DANVILLE - Local transportation officials have identified the best routes in the city for bicyclists and for future bike paths, but now they want to encourage people to ride their bicycles and ride them safely.

"We just want to see people come out and enjoy themselves and learn about biking," said Angie Stenson, transportation planner in the city's department of public development.

The federally-funded Danville Area Transportation Study organization and the city of Danville are hosting a first-ever Community Bicycle Day on May 21, featuring a two-mile bike ride from the Danville municipal building at 17 W. Main St. to Lincoln Park. The route will follow Hazel Street north from city hall to English Street where bikers will turn west and eventually connect with Lincoln Park.

On English Street, bicyclists will be following the route of the future Lincoln Park path, a 10-foot-wide shared use path to be built in the next few years using grant dollars awarded to the city. That was one of the routes designated for path development in the city's bicycle plan that was completed last year.

City Engineer David Schnelle said the Lincoln Park shared-use path project is nearing the property acquisition phase in which slivers of land along the route will be purchased from property owners to make way for the path. He said 2012 is the earliest construction might begin.

Stenson said the goal of the city's bicycle plan was not just assessing existing infrastructure and future infrastructure plans for bicycles, but also encouraging people to use bicycles more and educating them on the lawful and safest ways to ride. The Community Bicycle Day will further that mission, she said.

Prior to the two-mile ride, a Danville police officer will explain state and local bicycle laws to the participants, who must sign waivers to ride, Stenson said.

Streets will not be closed for the ride, she said, and bicyclists will not have the right-of-way but will need to follow the rules of the road as they should anytime they are riding in the city. At Lincoln Park in the pavilion, the League of Illinois Bicyclists will make a presentation to the cyclists and other community and education information will be available.

Stenson said the event is free, open to adults and children, and no pre-registration is required.

Stenson said the information on bicycle laws will be beneficial for riders of all ages as well as parents of children who ride and motorists. She said it's important for all of them to know the laws to keep everyone safe.

For example, she said, according to state law a cyclist should ride on the right side of the street with the flow of traffic, and if riding at night, a bike should have a white light.

"These are the types of things that we want to educate the public about in order to prevent conflicts between motorists and bicyclists," she said.

Stenson encourages people to bring their bikes and their bike helmets to the event. She said they will also be handing out bike maps made as a result of the city's bike planning process. Stenson said the map shows what routes in the city are most compatible for bikes. Streets were ranked suitable based on pavement conditions, width of the outside lanes, speed limits, traffic counts, truck traffic and more, she said.

"Those are the roads we have determined are more suitable for bicyclists," said Stenson, who added that the map also includes a wealth of information about bicycle safety and laws as well as various destinations within the city.