Cedar Falls split over on-street biking

Elected officials in Cedar Falls, Iowa, have been slow to establish on-road bicycle routes after a bike task force has spent years creating a comprehensive bike plan for the city, according to The Courier newspaper based in Waterloo.

On May 9, the Cedar Falls City Council voted 4-3 in favor of painting shared-lane "sharrow" symbols on 18th Street, which is being reconstructed. Several months ago the council voted not to add a bike lane or add sharrows.

Council member John Runchey, who opposes adding anything that encourages bicycling on the street, instructed members of the bike task force to tell their members to follow the rules of the road and asked the police chief to throw bicyclists in jail if they don't.

But council member Nick Taiber, who supports on-street bike routes, said now is the time to move away from "auto-centric" policies. He questioned why the council was discussing 18th Street bicycling when it is identified in the city's bike plan as a key route.