JUNE 2014

Waukee’s Centennial Park is your home base for the 2014 BACooN RIDE with camping, entertainment, and parking available to registered riders. Bacon lovers will have plenty of fun activities and bacon to make them feel right at home.

Camping will be available to all registered riders in Centennial Park on Friday, June 27 and Saturday, June 28. Because Centennial Park

was used as the main campground on RAGBRAI in 2006, the city of Waukee is ready to fulfill the needs of riders and campers, including those with tents, buses or RVs. Camping will be free to registered participants, but there will be no electric hook-ups for buses or RVs.

Starting Friday night, riders

and community members will be able to quench their thirst at a beverage garden in Centennial Park from 5:00-11:00

p.m. The band “Swing Crew” will keep the fun alive from 7:00-11:00 p.m.

On Saturday morning, the Waukee Fire Department and the Iowa Egg Council will

provide riders with an extra boost of protein with a bacon and egg breakfast taco in Centennial Park from 6:00-10:00 a.m. After the BACooN RIDE is over, the fun will continue at Mickey’s Irish Pub in Waukee, where the band LESSON 7 will entertain and beverages will be plentiful.

Iowa Drops to #25 Bike Friendly State. Iowa Bicycle Coalition reacts.

BACooN Ride Rolls On June 28 and Waukee Brings the Fun!

At one point, Iowa was the 6th most Bicycle Friendly State in the US. The annual ranking from the League of American Bicyclists has been steadily declining since 2009. Iowa has occupied spots at 9th, 16th, 21st, and now 25th position. Iowans who like to ride bicycles in Iowa should be disappointed and concerned.

Bicycle Friendly does not evaluate how much Iowans enjoy bicycles, how friendly of a wave they give as they pass bikes on the road, or how many crashes occur over the course of a year. The evaluation considers policies and practices in engineering, education, encouragement, enforce-ment, and evaluation against the other 50 states. Those five words that start with E are known as the 5 E's and are the national strategy for improving conditions for people riding bicycles.

Iowa is tackling some things that will result in points during

the next evaluation. At the same time, other states are improving conditions for cyclists. If Iowa doesn't decide to tackle some big issues soon, we will fail to improve our ranking or we may fall even farther behind the other states.

This just doesn't seem right. Iowa hosts the largest, longest, and oldest statewide bicycle touring event. RAGB-RAI makes Iowa known around the world as a great place to ride a bicycle. The HyVee Triathlon is one of the greatest multisport events in the country and it is hosted right here in Iowa. We refer to Iowa's trail system as the world capital of trails.

The truth is, Iowans are reluctant on making things better for bicycling. In 1988, 49 states adopted laws that gave bicyclists the same rights and duties as the drivers of vehicles. Iowa was the last state to adopt such legislation.

Kathy Ridnour Retires at Iowa DOTAfter a lengthy career at the Iowa DOT, Kathy Ridnour, Safe Routes to School coordinator is retiring. Kathy previously served at the Iowa Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator overseeing projects such as the state bike map, smart wheeler education program, and sponsor-ship of bike to work week.

Kathy was an integral part of starting the Iowa Bicycle Coaltion. She served on the initial board of directors, convinced the Iowa DOT to become a founding member of the organization, and suggested the Coali-tion take on the Iowa Bicycle Summit.

In more recent years, Kathy has coordinated the Safe Routes to School Program that has impacted tens of thousands of Iowa school-aged children. The purpose

of the Safe Routes to School Program is to encourage more walking and bicycling to school. The Iowa DOT made that possible by approving hundreds of walking and bicycling facilities in and around school zones. The investments made it easier for more kids to walk and bicycle to school.

Kathy also prioritized the involvement of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition into her Safe Routes to School Program. Through multiple grants, the Iowa Bicycle Coalition created a Safe Routes to School Partnership by holding orga-nizing workshops in two-thirds of Iowa counties. The program has succesfully launched multiple walking school buses, bike safety days, and hundreds of class-rooms implementing walking and bicycling safety into the schoolday.

Kathy has worked with partners across Iowa to navigate Federal transporta-

I could give you a couple of health statistics or environ-mental impacts to support the reason to invest in bicycling. However, the more powerful reason is economic. People are dropping a lot of money in association with bicycling. It is the "staycation" strate-gy on steroids. An innkeep-er in Northeast Iowa told me bicycling is driving his business.

Workforce development is the other powerful reason. Recent headlines spoke about young workers who will relocate to areas with more transportation choic-es. Young professionals are relying upon transit and bicycling more and more. If Iowa doesn't adapt, our talent pool of young workers will shrink. Investing in bicycling is one solution to the brain drain.

There are some great things going on in across the state. Mason City is poised to invest $1.8 million of local money in their bicycling network. Johnson County is invest-

ing in their rural trails with funding from a conserva-tion bond. Waterloo passed a complete streets policy honored as one of the top policies in the US.

What does the State of Iowa need to do to return to the top 10 Bicycle Friendly States?

1. Infrastructure Invest-ment. We need to stop siphoning money normally dedicated for trails into highway and bridge projects. We need to fund bike projects from the Traffic Safety Improvement Program, Air Quality, and other eligible programs. We need to expand the use of the trails funds for other bicycle facilities and maintenance.

2. Pass some common sense bike safety laws. If a bicyclist is turning right, they should be able to point right with their right arm and signal a turn, right? A person riding a bicycle should be able to move to the center of the lane if there is a pothole, or

a right turn-only lane, correct? Should a motorist be allowed to open a car door before it is safe from being struck by other vehicles? Can we allow speed limits in certain areas to be below 20 mph? Not right now in Iowa.

3. Adopt A New Bike Plan and Complete Streets Policy. This project is underway at the Iowa DOT. I am certain the plan will be well written and impactful. Implementation will be the key to benefiting Iowans. Formal adoption of the plan by the Iowa DOT Commission will be the first sign of implementation.

4. Increase the amount of people riding bicycles. We need to raise the bike commuter percentage to 1%, almost double from where we are. Modest efforts in Iowa communities could yield big impacts to that number. We move the needle over 1% when bicycling becomes an easy and convenient choice.

I attended two Blue Zone kickoffs and another Blue Zone progress update last week. One of the top recom-mendations was to buy a bike or dust one off and use it. The Blue Zone Project knows bicycle facilities are impactful on the health and economics of our communities.

We need the State of Iowa to embrace bicycling as an opportunity. Invest in bike infrastructure, pass better laws, adopt an effective bike plan, and put more Iowans on bicycles and we will be racing towards the top 10 Bicycle Friendly States again.

Iowa Drops to #25 Bike Friendly State. Iowa Bicycle Coalition reacts.At one point, Iowa was the 6th most Bicycle Friendly State in the US. The annual ranking from the League of American Bicyclists has been steadily declining since 2009. Iowa has occupied spots at 9th, 16th, 21st, and now 25th position. Iowans who like to ride bicycles in Iowa should be disappointed and concerned.

Bicycle Friendly does not evaluate how much Iowans enjoy bicycles, how friendly of a wave they give as they pass bikes on the road, or how many crashes occur over the course of a year. The evaluation considers policies and practices in engineering, education, encouragement, enforce-ment, and evaluation against the other 50 states. Those five words that start with E are known as the 5 E's and are the national strategy for improving conditions for people riding bicycles.

Iowa is tackling some things that will result in points during

the next evaluation. At the same time, other states are improving conditions for cyclists. If Iowa doesn't decide to tackle some big issues soon, we will fail to improve our ranking or we may fall even farther behind the other states.

This just doesn't seem right. Iowa hosts the largest, longest, and oldest statewide bicycle touring event. RAGB-RAI makes Iowa known around the world as a great place to ride a bicycle. The HyVee Triathlon is one of the greatest multisport events in the country and it is hosted right here in Iowa. We refer to Iowa's trail system as the world capital of trails.

The truth is, Iowans are reluctant on making things better for bicycling. In 1988, 49 states adopted laws that gave bicyclists the same rights and duties as the drivers of vehicles. Iowa was the last state to adopt such legislation.

Kathy Ridnour Retires at Iowa DOTAfter a lengthy career at the Iowa DOT, Kathy Ridnour, Safe Routes to School coordinator is retiring. Kathy previously served at the Iowa Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator overseeing projects such as the state bike map, smart wheeler education program, and sponsor-ship of bike to work week.

Kathy was an integral part of starting the Iowa Bicycle Coaltion. She served on the initial board of directors, convinced the Iowa DOT to become a founding member of the organization, and suggested the Coali-tion take on the Iowa Bicycle Summit.

In more recent years, Kathy has coordinated the Safe Routes to School Program that has impacted tens of thousands of Iowa school-aged children. The purpose

of the Safe Routes to School Program is to encourage more walking and bicycling to school. The Iowa DOT made that possible by approving hundreds of walking and bicycling facilities in and around school zones. The investments made it easier for more kids to walk and bicycle to school.

Kathy also prioritized the involvement of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition into her Safe Routes to School Program. Through multiple grants, the Iowa Bicycle Coalition created a Safe Routes to School Partnership by holding orga-nizing workshops in two-thirds of Iowa counties. The program has succesfully launched multiple walking school buses, bike safety days, and hundreds of class-rooms implementing walking and bicycling safety into the schoolday.

Kathy has worked with partners across Iowa to navigate Federal transporta-

IOWA BICYCLIST | PAGE 2

Dubuque Gran Fondo, August 16

I could give you a couple of health statistics or environ-mental impacts to support the reason to invest in bicycling. However, the more powerful reason is economic. People are dropping a lot of money in association with bicycling. It is the "staycation" strate-gy on steroids. An innkeep-er in Northeast Iowa told me bicycling is driving his business.

Workforce development is the other powerful reason. Recent headlines spoke about young workers who will relocate to areas with more transportation choic-es. Young professionals are relying upon transit and bicycling more and more. If Iowa doesn't adapt, our talent pool of young workers will shrink. Investing in bicycling is one solution to the brain drain.

There are some great things going on in across the state. Mason City is poised to invest $1.8 million of local money in their bicycling network. Johnson County is invest-

ing in their rural trails with funding from a conserva-tion bond. Waterloo passed a complete streets policy honored as one of the top policies in the US.

What does the State of Iowa need to do to return to the top 10 Bicycle Friendly States?

1. Infrastructure Invest-ment. We need to stop siphoning money normally dedicated for trails into highway and bridge projects. We need to fund bike projects from the Traffic Safety Improvement Program, Air Quality, and other eligible programs. We need to expand the use of the trails funds for other bicycle facilities and maintenance.

2. Pass some common sense bike safety laws. If a bicyclist is turning right, they should be able to point right with their right arm and signal a turn, right? A person riding a bicycle should be able to move to the center of the lane if there is a pothole, or

a right turn-only lane, correct? Should a motorist be allowed to open a car door before it is safe from being struck by other vehicles? Can we allow speed limits in certain areas to be below 20 mph? Not right now in Iowa.

3. Adopt A New Bike Plan and Complete Streets Policy. This project is underway at the Iowa DOT. I am certain the plan will be well written and impactful. Implementation will be the key to benefiting Iowans. Formal adoption of the plan by the Iowa DOT Commission will be the first sign of implementation.

4. Increase the amount of people riding bicycles. We need to raise the bike commuter percentage to 1%, almost double from where we are. Modest efforts in Iowa communities could yield big impacts to that number. We move the needle over 1% when bicycling becomes an easy and convenient choice.

I attended two Blue Zone kickoffs and another Blue Zone progress update last week. One of the top recom-mendations was to buy a bike or dust one off and use it. The Blue Zone Project knows bicycle facilities are impactful on the health and economics of our communities.

We need the State of Iowa to embrace bicycling as an opportunity. Invest in bike infrastructure, pass better laws, adopt an effective bike plan, and put more Iowans on bicycles and we will be racing towards the top 10 Bicycle Friendly States again.

On Saturday, August 16th, the Dubuque Gran Fondo will

depart from the National Mississippi River Museum, climb its way through the city of Dubuque, and bounce over the gravel roads of Dubuque County before returning to the River Museum for the post-race expo and party.

Participants can choose to race or ride the Dubuque Gran Fondo—sections of the course will be timed—and rider times over these sections will determine the winners of the Gran Fondo. Or riders can opt to simply ride the Gran Fondo

and enjoy a great day in the Dubuque countryside. Please visit www.dubuqueGF.com to register and to be kept up to date on all the latest information.

The overall men's and women's race registered winners will receive a Van Dessel Hellafaster bike.

For a limited time, Iowa Bicycle Coalition Members get a $10 discount on entry by using the code “IBC” when register-ing—but hurry, this o�er expires on July 1, 2014.

RIDNOUR BIKE FRIENDLY STATE

IBC Sponsored Events:

June 7Tour De Cure[Clive]

June 21 Biking Bondu [Bondurant]

June 28 Bacoon Ride [Waukee]

June 28Tour De Cure[Coralville]

July 19 Visit our booth at the RAGBRAI Expo [Rock Valley]

August 31 Gran Gable Fondo [Iowa City/Coralville]

January 23, 2015Iowa Bicycle Summit [Des Moines]

January 24, 2015Iowa Bike Expo [Des Moines]

January 24, 2015RAGBRAI Route Announcement Party [Des Moines]

February 7, 2015BRR[Perry]

April 7, 2015Legislative Bike Ride[Des Moines]

IOWA BICYCLIST | PAGE 3

Top Tips to Carry Stuff on Your BicycleWhile bicycling may be heavily used for recreation in Iowa, there is a growing number of people using bicycles for transportation. It is become typical to see bicycles at the grocery store, post office, or work-place. Any bicyclist who has used a bike for transporta-tion knows they need to carry items safely. Mem-bers of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition gave us top tips on how to carry stuff on your bike.

#1 Carry items on your bike instead of on you.There are a couple of options when you have items to carry. You could strap them to a rider using a backpack or you could strap them to your bicycle. Some people have trailers that attach to the bike that make transporting items easy. A few people said they have Xtracycles or cargobikes that can carry a lot of items. But, a large majority of Iowa bicyclists agree that is is easier to carry items on your bicycle than it is to strap them to the rider.

#2 Most people use the rear of the bike, but don’t forget the front.A supermajority of people said they put items in panniers over the rear wheel of the bicycle. Many others use a trunk bag and a rear rack. Panniers, trunk bags, and rear racks are easy to buy at bicycle retailers. One of the benefits of a pannier system, is the bags can be removed from the bike. Once you reach your desti-nation, unfasten the bags and take them into your destination.

But people also reminded

bicyclists to remember the front of the bike for storage. Handlebar bags, frame bags, and baskets can be effective in transporting your belongings. This is espe-cially true if you have small items for short distances. It is easy to reach into the front basket to place or remove the items.

#3 If you don’t have bike bags, use a backpack.Backpacks seem to be the top choice for transporting items strapped to the rider. Fanny packs, messenger bags, or drawstring bags are other good choices. Even camelback hydration systems have compart-ments to carry your stuff if needed.

#4 It does not slow you down.Carrying items seems like an additional burden, but experienced bicyclists agree that it doesn’t drag down the speed or effort of the ride. It seems like it might be more psychological with one bicyclist even suggesting to never weigh your loaded bicycle.”

Some of the final bits of

advice recorded in an Iowa Bicycle Coalition members survey was to ensure the loads are balanced on each side of your bicycle, and items are secure to your bicycle so they aren’t caught in the moving parts. Putting grocery bags on the handle-bars always seems to lead to disaster.

One bicyclist added sage advice, “There's no right or wrong way to carry things on your bike. Just do what makes sense to you. The best advice given to me about carrying things is from meeting and talking to others (in person) who carry things by bike. Online forums, blogs, and websites can help, but actual conver-sation and seeing setups in person have been my best source of information.”

Carrying items on your bike is easy if you remember four important tips. Carry items on your bike instead of on you. Most people use the rear of the bike, but don’t forget the front. If you don’t have bike bags, use a back-pack. Most of all, it really does not slow you down.

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We are moving offices for the second time this year. The city of Coralville has been generous in their support of our organization and loaned us unused space in the Iowa River Landing District.

Our current office is unused com-mercial space that has been finally rented to a new tenant. Coralville has come through again and will be helping us into a unused transit center space.

This is also temporary because the Iowa Bicycle Coalition will find a permanent home in the Coralville Intermodal Facility which will be built in the next year.

The Intermodal Facility will allow for bike lockers, limited bike mainte-nance, and a connection to transit services. Most of all, we will advise multimodal commuters on better choices for getting around by bike.

This will be a great move for the Coalition and provide some perma-nent space for bicyclists to call home.

National Biking Month has been such a busy month for the Iowa Safe Routes to School Program! We wrapped up the 2014 Spring Punch Card Contest. Nine schools partici-pated with over 350 students. Twenty students were named winners, receiving a FitBit or GeoPalz Pedometers. On May 7th we celebrated Bike to school with over 30 schools participating.

We've traveled all over the state of Iowa to better educate your children about bicycle safety. Not only have we helped with a ton of great rodeos across the state, but we've had many opportunities to teach children about the importance of bicycle safety within the classroom.

Don't hesitate to contact our program director, Alana for more information on rodeos, classroom education, assistance in building walking school bus programs, and workshops for communities.

This month, we will be rolling out our new/renewing member welcome packets and adding business and bike club memberships to the mix.

Any individual or household who has joined/renewed since April 2014 will begin receiving their one of a kind Iowa Bicycle Coalition Welcome Packet this month.

Those who joined/renewed prior to April, will receive theirs when they renew in 2015. We also officially raised our membership prices, however, current members can renew from April 2014 to March 2015 at the rate they joined/re-newed for in 2013.

We are excited about the member-ship changes happening within our organization and hope these chang-es allow us to reach our goal of doubling our membership by this time next year.

Iowa Bicycle Coalition Sta� Reports

Executive DirectorMark Wyatt

Safe Routes to SchoolAlana Croco

MembershipAli Winn