Warmer temperatures mean more people are getting out across eastern Iowa, including bicyclists.
Among them will soon be Benjamin Kaplan, the co-founder of Corridor Urbanism, a group that advocates for walkability and bicycling in Cedar Rapids.
“In the summer, I try to get on my bike every day and use it for transportation,” he said.
But when Kaplan rides, he said a lot of the times, he comes across cars that are partially or fully blocking the bike lanes in downtown Cedar Rapids.
“Then I have to move out to the actual travel lane, the actual traffic lane that’s normally for cars, and that’s a scary place to ride a bike,” he said.
Kaplan said Cedar Rapids' 3rd Avenue Bridge is a particular problem because drivers have to diagonally park short of the curb to keep the lane open. In most other situations, drivers parallel park next to the bike lane.
In the past, there have been signs along the bridge, warning drivers to keep the bike lanes clear, but those have been taken down. Kaplan said that’s due to road work.
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