Iowa drops to 16th in nation, needs 3-foot law

A couple fatal bike crashes and a significant drop in the state's ranking as a bike friendly state has prompted the Iowa Bicycle Coalition to redouble its efforts to get a 3-foot passing distance law enacted.

Bills requiring motorists to give cyclists at least three feet of clearance while passing have been introduced in the Iowa Legislature in recent years. The lack of such a law, which 25 other states have on the books, is one of many reasons the League of American Bicyclists recently downgraded Iowa from 6th to 16th most bike friendly state.

"Many of the other issues cited in the (league's) annual report are in the process of being addressed with the Iowa DOT," Mark Wyatt, executive director of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition, wrote on the organization's blog.

"Other states have been working hard to increase their rankings. The Iowa Bicycle Coalition is continuing to fight for safer bicycling and bring Iowa back to one of the top states for bicycling."