From the weekly newsletter of the National Center for Bicycling and Walking:
Crawford County Bans RAGBRAI, What does this mean for bicycling?
The Iowa Bicycle Coalition has expressed disappointment in the actions
of the Crawford County Board of Supervisors who recently banned
RAGBRAI or any events of similar nature from occurring on the public
roadways. The action was rash, short sighted, and failed to consider
not only the consequences, but also the real problems of an unbalanced
transportation system designed solely around cars.
Since many of the facts were not made public in court, there have been
assumptions published in the articles reporting the incident. What we
do know is Crawford County’s liability was imposed by their choice to
settle the lawsuit. Since the case was not decided in a court, fault
remains undecided and precedent does not exist. The lack of a
precedence may demonstrate how much of a liability really exists.
Bicyclists killed due to road defects are a rare exception and an
exponential number of bicyclists have been killed in Iowa due to
crashes with motor vehicles. Rather than banning bicycling events,
counties in Iowa should encourage more bicycling. Investments in
roadway maintenance, bicycling and walking facilities, and safety
education will pay big returns for communities.
What happens from here? The Iowa State Association of Counties has
discouraged any more counties from taking the same action as Crawford
County did. Many more counties are going on record to say they
welcome the ride to their county. There is no doubt we will see some
sort of action proposed when the Iowa Legislature convenes on January
14, 2008.
There is also no doubt that Iowa’s situation has implications on other
rides, bicycle level of service, and liability issues. It is also
obvious the issue reaches far beyond Iowa’s borders since over 6,000
riders per year live outside Iowa. The Iowa Bicycle Coalition is
creating support and encouraging relations with new partners. One of
our most important partners will be grassroots cyclists and we will
need your support more than ever. Keep up to date at
www.iowabicyclecoalition.org.