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Iowa Bicycle Safety and Responsibility Bill

Efforts to make Iowa roads safer for bicyclists are still alive.

This week, an Iowa House subcommittee approved the Bike Safety and Responsibility Bill, and it goes before a House Human Respirces Committee next week. The Iowa Senate passed the bill last winter, but the bill stalled in the House last year before the subcommittee took up the issue.

Here's a summary of what the bill would do, according to the Iowa Bicycle Coalition:

• Motorists would have to give bicyclists and other vulnerable users of Iowa highways at least 5 feet of clearance while passing.
• Require bicyclists to obey applicable traffic signs and signals.
• Prohibit people from throwing objects at cyclists and other vulnerable users.
• Prohibit motorists from intentionally driving their vehicles toward or close to cyclists and other vulnerable users.

The bill would create a wide range of fines and punishments, KCCI-TV in Des Moines reports the most serious of which are if a cyclist is injured, the driver must pay $500 and lose his  license for three months. If the cyclist dies, the fine increases to $1,000 and the suspension increases to six months.

"I don't think you can put a price on a life, but there has to be something that's a little bit more doling out of justice that acts as a deterrent," Ken Sherman of the Coalition told KCCI.

No doubt, the bill will face opposition if it advances to the full House. A group that calls itself the Citizens for Safety Coalition of Iowa wants to ban bicycles from most country roads. During this week's subcommittee meeting, Rep. Clel Baudler, R-Greenfield, says the 5-foot requirement may not be practical on some country roads.

As an alternative to the bicycle safety bill, Baudler would like to see a requirement that a cyclist's jersey must be at least 50 percent yellow or hunter orange to make the cyclist more visible on the road.

“(With) deer hunting in Iowa, we had fatalities, we had injuries. When the legislature required ‘hunter orange’ from the waist up basically, our fatalities (and) our injuries plummeted,” Baudler said at the Bike Iowa site.

The Coalition tries to counter some of Baudler's arguments at its blog.

Labels: advocacy, Iowa, safety

Roger 0 comments links to this post 1:17 PM

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Iowa group pushes bicycle ban

The Citizens for Safety Coalition of Iowa has started a petition drive that asks the Iowa legislature to create a ballot initiative for the November 2010 election that would ban bicycles on "farm-to-market" roads.

This is how Iowa law defines "farm-to-market" roads: "Farm-to-market roads" or "farm-to-market road system" means those county jurisdiction intracounty and intercounty roads which serve principal traffic generating areas and connect such areas to other farm-to-market roads and primary roads. The farm-to-market road system includes those county jurisdiction roads providing service for short-distance intracounty and intercounty traffic or providing connections between farm-to-market roads and area service roads, and includes those secondary roads which are federal aid eligible.

Here's what the group's petition has to say:

We the undersigned are Iowa residents who urge our Legislature to support a ballot initiative for the November 2010 election which will prohibit bicyclists from using state and county defined farm-to-market roads.

A farm-to-market road is a state or county road which serves to connect rural or agricultural areas to market towns.

Over the past ten years the number of bicyclists using these farm-to-market roads for recreational purposes has increased dramatically as have the number of preventable accidents and fatalities.

Rural commerce and citizens are significantly impacted when forced to share the farm-to-market roadways with bicyclists. Because of the growth of today's commerce and agricultural business, shared roadways are no longer safe or practical in today's society.

So please if you are a resident of Iowa join us and lets make our roadways safe. Thanks for your time and your support.

All questions and comments can be sent to cfscofiowa1@yahoo.com.

A spokesman for the group, Dan Jones, told Radio Iowa that bicyclists create problems on the roads. He says some of the smaller highways or rural roads don't have shoulders, and don't have a place for motorists or cyclists to get out of the way to avoid a problem.

"We're tired of it, we think that the bicyclists should be held to the same laws that motorists are. They should have to have their license and insurance, anything that I've ever known that's been on these highways has to have insurance on it," Jones told Radio Iowa.

Needless to say, the Iowa Bicycle Coalition is opposed to it. The Coalition opposes the ban, but shares the concern about safety on Iowa highways. Here's what that group has to say:

Iowa governments have tools to address roadway safety for motorists and bicyclists. Safety improvements are accomplished with roadway design changes, improved signage, better enforcement, education programs and awareness building. Bike bans are not the answer.

Existing traffic laws provide a framework for different modes of traffic to share the road. State traffic laws provide consistent expectations for safe behavior on public roadways throughout the state for all roadway users.

Bike bans would have an extreme economic impact. A recent economic impact study of RAGBRAI showed $24 million during the week-long bike ride. Bicycle tourism, including charity fundraisers, are estimated to generate as much or more than RAGBRAI during the other weeks of the year.

Bicycle bans would have an extreme impact on the health of Iowans. Recent studies by the Alliance for Bicycling and Walking have shown relationships between states with high rates of bicycling have a healthier population including lower rates of diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity.

Supporters of the bicycle ban petition drive, in comments on the petition drive page, have one legitimate argument" that sometimes we cyclists don't obey the rules of the road. Other arguments -- such as cyclists should be relegated to bicycle paths, that cyclists don't pay registration fee and taxes and that cyclists aren't required to have insurance -- are the same tired arguments the anti-bicycle crowd loves to use and don't hold water.

This is the second effort in recent weeks to ban bicycles from some roads. Recently, commissioners in Jefferson County decided to ask Colorado lawmakers to approve a laws that would give counties the right to ban bicycles from country roads. You can read more about that effort at the Biking Bis and Cyclelicious blogs as well as Bicycle Colorado and the Columbine Courier.

Labels: advocacy, Iowa, safety

Roger 0 comments links to this post 9:52 AM

Sunday, March 08, 2009

Complete RAGBRAI 2009 route revealed

Want to see where I will be cycling this summer? The Des Moines Register has revealed the full route for RAGBRAI XXXVI. You can click on the link to see the full map.

Here's a summation of the route:

• Sunday, July 19 -- Starting city: Council Bluffs. Ending city: Red Oak. Other towns visited: Mineola, Henderson and Emerson. Climb: 3,684 feet. Distance: 52.6 miles.
• Monday, July 20 -- Starting city: Red Oak. Ending city: Greenfield. Other towns visited: Stanton, Villisca, Nodaway, Corning, Prescott, Williamson and Fontanelle. Climb: 5,096 feet. Distance: 72.6 miles.
• Tuesday, July 21 -- Starting city: Greenfield. Ending city: Indianola. Other towns visited: Orient, Macksburg, East Peru, Truro, St. Charles, St. Marys, Martensdale and Prole. Climb: 4,470 feet. Distance: 77.1 miles.
• Wednesday, July 22 -- Starting city: Indianola. Ending city: Chariton. Other towns visited: Ackworth, Sandyville, Milo, Lacona and Oakley. Climb: 2,182 feet. Distance: 44.4 miles.
• Thursday, July 23 -- Starting city: Chariton. Ending city: Ottumwa. Other towns visited: Millerton, Bethlehem, Confidence, Iconium, Honey Creek Resort State Park, Moravia, Rathbun Lake, Unionville and Blakesburg. Climb: 3,388 feet. Distance: 76.9 miles.
• Friday, July 24 -- Starting city: Ottumwa. Ending city: Mount Pleasant. Other towns visited: Hedrick, Martinsburg, Pekin, Packwood, Pleasant Plain, Brighton, Germanville and Lockridge. Climb: 2,841 feet. Distance: 75.5 miles.
• Saturday, July 25 -- Starting city: Mount Pleasant. Ending city: Burlington. Other towns visited: New London, Lowell and Geode State Park. Climb: 1,145 feet. Distance: 43.2 miles.

I am hoping my second visit to Mount Pleasant will be a bit more pleasant than my first. Back in the '70s, my dad took the family up to the Midwest Old Threshers Reunion to see the old steam-powered threshing machines. He even borrowed a camper from a buddy of his so we could stay overnight.

I have to admit I the old steam engines fascinated me, and I even enjoyed the concert that night by Country-Western music legend Hank Snow.

Alas, I spoiled the trip for my dad, through no fault of my own. The combination of steam and coal smoke during the day and rain that night aggravated my childhood asthma. As I tried to go to sleep in the camper, I started wheezing, forcing my dad to drive home in the middle of the night.

I've also been to Brighton, Iowa. In 1969, a group from Brighton, Iowa, visited my hometown of Brighton, Ill., to participate in the community's centennial celebration. In 1970, my family and several other folks from Brighton, Ill., returned the favor and rode in the centennial parade for Brighton, Iowa.

Labels: Iowa, RAGBRAI

Roger 0 comments links to this post 5:56 PM

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Guess who's finally going on RAGBRAI?

I've been on plenty of the Midwest's great weeklong bicycle rides -- West Shoreline Tour, TRIRI, GOBA, etc. -- but I haven't done the granddaddy of them all.

Until this year, that is.

I will be doing this year's version of the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, better known as RAGBRAI!

I signed up today through the St. Louis-based Touring Cyclist bicycle store chain, and it's a good thing I did. I called Touring Cyclist's main office and asked if there were still spots, and owner Donald Humphries had an ominous message for me:

"I don't mean to pressure you," he said, "but I only have two spots left and I've had six people call today."

Make that one spot. I immediately filed out the application form, which I've had for several weeks and put off filing out -- procrastination is one of my worst traits -- and went up to the Touring Cyclist shop in Fairview Heights, Ill., to make a down payment.

There's still time to sign up for RAGBRAI. The paper registration deadline is Sunday, and the online registration deadline isn't until April 1. However, fellow cyclists who have done RAGBRAI have told me going with a group is the way to go to avoid prolonged luggage searches and long shower lines.

Touring Cyclist had room for 57 people, and I'm No. 56. That definitely beats the heck out of being No. 58!

Dawn Weber, the manager of the Fairview Heights shop, always has been amazed that I've never done RAGBRAI, given the number of other weeklong rides I've done in 11 states and 2 Canadian provinces. Frankly, I have too. It's not been for a lack of trying, but I've never been able to get that week off work because of our vacation seniority system until this year.

I'm really looking forward to RAGBRAI. I just hope the vandals who plagued last year's ride by throwing tacks on the road stay home, or better yet, behind bars.

Labels: bicycle rides, Iowa, RAGBRAI

Roger 1 comments links to this post 6:48 PM

Friday, August 29, 2008

Cyclists win a battle in Iowa

The Des Moines Register reports today that Iowa county roads will stay open to group bicycle rides, and a big reason for that is the newspaper itself.

The Register, of course, is the driving force behind RAGBRAI -- the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. A fatality and lawsuit tied to the 2004 edition ride prompted Crawford County to ban large group bicycle rides and the Iowa State Association of Counties to seek state legislation and county ordinances aimed at regulating group rides.

David Vestal, the association's lawyer, told the Register that concessions by the newspaper addressed the issue. RAGBRAI officials will rewrite waivers signed by bicycle rider and will purchase liability insurance that covers counties along the statewide route, he said. The Register story did not say how much insurance coverage will be provided to the counties.

The fallout from the lawsuit also had led to these actions:

• The association lobbied for state legislation that would have barred bicycle riders from collecting damages from counties and cities for most accidents. It failed to win approval.
• The association then urged county officials statewide to adopt tough ordinances to regulate organized bicycle rides. The sample draft ordinance that the association wrote would require the sponsors of any qualified bicycle event to purchase a $1 million policy that also covers the county. Violators would face fines of at least $750.
• In Hardin County, the Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance in July that declared the county's roads were not designed for bicycles. Groups of 10 or more bicyclists must obtain at least $1 million in liability insurance, and they can be fined $750 for first-time offenses.
• The Dallas County Board of Supervisors considered a similar proposal in June, but it was shelved amid stiff opposition from bicyclists.
  

Hardin County board members will meet at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Hardin County Courthouse in Eldora to consider repealing its ordinance. Supervisor Jim Johnson acknowledged that the ordinance has been unpopular with bicycle riders, but he said county officials were concerned about protecting county taxpayers.

"If RAGBRAI has this covered, then we are satisfied," Johnson told the Register.

It's good to see the counties association back down from the harsh stand. Had more counties passed the ordinance, it would have been somewhat crippling for RAGBRAI but catastrophic for smaller bicycle clubs and other organizations that hold group rides.

The Register, which is owned by the Gannett newspaper chain, probably would have had deep enough pockets to afford the insurance, even with the shaky economic state of the newspaper industry. But lots of smaller groups wouldn't have been able to afford the policies.

Labels: advocacy, bicycle rides, Iowa

Roger 0 comments links to this post 1:48 PM

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Ha, ha, very funny ... NOT! Tacks flatten tires at RAGBRAI

Some slackers desperate for laughs decided it would be really hilarious to throw tacks on a country road near Nevada, Iowa.

Well, dozens -- if not hundreds -- of participants on RAGBRAI, the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, aren't laughing. And neither am I.

Scores of RAGBRAI bicyclists had to detour to repair trailers Wednesday morning after pranksters spread tacks across Story County Road E41 -- an old alignment of the historic Lincoln Highway -- outside Nevada, the Des Moines Register reported. Nevada is about eight miles east of Ames, the home of Iowa State University.

"We changed 100 easily, and we didn't even do them all," bike shop owner Tom Letsche told the Register while pointing to a pile of inner tubes next to his equipment van.

Officials eventually managed to clear the tacks, but not before cyclists spent hundreds of dollars to buy new tubes at $5 a pop. The Register story did not mention whether there were any suspects.

Here's links to Des Moines TV station's coverage of the flat tire debacle:

• Story
• Video

Labels: Iowa, tours

Roger 2 comments links to this post 11:11 AM

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Bicycle battles in Iowa

When supervisors in Crawford County, Iowa, banned RAGBRAI, the Des Moines Register's Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, it spurred a debate between counties concerned about liability issues and cyclists who are asserting their rights to ride on Iowa roads.

On Saturday, nearly 100 cyclists staged a protest ride against the RAGBRAI ban.

Crawford County supervisors voted to ban the annual ride last fall after settling a lawsuit with the family of a rider who died in 2004. The lawsuit claimed the county was negligent in its road maintenance, but since the case never went to trial, that was never determined.

"I don't understand what they are so upset about," Crawford County Board Chairman Dan Mulbauer told The Daily Nonpareil of Council Bluffs. "We are not against the riders. We need to have some liability protection. We can't afford another $350,000 lawsuit from someone saying our roads aren't good enough."

In response to the liability issue, the Iowa State Association of Counties drafted a sample draft ordinance that requires all bicycle rides to provide a certificate of insurance. It would require the sponsors of any qualified bicycle event to purchase a $1 million policy that also covers the county. Violators would face fines of at least $750.

You know cyclists are in trouble when you read the first section of the draft ordinance: "County roads are not designed for bicycles. According to the National Highway Traffic Administration, bicycling results in more emergency room admissions than any other sport or activity. Large organized bicycle events that use County roads create a unique risk of injury to bicycle riders. Allowing such rides puts the County, and County taxpayers, at risk for lawsuits and large damage awards."

The draft ordinance (Word document) goes on to say: "The County wants to encourage large organized bicycle events, while at the same time protecting the County from liability. The County has a legitimate interest in protecting itself from liability for injuries associated with the use of County roads. The best way to do that is to require that large organized bicycle events procure insurance that includes the County as an additional insured."

On Tuesday, dozens of bicyclists persuaded Dallas County officials Tuesday to reconsider an ordinance that would require liability insurance for any organized bike ride with more than 20 riders that is based upon the group's draft ordinance, the Des Moines Register reported..

County supervisors delayed a vote on the proposal, which has met resistance from cyclists who say it would hinder cycling clubs and charity fundraisers that can't afford policies.

Labels: bicycling, Iowa, tours

Roger 2 comments links to this post 10:26 AM

Friday, January 25, 2008

Liability shadow hangs over RAGBRAI

Most Iowa communities want to be a part of the Register Annual Bicycle Ride Across Iowa -- better known as RAGBRAI -- because the annual bicycle tour brings thousands of dollars to their communities.

The 38th edition of RAGBRAI starts July 20 in Missouri Valley with stops in Harlan, Jefferson, Ames, Tama-Toledo, North Liberty and Tipton before ending in Le Claire on July 26.

"We've seen towns that get 20,000 to 30,000 people," T.J. Juskiewicz, the ride's director told the Des Moines Register. "That's a lot of dollars. The economic impact, some towns have told us, is $2 million."

But not every local government is thrilled about the ride. This summer's ride doesn't pass through Crawford County, where the county's board of supervisors passed a resolution in October banning RAGBRAI or "any event of like kind and nature," the Register reported.

The supervisors approved the ban after it paid a $350,000 insurance settlement to the widow of a RAGBRAI rider who died in 2004. The rider was thrown from his bicycle after hitting a center-line crack on a Crawford County road.

The Register goes on to report that many county officials want the Iowa legislature to address the problem this year by providing an exemption for future court cases involving bicycles on county roads.

To me, it sounds a whole lot like the 1998 Illinois Supreme Court ruling that made bicyclists permitted, rather than intended, users of Illinois roads. The ruling held that local governments are liable for bicyclists' safety because of road condition only on streets marked or signed as a bike route.

I certainly understand the counties' desire to avoid liability, and I certainly understand that some road conditions that are unsafe for cyclists, including a crack in the middle of the pavement, aren't necessarily unsafe for drivers of cars, trucks and tractors. But my experience cycling on roads in North America tells me that the roads that are substandard for bicycles often are substandard for motorized vehicles as well.

A better solution would be one being offered by Iowa state Sen. Bill Dotzler. The Register reports Dotzler plans to introduce a bill in the Iowa legislature that would enable counties to get state grants to repair the roads.

Of course, that would involve spending money, but spending money to make roads safer for all users -- including cyclists -- seems like a wise use of taxpayers' money to me.

Labels: advocacy, bicycling, Iowa, tours

Roger 0 comments links to this post 11:52 AM