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Iowa City Levels Up to 'Silver' in Support for Bicycling

The League of American Cyclists designated Iowa City as a "silver," up from "bronze," in its Bicycle-Friendly Community honors.

 

Iowa City has improved its accommodations for cyclists, according to a national biking advocacy group.

The League of American Cyclists, which promotes cycling for fun, fitness and transportation, awarded Iowa City with a "silver" status, which is a step up from the bronze status granted in 2009.

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The status is reviewed every for year. Here's some of the improvements Iowa City cites:

Iowa City has improved amenities and services for local cyclists by implementing sharrows and bike lanes on several heavily traveled streets, installing additional bike racks downtown and near the University of Iowa campus, and establishing a permit system for on-street parking for mopeds and scooters to eliminate their use of bicycle racks for parking. Other improvements include the introduction of public bicycle fix-it stations at the City's Robert A. Lee Recreation Center and at the marina and south parking lot of the Terry Trueblood Recreation Area, continued support of the Iowa City Bike Library, conversion of a section of Washington Street from one-way to two-way, thereby increasing safety and ease of use for bicyclists, and the addition of two bicycles from the Iowa City Bike Library to the City's transportation fleet for staff to use for in-town trips. The City has also continued to improve and expand its trail system to provide more areas for bicyclists to ride.

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The recognition comes at a perfect time. It is Bike to Work Week this week. The program encourages people to ride their bikes to work for a week rather than driving their cars. Details on local events may be found at www.ThinkBicycles.org


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