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Des Moines, IA
by Emily Carlson
In the spring, bicyclists will have a lane all to
themselves
Drivers on Ingersoll Avenue had better get ready to share
the road. In just a few months, bicyclists will have a
lane of their own.
Several business leaders along Ingersoll are calling the
bike lanes "death traps." However, at the "Iowa Bicycle
Coalition's" annual summit today, they say bike lanes save
lives.
Ingersoll Ave. is one of the most dangerous streets in Des
Moines. In just two years, there have been 152 crashes and
two fatal accidents.
"Safety is a big issue on Ingersoll. Unfortunately there
have been a few deaths on Ingersoll as a result of
traffic. Anyone who has parked on Ingersoll and tries to
get out of their car knows quickly they better be darn
careful," says city council person Christine Hensley.
Des Moines engineers say 70% of crashes will be prevented
with a new three lane approach starting in April.
Ingersoll will be reduced from two-lanes in each direction
to one with a turn lane down the middle and bike lanes on
each shoulder.
"They help motorized traffic maintain faster speeds and
they're not slowed down by cyclists. It's a safer way for
people to get around town," says Steve Durrant of Alta
Planning and Design, a firm that specializes in bike
friendly street design.
An Iowa State University study backs up that claim. It
found a 29% drop in crashes when roads are converted from
four lanes to the one favored by Des Moines leaders.
"It's a change you have to try. You have to give it a try
and get used to it. It's just paint. It's not as if we're
widening the road or changing the configuration. It can
always be put back," says Mark Wyatt of the Iowa Bicycle
Coalition.
The city council plans for the lanes to be reconfigured
just as soon as it's nice enough to start painting.
They'll test it out for six months and after that they'll
send out surveys. They want to know what drivers and
businesses along Ingersoll think of the new plan.
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(476 views)
Source: http://www.whotv.com/news/who-story-bike-summit-dm-012910,0,129848.story
Note: Some or all of this material may be copyrighted.
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