Signs posted along the Naperville Riverwalk tell users bicycling is not allowed, but that hasn’t kept people from riding where they shouldn’t.
Sometimes bicyclists may not be aware they’re supposed to walk their bikes when on the DuPage River path, and others may just be disregarding the warning, members of the Naperville Riverwalk Commission’s Planning, Design and Construction Committee said Tuesday.
Either way, bikes pose a safety threat to people using the Riverwalk to jog or walk, Commissioner Geoffrey Roehll said. The paths aren’t wide enough for bicycles and pedestrians to safely co-exist, he said.
The dilemma is how to keep bicyclists — especially those who like to travel at high rates of speed — from using the walkway. Commissioners often field complaints, such as the one Roehll recently took from a resident who complained about the number of bikes using the Riverwalk in the area near Hillside Road and North Central College.
“People when they come up the DuPage River and they go through the downtown neighborhood, they see the Riverwalk trail again right there at Hillside,” Roehll said. “They jump on and head up one on their bikes.”
Other commissioners concurred that it’s become a problem.
According to Naperville’s bicycle implementation plan, bicyclists coming from the south can utilize the trail along the river up until about Sunset Drive, where they’re directed to use city streets to get through downtown before going back on the river trail at Jefferson Avenue.
“Enforcement is always the challenge with any kind of facility that can’t accommodate bikers,” Roehll said. “It’s almost self-policed in the downtown area because there’s too many people.”
Any solution that re-routes the designated bike path would have to be “intuitive to bikers,” he said.
In addition to bicycles, skateboards, in-line skates and motorized vehicles also are banned from the Riverwalk. Strollers and mobility devices are allowed.
“We’ve attempted signage, but signage, I think, disappears,” said Chuck Papanos, operations manager for the Naperville Park District. The temporary signs sometimes end up in the river.
Riverwalk rules and regulations are listed on signs at various entry points.
Commissioners discussed asking park district police to issue warnings, and eventually citations with fines, to people who disobey the bicycling rule.
“The problem becomes, are you going to give a citation to a mom and a 4-year-old who are riding their bikes in a totally leisurely way,” Papanos said. “Versus a guy who’s doing 20 miles an hour.”
