As the website, SuburbanChicagoBicycling, nears its first anniversary next month, editor Neil Holdway reflects on the winding road its content has taken over the last year.
Neil Holdway, editor of Suburban Chicago Bicycling
“I started this website to showcase the great places to ride a bike in the vast suburbs of Chicago,” he says, “and to highlight efforts to create more and safer conditions for people looking to get around by bike rather than by car.”
The many features on the site do just that, but increasingly Holdway is drawing more traction for the latest news about e-bike laws.
“E-bike law news has gotten me the most total traffic this year,” he says. “My e-bike law compilation could get almost 1,000 views in a month.”
The story is featured at the top of his site and offers links to e-bike ordinances in as many as 30 suburbs, as well as some park district rules and restrictions from county to county.
Holdway is a serious cyclist, who loves to ride on trails and roads throughout the suburbs. One of his passions is discovering great new places to ride and through the site he aims to help fellow suburban riders discover them.
The new bike-pedestrian bridge over Rt. 59 in Streamwood
Consider some of what he calls his “base articles” on the site for people seeking information about suburban Chicago bicycling, such as the best bike trails, a list of bike clubs, and a calendar of organized bike rides.
But he also reports on the latest news involving cycling, such as the article about the roundabout planned for Springinsguth Road in Schaumburg and its bike component, Barrington’s Route 14 underpass project and where riders can get through, as well as a look at Streamwood’s new bike-pedestrian bridge over Route 59.
A rider enters the paved trail in Busse Woods.
Holdway brings to the site his instincts for local news and his sharpened editing skills honed through 31 years at the Daily Herald. What started with his role on the copy desk eventually led to assistant news editor and news editor, before rising up the ranks to lead night editor, where among other things he designed front pages.
Underlying SuburbanChicagoBicycling is the desire to advocate for bicycling — and cyclists — as more and more riders take to the road.
“Most of all, I think bicycling is fantastic,” Holdway says. “You can see neat things with each trip, you can relieve stress and feel great, you can improve your health, improve the environment and the community. I just want to share some of what I’m experiencing.”
SuburbTalk agrees and highly promotes this site. Look for a link to the site in the “Quick Links” section, near the bottom of the SuburbTalk homepage.
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