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Community Corner

Wide Range of Opinions on 'Skinny' Route 31 Lanes

From "Terrible idea!" to "Do it now!" your opinions about a proposal that would put Route 31 on a "Road Diet" were all over the map.

From "Terrible idea!" to "Do it now!" the reaction to a proposal that would put Route 31 on a "Road Diet" was all over the map.

Geneva officials put forward the plan at Monday's City Council meeting and suggested Batavia consider looking at a similar recommendation.

Of course, the decision really rests with the state of Illinois' Department of Transportation, but Geneva officials are hoping that a simple re-striping would be attractive to the state, since there wouldn't be any additional expense other than the already anticipated resurfacing.

Exactly when that resurfacing will happen, no one is sure, but city officials wanted to get in their 2 cents, hoping that it will come fairly soon.

What do you think? Is a "road diet" in order, or is the problem that the lanes are too skinny already?

You can read the article on Geneva Patch or on Batavia Patch.



From Geneva Patch Facebook Page


  • Marc Propheter Are you nuts just widen the road
  • Jonas Paretzkin This road is way too narrow. I'd support two lanes or a widening of the road.
  • Betsy Highley Maresko Great idea. Have had my mirror clipped by a passing car here. Love the idea of bike lanes. My husband bikes to Lisle to work several times a week....the bike lane would ease his commute.
  • Jacob Chally Resurface and widen the road, and do it now!
  • Edward C. Amery Do it!!!
  • Jeanne Moeller Chybik Why not extend the path on the west side from Fabayan park to the govt center. Bikes and cars don't mix.
  • Laura Larson Raap Two lanes with a turn lane. I love the idea.

From Batavia Patch Facebook


  • Robyn Sparks-Nichols those roads are so narrow I hate driving down 31 because im afraid im going to hit a damn car!
  • Stephanie Van Craenenbroeck Seriously? What dumb *+^ came up with that idea? Has this person ever tried to drive on 31 especially thru Batavia & Geneva. Bad idea!
  • Tim Tumminaro This one is too easy.... Im letting it go.
  • Tim Bonnes There is a bike trail along the Fox River. They don't need to put a bike Lil Wayne along 31
  • Tim Tumminaro There is a bike path next to river.. Hello.
  • Tim Bonnes *bike lane
  • Julie Adams There is a bike path just east of 31 in Batavia! The bike path is right there. Having cyclists use that is a better idea than making 31 a two-lane road
  • Jen Baxley Sunleaf Bad idea!
  • Jessica Pluta I am always for bike paths. And that stretch of the road has narrow lanes and is never overly congested. Without seeing all of the numbers or looking into this beyond a first reaction, I'm for it.
  • Eric Nepstad It's the same width as a 2 lane road anyway.
  • Julie Adams Jessica - it's not overly congested because there are four lanes. Imagine that traffic with two lanes. Now picture getting stuck behind someone who wants to make a left hand turn. You will be waiting for them to turn because there will be no way to go around.
  • Tim Tumminaro Why not cement over the river.. Make that an alternate road.... Joke only .. I told u i would leave it but i just couldnt.. At least widen it for gosh sakes Im afraid ill get pushed into a telephone pole by a semi. I fear for my wife and daughter when i think of that scenario . Or enforce speed limits to 35 along whole stretch. Down to n. Aurora.
  • Kathy Briestansky Kuchta I dislike driving on that narrow stretch of road too. I like the idea of 2 lanes and a median or turn lane instead.

Geneva Patch Article Comments


DJP I left a comment earlier and for some reason it wasn't posted. Do we live in communist community? Because quite frankly my post was not offensive, unless of course you live in Ward 5 and they don't like to hear that people in this community might disagree with this ridiculous suggestion.... To turn a working highway over to a few cyclists?

Mike I agree that Rt 31 is dangerous. The lanes are narrow and there is no shoulder. Whenever I drive it I can't help but think of the driver that was killed when she was rear ended and her car was pushed into oncoming traffic. Widening the physical road doesn't seem feasible with the historic stone wall along the eastern edge, so converting to 2 lanes with a center turn lane would seem to go a long way to make it safer. Too bad the lanes can't widened to the standard 12' width. Recommend

Angela That is the most retarted idea

Stacy If this is even considered, the bike paths need to be removed from the road. If the street stays the same width, cars will veer into bike lanes. There also needs to be a light consideration at Fabyan. That intersection would be much more difficult to turn out of if the lanes were reduced. I can see a lot of car/car and Car/bike accidents happening there with the tree hang over and the sharp turns. Stacy Sorry, not at Fabyan, at Fargo.

Adam Emmert Since when do random bicyclists get more rights and funding than motorists?! Tens of thousands of vehicles, both personal and commercial use route 31 daily. There are bike paths, which our tax dollars have ALREADY been used for, along the river on BOTH sides, and on Western. Semis can hardly fit on the outside lanes as is, but we fund repaving of Randall Road which didn't have a single pot hole, rather than widening and fixing 31. Bicyclists these days are empowered with the "Share the Road" campaign, and it has resulted in arrogance on the part of those whom think their recreational hobby has more rights than people coming to a from work or getting their kids from school. If you can't keep up with the speed limit, GET OUT OF THE WAY. I shouldn't have to swerve into oncoming traffic to avoid you, that is, until a motorist causes a vehicular fatality, and then Share the Road goes away anyway.

mcf Why stop in Geneva!! Continue the Bike Lane ALL THE WAY TO RED GATE BRIDGE.......Then we will be connected! 31 narrows to 2 Lanes in ST Charles, The Speed limit is 45, and there is STILL NO BIKE LANE!! I was told Rt 31 is State Governed and its a MONEY ISSUE!! Why Is Geneva Special?!!

Ellabulldog Silly idea, it is too narrow, maybe lower speed limit, if only two lanes then traffic will get backed up with no turn lane, it is too busy for one lane, bikes can use other routes of course, paths are everywhere or widen it a bit before resurfacing.

maureen It seems to be an idea worth consideration. Route 31 has always been difficult to navigate and a challenge to cross from the side streets. It would be ideal to widen the two center lanes to the standard 12' and add the bike lanes.

Laura Stuart I am always for more bike paths and a safer transportation system, but have we assessed the impact on access to downtown businesses? Might a more constricted route encourage drivers to avoid downtown Geneva all together? Or would the scenic, more bucolic road profile serve to further enhance the charm of the downtown? Please consider the viability of downtown businesses in the decision. Thank you.

Kiki Curran Johnson November 06, 2013 at 11:22 AMI've only been living in Geneva for 5 months but I drive on 31 daily when I drive my husband to and from the train station. And every time I'm on it I say to myself "THIS ROAD IS TOO NARROW AND SO DANGEROUS!" The lanes need to be 12', especially for all the SUVs and trucks. I can't tell you how many times an oncoming car has almost clipped me. If it cant be widened then one lane is ok. BUT there needs to be something done for left turns and right turns at Fargo and especially at Fabyian. Otherwise, it will be terribly backed up. Also, what's up with the intersection of 31 & Fabyian? It also seems dangerous. Making a left turn onto 31 from eastbound Fabyian is scary sometimes.

Mark A. Wider lanes for autos should be the priority here. If there is enough space with removing a lane to add a bike lane great but making the lanes a standard width for motorists should come first. The landscaped median is not needed and uses lane space. There is no way I would ride my bike along a highway I barely like to drive my car on anyway.

Kiki Curran Johnson Well said Mark A. The motorist should be the 1st priority!

Mike After re-reading the article, from what I understand, we're locked into 40' wide. Instead of 4 narrow, dangerous lanes the thought is to make it 2 narrow lanes (20'), a median, which will have to be 10' if it's used as a center turning lane and 2 - 5' bike paths. Theres our 40 feet. What about garbage trucks? The bike lane won't be wide enough for them to use without backing up traffic. What am I missing here?

Greg H Widen the road and make it safe. The 4 lanes need to stay. There is enough accommodation for bikers in the area and that part of 31 is one of the main access points to the train station. Never knew the wall was historic. It's more of an eyesore than a landmark. It's certainly not the Great Wall of China.
Mark A. Good comment Mike I wasn't think of the median as a turn lane which would be needed if it is only two lanes. Seems like odd man out is the bike path. Isn't there a sidewalk along most of the north side of 31 currently? Could that be completed?

Veronica With an ADT (Average Daily Traffic) of only 12200, its a feasible idea to have two 11' travel lanes, a 12' center running turn lane, and 3' shoulders. http://streetmix.net/-/81818 Palatine Rd. between Ela and Olmstead in Hoffman Estates had an ADT of 14900 and was successfully resurfaced over the summer with this design. Since there are only signals at the ends of the corridor, any left turning cars must idle in the travel lane before crossing two lanes of traffic. Turning that travel lane into a center running turn lane would eliminate this conflict and reduce congestion. Simply widening the travel lanes would increase the speed and number of severe crashes. By only widening the travel lanes by one foot each from 10' to 11', travel lanes become more comfortable without compromising safety. This leaves room for a 12' center turn lane (12' is the minimum width) and two 3' shoulders. 3' is not wide enough for bike lanes, so a shoulder would provide a safety buffer for drivers. http://streetmix.net/-/81828 This being said, I am 100% in support of bike lanes, but only where they are adequately safe and justified for both drivers and cyclists.

Mike That sounds reasonable. I'm a biker, but I know some roads just aren't good for biking and that's okay. The River Trail is only a few hundred yards away.


Batavia Patch Article Comments



Oldreddog Batavia needs to do the same thing in some areas of 31.

Dan 
I can see it now a father 2 kids on trikes on rte. 31. No turn lanes and a speed limit of 35 mph and it is dark out and the train just let out. Why are you thinking of ideas on devastating peoples life’s? Why not just widen the bike path and enjoy the scenery and safety.

BataviaResident 
This is a terrible idea. These lanes are needed for cars. Has anyone noticed the traffic picking up around here? I can see it now, bumper to bumper from the train station to Batavia. We should be fixing 31 to handle more traffic, not making handle less. If a bike path is needed, put it by the river.
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