news

       The boxes will provide cushioning for cyclists and facilitate the layout of traffic lanes to prevent conflicts between cyclists and cars.
       As part of the Iowa City Bicycle Master Plan, the city has begun improving road infrastructure by painting bike lanes, marking shared lanes, and installing new bike reversible frames.
       Last week, bike turn boxes were painted at Jefferson and Market streets to prevent conflicts between vehicles and bikes at the busy intersection.
       “Let’s say you want to turn left on Madison, but you don’t like driving in traffic,” said Sarah Walz, assistant transportation planner. “All you have to do is go through the light. Then there’s a green square where you can stop and wait … but you’re protected by the curb. Then you just wait for the green light on Madison, and then you can cross the street and get into the [bike lane] before the traffic.”
       In 2017, Iowa City adopted a Bicycle Master Plan, a document that helps city planners create safe and equitable infrastructure for cyclists.
       Kara Hamann, a public health professor at the University of Iowa who studies traffic safety, says cyclists are generally safer on the streets, and infrastructure projects like this further improve safety.
       ”Riding on sidewalks makes it easier for cyclists to collide with vehicles at conflict points like intersections and driveways because drivers often don’t pay attention to or expect to encounter cyclists on sidewalks,” Harman said. “Bike lanes and bike boxes help keep cyclists safe on the road because they provide designated spaces for cyclists.”
       Iowa City cyclists Michael Chamberlain and Asa Crow expressed doubts about the effectiveness of these painted infrastructure improvements in the absence of other educational efforts.
       ”I don’t think bike lanes or bike barriers alone can make cyclists safer because while they increase perceived safety, they actually reduce cyclists’ margin for error,” Crowe said.
       Crow, who works at local bike shop Broken Spoke, added that they grew up biking on two-lane roads, gravel roads and shoulders in rural Iowa, where traffic is lighter than on Iowa City roads. The dangers are far greater.
       ”Bike lanes do encourage new riders who might not otherwise ride a bike to start riding a bike… [but] the Dodge Street bike lane is a prime example of an unsafe bike lane,” Chamberlain said.
       Cyclists can easily maintain the 25 mph speed limit when going downhill, he said, but bike lanes actually force cyclists into a narrower space that has two turns and is often blocked by debris.
       Both Chamberlain and Crow said they agree that cities need to improve driver education to keep everyone safe.
       ”It’s really important that drivers get more education so they understand that the right to use the road belongs to the person, not the vehicle,” Chamberlain said.
       One of the six key goals of the Bicycle Master Plan includes providing educational opportunities for drivers and cyclists.
       Harman said continuing the program, including increased education, would have an impact beyond road safety.
       “I think it’s also important to continue to educate riders on how to adapt to new infrastructure changes and get more people on bikes, which, in addition to being safe, is good for our environment and health,” Harman said.
       Walz acknowledged the need for more education and said the city is working with a number of local organizations, including bike libraries, local schools and various cycling clubs, to teach cyclists and motorists how to share the road.
       ”Bus drivers are now trained to understand cyclists and know how to share the road with them,” Walz said. “We’re going to be doing more training on this through the Johnson County site program and then hopefully expanding it to a broader area.”