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Senate Update: Bills in Iowa Senate will make roads safer for cycling, driving
Op-Ed · March 17, 2017
As spring approaches and the weather warms, more bicycles will be on the road. Proposed legislation in the Iowa Senate can make our roads safer for bicyclists and motorists.
Iowa is one of 11 states with no specific law for passing a bicyclist. Senate File 450 would change that.
Under the bill, when motorists approach bicyclists from behind, they must pass using the adjacent lane. This strengthens current law by clarifying that drivers must pass bicycles the same way they pass other cars. Allowing a bicyclist this extra room will save lives, as 50 percent of all fatal bike crashes happen when a vehicle passes a cyclist.
Additionally, the bill improves bicycle visibility by making a rear bike light mandatory after dark. All bikes would be required to have a rear light visible from 300 feet between dusk and dawn. Current law requires a bicycle to have a front lighted lamp and either a rear-lighted lamp OR rear reflector at any time from sunset to sunrise, and whenever conditions make it impossible to be seen at a distance of 500 feet.
A 2012 Iowa Attorney General opinion stated that a bicycle is a vehicle. That means bicycles have a right to use Iowa’s roads, and the rules for overtaking and passing other vehicles apply to overtaking and passing of bicycles. It also means that bicyclists must follow the same rules of the road as motorists.
This bill has been approved by the Senate Transportation Committee and is now eligible for debate by the full Senate.
Upcoming public forums:
• Wilton Legislative Forum, March 18, 9 am - 10:30 am, Wilton Community Room, 104 W 4th St.
• Johnson County Legislative Forum, March 25 at 9:30 am - 11:30 am, South Slope Community Center, 980 N Front Street, North Liberty
• Iowa City Education Forum, March 31 at 4 pm - 5 pm, Educational Services Center, Board Room C, 1725 N. Dodge Street
To contact Senator Dvorsky during the week, call the Senate Switchboard at 515-281-3371. Otherwise he can be reached at home at 319-351-0988. E-mail him at bob.dvorsky@legis.iowa.gov.
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