Map volunteer wants to make cycling easier

By Ted Villaire

While collecting data for the recently updated Chicagoland Bike Map, Terry Witt pedaled about 400 miles on roads near where he lives in the Western Suburbs.

Witt said he was eager to help gather local information for the new map because it helps make cycling more feasible for a greater number of people.

“I love learning about new places to ride and sharing this information with others,” Witt said. “I want to make biking easier for people.”

Covering his territory
While scouting bike routes for the new Active Trans’ map, Witt’s territory included the eastern part of Kane County and the northwestern section of DuPage County.

His first task on the project was to determine if the preferred biking routes indicated on the map’s previous edition withstood the test of time. If speed limits, road widths or traffic volume had changed, he might have recommended changing the color category for a road. (On the Chicagoland Bike Map, red indicates excellent cycling conditions, orange is for medium-level cycling conditions and the yellow means use road with caution.)

If traffic volume on a particular road had increased, for example, Witt would recommend a new color category for the road or he would recommend no longer showing the road as a preferred route.

Collecting useful information
While exploring roads for the map, Witt stopped to takes notes every 5 miles or so. “When you see a lot of roads in one day, it’s easy to forget the details,” he said.

When opportunities arose to include new roads on the map, Witt looked for roads that made useful connections. “My objective was to help people get from point A to point B and [help them] do it easily and safely,” he said. “I would ask, ‘Does this road get you someplace?’”

Many of the 100 volunteers who served on the mapping project worked collaboratively on Google Maps with Active Trans staff. Witt preferred using another online mapping website called Mapmyride.com. When Witt returned home from a ride, he would type up his notes, make notations on mapmyride.com and then share all the information with staff.

“It took a lot of time working on the map, but it was fun,” he said. “It kept me in good physical condition.”

Making a difference
Since retiring from his job as a logistics manager at Mars, Witt has been on a mission to improve cycling conditions in the Western Suburbs. In addition to volunteering on the map project, he helps organize bike rodeos attended by thousands of west suburban families and he’s the director of advocacy for Spin Doctor Cyclewerks, located near where he lives in Bartlett.

At Spin Doctor, Witt regularly leads group rides (see below) and he serves as an Active Trans Bike Shop Ambassador, a program designed to strengthen alliances between local bike shops and Active Trans.

When taking a break from leading group rides and his advocacy work, Witt loves spending time with his 11 grand children. “They all love to ride,” he said. “It’s the greatest thing.”