes are one-way facilities and carry bike traffic in the same
direction as adjacent motor vehicle traffic.
What should I do as a Motorist?
- Motor vehicles are not allowed to drive, park, or stop in a bike lane at any time.
- Be especially careful to check the bike lane before opening a car door.
- If you have to pass through the bike lane to Parallel Park, enter or leave a driveway, or make a right-turn, check the lane for bicyclists. If a bicycle is present, the motorist must yield.
- When making a right-turn, do not pass and turn in front of a bicyclist in the bike lane. Slow down, wait for the bicyclist to clear the intersection, and pass behind them.
Stay aware of bicyclists at all times.
What should I do as a Bicyclist
Every person riding a bicycle...shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle...except as to those provisions...which by their nature can have no application [Illinois Vehicle Code 5/11-1502].
- It is important to watch out for opening car doors and debris on the edge of the roadway. You may need to leave the bike lane to avoid these hazards.
- If a bike lane ends, use hand signals and merge into the right-hand travel lane to continue your intended path.
- A bicycle is a vehicle like any other, and technically every lane is a “Shared Lane.”
- Remember to stay as far to the right as is safe to allow cars to pass easily.
- When a bike lane ends, the bike lanes will become dashed.
These dashed lines indicate that at this point, vehicles may be crossing the bike lane to either
continue straight or to make a right hand turn. If you are turning right, signal your intentions
and merge into the furthest right lane. If you are continuing straight, be aware of vehicles on
your left, look back, use hand signals, and merge into the right-hand through travel lane to continue.
If you are turning left, approximately 1/2 block before the bike lane ends begin looking back for a
gap in traffic. When an acceptable gap is available, signal your intentions and merge into the furthest
left lane.
- You may also encounter dashed bike lanes at a bus stop. These dashed lines indicate that buses may be crossing the bike lane to pick-up and drop-off passengers.
The bus should not pass and turn in front of you but should slow down and wait for you to pass before
pulling out of traffic. However, always be aware when you are near a bus stop. Depending on the width
of the bus pull-off area, the bus may hang over into the bike lane. In this case, you should look back
and merge into the vehicle lane to get around the bus. Once you are around the bus, you may merge back
into the bike lane.
Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated like other vehicles on the road.
For more information, see the Illinois Department of Transportation’s publication Safe Bicycling in Illinois
Building Walkable Communities
Healthy communities are ones in which people have choices in transportation. Being able to safely walk, bike and take
the bus allows residents to incorporate physical activity into their everyday lifestyles. With nearly two thirds of the American
population being classified as overweight or obese the Center for Disease Control has classified obesity as a serious national
health concern.
While many factors contribute to our rising rates of obesity and other health problems connected to lack of physical activity,
attention is increasingly turning to how the places we live, work and play in affect the public's health. Finding ways to
integrate physical activity into daily life by changing our built environment to include sidewalks, walkable neighborhoods,
bike lanes and paths, more parks, and more options in transportation can make a difference in our community's health.
Mark Fenton in C-U
On April 8 and 9, 2009 Champaign-Urbana hosted MARK FENTON, a preeminent expert on walking and active living. Mark Fenton is an entertaining, persuasive, and knowledgeable walking advocate; one the nation's foremost experts on the activity; the former editor-at-large of WALKING Magazine; host of the March 2000 PBS pledge special, Walk to a Better Life; and host of the PBS series, America's Walking. Mark shared with us how people have transformed their lives by simply walking and how we can transform our community into a healthier community.
Mark Fenton is a vocal pedestrian advocate and recognized authority on public health issues and the need for community, environmental, and public-policy initiatives to encourage more walking and bicycling. He is the health representative to the four-person executive committee of the Partnership for a Walkable America, and he has addressed a wide range of groups, from regional and national transportation and planning conferences, to professional engineering and safety organizations, to advocacy groups and public health educational symposia. He's also author of the book, The Complete Guide to Walking for Health, Weight Loss and Fitness; as well as The 90-Day Fitness Walking Program, Precision Walking, and The New Walker's Logbook, and he appears frequently on broadcast and cable television news, health, and lifestyle programming. Click here to visit the PBS series website.
To read Mark Fenton's article Engineering Physical Activity into American's Lives, click here.
For acronyms to use when discussing a Walkable Community, click here.
Click here for Fitness Walking with a Pedometer.
Additional Links
Champaign County Trails
Walk to School Day
Walking and Biking