Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller partnered with the Village of Glenwood to host a bike clinic and ride event on Saturday, May 4. The “Thrive, Ride, Revive Bike Ride and Bike Clinic” took place at Cook County’s Sweet Woods Forest Preserve on the Thorn Creek Trail in Glenwood.
Miller, Glenwood Mayor Ronald Gardiner and Glenwood trustees were present to meet and talk with residents.
“It’s always a privilege to host events that showcase the jewel that is the Cook County Forest Preserves, which we have right here in our backyards,” Miller said. “The physical and mental health benefits from exposure to forests and other natural environments include positive effects on cardiovascular and immune systems and reduced stress levels, and I was struck that some of the young teens that attended had never been out to experience that feeling even though it is so close to their homes.”
Bikers included Miller, Nicolaus David, Kwame Amuh, community members from the area students and staff of Glenwood Academy, One Less Pound Bike Club and Black Girls Do Bike. The group rode three miles along the Thorn Creek Trail.
The ride was a chance to promote the county’s bike plan. In 2016, the Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways (DoTH) published Connecting Cook County, the County’s first long range transportation plan (LRTP) in 75 years. The LRTP emphasized the vital role of transit, biking and walking in helping residents get around. The Cook County Bike Plan expands on the vision of Connecting Cook County by identifying the initiatives DoTH will prioritize and pursue to improve bike facilities across the region.
