Action Item: Promote transportation options such as bicycle trails, commute trip reduction programs, incentives for car-pooling, and public transit.

Action Item: Increase the average fuel efficiency of municipal fleet vehicles; reduce the number of vehicles; launch an employee education program including anti-idling messages; convert diesel vehicles to biodiesel.

Goals

• Continue to promote bicycling as an environmental transportation option by promoting the village’s bikeways and bicycling programs.
• Expand the village’s internal policies regarding idling and clean fuel fleets.
• Review and evaluate the village’s current transit services for improvements using efficient fleets and optimum routes to improve ridership.

Promote Bicycling

Throughout 2012, Schaumburg worked with the League of Illinois Bicyclists and the Illinois Department of Transportation on a Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality funded Bike to Metra guide program. Guides were created for communities with Metra stations to promote bicycle and pedestrian access to their stations. The grant will provide guides to 15 communities in the metropolitan area; Schaumburg will receive 5,000 guides for use at the Metra station.

New Bike Paths

In 2011 Schaumburg constructed a 1.5 mile bike path that connects the Metra Commuter Station, Ballpark Facility, and Airport Facility to nearby businesses. A gap in the bike path on Higgins Road between Morningside Drive and Del Lago Drive was completed in 2011. There are now over 90 miles of bike paths in the village.

Updating the Bikeways Plan

In 2011, Schaumburg received a Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) grant that provided funds for Schaumburg to review the Bicycle Program ordinances and practices. Over time, Schaumburg will be working to amend the Bikeways Plan and Code of Ordinances as recommended. The grant also funded the purchase of bicycle parking for approximately 170 bikes and the installation of directional signage along the bikeways route.

Anti-idling Protocol

In 2010 Schaumburg adopted an anti-idling protocol for all village owned vehicles. The purpose of the protocol is to eliminate all unnecessary idling of village owned vehicles and equipment, reduce the harmful emissions that contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone, and reduce overall fuel consumption.

Green Village Transit

In 2011, Schaumburg began participating in a hybrid bus pilot project for Pace that allocated five of these “green” vehicles in our DART fleet.