Photo taken North of Prairie Ridge High School.

With June almost in the rearview mirror, summer is in full swing.

Although pedestrians and bicyclist are part of our landscape all year, when the weather is mild, they are abundant.

More pedestrians and bicyclists are on the streets. The McHenry County Bicycle Advocates began a petition in 2012 to encourage the County Board, The County Director of Transportation and all villages, cities, and townships to incorporate Complete Streets planning into their Unified Development plans.

Complete Streets is a transportation policy and is promoted as offering improved safety, health, economic, and environmental outcomes. It requires streets to be planned, designed, operated, and maintained to enable safe, convenient and comfortable travel for all ages and abilities regardless whether they travel by car, on foot, bicycle, or use public transportation. Complete Streets emphasize the importance of safe access for all users, not just automobiles.

McHenry County Board of Health website names three municipalities partners:  Algonquin, Woodstock, and Lakemoor. Many other cities and villages in McHenry County provide bike paths and safe crosswalks.

The county contains more than 85 miles of bicycle trails. Still, many pedestrians and cyclists traverse municipal and township streets and sidewalks to get to the trails or to get to their destinations. Motorists are obliged to take heed.

Illinois law requires that motorists stop, not merely yield when a pedestrian is in the crosswalk. A crosswalk is marked with wide, white stripes and may be accompanied by a sign, a traffic light, or a flashing signal. Motorists must stop when a pedestrian is in a crosswalk and may not proceed until the pedestrian is out of the crosswalk. It is not unlawful to cross the street at other than a marked crosswalk.

According to the Illinois Bicycle Rules of the Road, bicycles can use the roadways and have equal responsibilities and rights as motorists. This includes stopping for the flashing lights of a school bus. Bicyclist my also use the sidewalk. When doing so, pedestrians still have the right of way. Bicyclists must always yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk. Since bicyclists may use the roadways or the sidewalks, they should be aware of the rules for bother motorists and pedestrians.

Bicycle Rules of the Road includes some caveats, like a bicyclist using the roadways must stop at a traffic light, but may proceed after 120 seconds, if traffic is clear. The Rules also apply when riding on a designated bike trail, like the H.U.M. Trail or the Prairie Trail. The full set of rules is available at https://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/publications/pdf_publications/dsd_a143.pdf.

Pedestrians do have responsibilities. If a vehicle is approaching at the legal speed limit, and a pedestrian doesn’t give the driver time to react before stepping into the crosswalk or off the curb, the pedestrian is violating the law.

The best pedestrian or bicyclist policy is to pay attention, which includes not texting or talking on the phone while crossing the street, and removing ear buds to better hear oncoming traffic. Having the right-of-way will not protect you from a serious injury.