Volunteers from Cycle Brookfield completed an audit of Brookfield’s “bikeability,” and their findings will inform the village’s resurfacing projects for Maple and Prairie Avenues that are planned in the next few years.
“The bicycle audit through the AARP and the League of American Bicyclists is a highly structured and guided observation of a roadway or intersection to note safety issues and what are some corresponding safety improvements you could recommend to improve that roadway or intersection so more people feel comfortable and safe bicycling, kids all the way through older adults,” said Joe Seymour, a member of Cycle Brookfield who led the audit.
Seymour said 30 volunteers split into three groups of 10 on Sept. 6, 2025. One group each rode the north-south corridors of Prairie, Maple and Kemman avenues, which he said accounted for 60% of bicycle crashes in town between 2019 and 2023.
He said everyone had a role in the audit, from measuring the speeds of passing vehicles with a radar gun or photographing the route to take note of the pavement condition or keeping an eye out for bicycle parking.
“The intent of the bike audit is to give the observations and recommendations to the village so they can make the roads more bike-friendly, and it’s going to look different for each of the roads,” he said. “Right now, we’re talking with the village about what these recommendations mean for the resurfacing of Maple Avenue and Prairie Avenue.”
Maple is scheduled for resurfacing this year, Seymour said. Prairie Avenue is scheduled to be redone in 2029 but could be done as soon as 2027 if the village receives contingency funding.
On-street parking on Maple Avenue made the roadway narrower and more challenging for bicyclists, while Prairie Avenue had more issues related to speeding cars, Seymour said. All three corridors had some issues in common, like missing or faded crosswalk markings and unsafe crossings at Ogden Avenue.
He said the group suggested solutions like curb extensions and lowered speed limits on Prairie and Maple avenues in order to improve bicyclists’ experiences.
“Unfortunately, because of the distance between the curbs on Prairie and Maple, you can’t really fit a bike lane in unless you remove [on-street] parking, and I don’t believe the community is at the point where they’re ready to talk about removing parking,” Seymour said.
Seymour said the effort to audit Brookfield’s bike experience started in 2024, when he led the effort to apply for grant funding through AARP. The group’s application was unsuccessful then, but Seymour applied again in 2025 and said Cycle Brookfield was one of only 10% of applicants that were approved.
He said the group made sure to have a diverse range of riders, including a village trustee and staff members, assist with the audit to make sure anyone can bike in Brookfield.
