LaPlante to lead the Iowa Bicycle Summit January 29 & 30

Fri October 16 2009
Posted Oct 16, 2009
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The Iowa Bicycle Coalition, a state-wide bicycle advocacy organization, announces John LaPlante will lead the bicycle facility design workshop at the January 29 & 30, 2010 Iowa Bicycle Summit. The Coalition is also issuing a call for presentations for the annual bicycle advocacy conference to be held in Des Moines. The sixth annual Iowa Bicycle Summit draws together persons of various interests in bicycling, walking, active transportation and trail building for an educational conference. The conference includes a technical workshop for transportation planners and engineers. “We have been asking for better bicycle facilities and the workshop provides the tools for the technical staff to build bicycle facilities,” says Mark Wyatt, executive Director of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition. “John LaPlante is going to give us a great Midwestern perceptive from his experience in the City of Chicago.” John LaPlante is currently Director of Traffic Engineering for T.Y.Lin International, working out of their Chicago office. Prior to joining the firm in 1992, Mr. LaPlante had been with the City of Chicago for 30 years in various transportation engineering positions, including Chief City Traffic Engineer and Acting Commissioner of the new Department of Transportation. He is involved in several national committees and was principal author of the 1999 AASHTO Bike Guide. In addition to the technical workshop, the Iowa Bicycle Summit offers sessions for the bicycle advocates who want to improve bicycling in their communities. “We are also giving bicycle advocates the tools to communicate with their public officials and understand how to build bicycle friendly communities,” states Wyatt. Persons who wish to present information should submit a brief synopsis of the presentation to the Iowa Bicycle Coalition using their website contact form at www.iowabicyclecoalition.org.