GRANITE CITY – May is National Bike Month, and few organizations are more pumped about life on two wheels than Madison County Transit (MCT) – the agency that has developed and maintains the scenic MCT Trails in Madison County, Illinois. Since the 1990s, MCT has built one of the most extensive Class One trail systems in the country.
With 9 inter-connected bikeways, on 1,500 acres of greenspace, spanning 130 miles, and connecting 51 parks in 20 communities, the MCT Trails have become a magnet for new homebuyers and visitors. Additionally, with 23 bridges and 46 tunnels reducing the number of at-grade crossings, more than 90 organizations have hosted fund-raisers and other events on the MCT Trails in the last five years.
MCT’s plans for celebrating National Bike Month include the following activities:
MCT Trails Photo Challenge: In the month of May, Trailgoers of all ages are encouraged to take photos of their friends and family on the MCT Trails and post them on the MCT Trails Facebook page. All entries will be sent a gift bag and will be entered to win a $50 gift card.
MCT Trail Openings: Later this month MCT will open two new MCT Trail segments:
1). 1,100-foot MCT Nature Trail extension from Wabash to Johnson in Granite City.
2). 6.4-mile MCT Nickel Plate Trail extension from Alhambra to New Douglas.
(MCT Trails Maps Available: Pocket-sized MCT Trail maps and St. Louis Regional Bikeway Maps are available by e-mailing [email protected] or calling 618-797-4600).
“The League of American Bicyclists recognizes May as National Bike Month; but for MCT, every month is Bike Month,” said MCT Managing Director Jerry Kane.
For more information about the MCT Trails, visit www.mcttrails.org or e-mail [email protected].
Madison County Transit (MCT) provides multi-modal transportation services for Madison County, Illinois. MCT operates a fixed-route bus service, connecting to MetroLink; express weekday commuter service directly to and from downtown St. Louis; and seasonal express service to the Rams games and the Muny. For elderly and disabled residents who are unable to use the fixed-route buses, MCT provides complementary door to door service. MCT is also responsible for the construction and maintenance of more than 100 miles of bikeways that comprise the MCT Trails system, as well as overseeing RideFinders, the St. Louis region’s FREE carpooling and vanpooling program
