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Iowa Bicycle Coalition Policy Platform
Approved June, 2005
The mission of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition is to promote Iowa bicycling as
safe and enjoyable recreation and transportation. To accomplish this mission the
Iowa Bicycle Coalition has the adopted following policy platform.
1. Bicyclists Rights and Bicycle Facilities
1.1. Supports the right of bicyclists to use the public roads
of the state of Iowa and promotes the development of well-designed multi-user
paths.
1.2. Advocates that cities and towns should design, maintain, and police roads
with cyclists in mind.
1.3. Promotes responsible bicycling on unpaved trails where bicycle use is
permitted.
2. Public Awareness and Education
2.1. Advocates greater public awareness of the right of
bicyclists to use the roads.
2.2. Consistently works to raise awareness of cyclist legal rights to and on the
road.
2.3. Supports inclusion of educational material on the rights and
responsibilities of bicyclists in driver education programs, the driver's manual
and the driver's license exam.
2.4. Promotes acceptance of cyclists as legitimate road users by advocating for
all cyclists using the roadway to follow vehicle rules of the road.
2.5. Applauds the initiative of experienced, knowledgeable cyclists who educate
other cyclists through formal instruction, personal interaction, and by setting
a good example in the safe and efficient operation of their bicycles.
2.6. Encourages the promotion of age-appropriate education for young cyclists in
both basic skills and in learning the rules of the road.
2.7. Actively encourages all cyclists of all ages to wear a well-fitted bicycle
helmet every time they ride.
3. Traffic Enforcement
3.1. Actively pursues opportunities to cooperate with
citizens, municipalities, and law enforcement to increase public safety for all
road users through improved enforcement and compliance with the legal rules of
the road.
3.2. Advocates equitable treatment of cyclists in cases of cycle/vehicle
collision and supports prosecution of motorists who threaten or attack cyclists.
3.3. Advocates police officer training that includes knowledge of the rules of
the road with respect to bicycling.
3.4. Supports the defense of cyclists who are prosecuted for lawful use of the
road.
4. Sidewalk Bicycling
4.1. Discourages adult and teenage cyclists from riding on
sidewalks.
5. Roads for Bicycling
5.1. Supports road design that fosters bicycling and that
reinforces the necessity of both bicyclists and motorists following the vehicle
rules of the road.
5.2. Encourages the State of Iowa and its cities and towns to design and
maintain roads with bicycle use in mind by creating road surfaces that are
smooth and flat and free of hazards.
5.3. Promotes safe accommodation of cyclists and vehicles on the roads through
the use of ‘complete street' design.
5.4. Champions the posting of Share the Road when there is insufficient room for
side-by-side lane sharing or when there are narrow roads with significant
traffic.
5.5. Opposes indiscriminate widening of rural and scenic roads.
5.6. Favors incremental increases in the paved width of heavy traffic roads to
allow motorists to more safely pass cyclists.
6. Bike Lanes
6.1. Supports marking portions of roads as bike lanes to show
support for bicycling and to encourage bicycle use, and to encourage bicyclists
and motorists to follow the rules of the road.
6.1.2. Promotes bike lanes that serve only one direction of traffic.
6.1.3. Advocates use of a single stripe to separate the bike lane from the
vehicle travel lane.
6.1.4. Opposes placement of bike lanes to the right of vehicle lanes that
permits right turns.
6.1.5. Discourages bike lanes that require bicyclists to travel within reach of
an open door of a parked car.
6.1.6. Promotes a minimum 100 foot merge for cyclists moving left to avoid a
right-turn-only-traffic lane.
7. Road Maintenance
7.1. Calls for roadways to be maintained free of sand,
gravel, ridges, and holes.
7.2. Calls upon municipalities to execute the seasonable removal of the sand
deposited on the streets during winter.
7.3. Calls for filling of longitudinal cracks and removal/replacement of unsafe
road designs such as drain grates.
7.4. Calls for local governments and the Iowa DOT to have a reporting system so
that bicyclists can notify them of problems.
7.5. Advocates for the adjustment of loop detectors at signalized intersections
to detect bicycles.
8. Multi-Use Paths for Bicycling
8.1. Promotes the development of separate multi-use paths for
recreation and to supplement the road network
8.2. Promotes multi-use path design that:
8.2.1. is wide enough to accommodate all users, including
pedestrians and in-line skaters, and
8.2.2. whose function is as a low-speed roadway, not as sidewalks, and
8.2.3. has with sufficient sight lines where paths cross roadways, and
8.2.4 whose barriers, if any, where paths cross roadways are sufficient to
accommodate two directions of travel for tandems, recumbents and bicycles with
trailers.
8.3. Encourages path users to follow the rules of the road, for
example, keeping to the right except when passing.
8.4. Supports the deletion of phrase "recreational trails" from the Code of Iowa
6A.21 Section 1. b. "Private development purposes.”
8.5. Supports adding funds to the State Recreational Trails Fund to continue
current projects and develop future bicycle trails.
9. Side paths
9.1 Discourages side paths or bicycle paths constructed
immediately adjacent to a roadway because they consistently put cyclists in
unsafe situations.
10. Bicycling and Public Transportation
10.1. Advocates for the design or retrofit of mass transit
vehicles, including planes, buses, and trains, to carry bicycles.
10.2. Promotes covered and secure parking at all public transit stations.
10.3. Sanctions advertising to the public about the availability of multimodal
transportation.
11. Bicycle Parking and Storage
11.1. Supports the revision of zoning ordinances to require
some bicycle parking whenever automobile parking is required.
11.1.1. Supports covered bicycle parking where automobile
parking is covered
11.1.2. Advocates for zoning ordinances that specify the acceptable quantity,
design, and location of bicycle parking.
11.2. Calls upon cities and towns to provide bicycle lock-up
racks on public property near the entrances of businesses and in other locations
likely to be frequented by bicyclists.
11.3. Encourages municipalities to work proactively with area businesses to
provide appropriate bicycle storage.
11.4. Encourages employers to provide safe and convenient bicycle storage and
showers and lockers for their employees who cycle to work.
11.5. Strongly urges allowing bicycles belonging to employees or residents to be
brought inside buildings and into elevators.
11.6. Advocates for public garages to provide bicycle racks, preferably within
view of the lot attendant.
12. Theft Prevention
12.1. Encourages bicyclists to register their bicycles, to
place identifying information inside the bicycle, and to lock their bicycles
securely.
12.2. Advocates for police departments to assist in recovering stolen bicycles
and to apprehend bicycle thieves.
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