3' Passing and Door Zone Bills.

At the 2013 Iowa Legislative Session the 3' passing and door zone laws are back on the table. They were shelved in the past for various reasons.

One year too much was being asked for with the safe passing law asking for 5', not 3'. There was also a anti-harassment law that would have imposed fines on motorists who honked, yelled at, and threw objects at cyclists with the the intention of startling the, causing a cyclist to lose control and crash. This caused a problem and developed a lot of enemies from motor clubs, farmer and trucking organizations, etc. It became so bad a group was formed to try and have law makers completely ban cyclists from the roadways with state legislation.

As much of a staunch advocate as I am for cyclist rights I largely disagreed with the above, especially the 5' passing law. No wonder it was defeated.

The next year they ran out of time because the law makers, most of them freshmen, were too busy with social agenda crap. Nothing got done in the interest of traffic safety that year.

It seems some common sense was put into these new Senate and House bills:
SF164 Doorzone

SF157 Three Foot Passing Distance

HF244 Three Foot Passing Distance
HF151 Three Foot Passing Distance

The only thing I do not like is the rear lamp or reflector requirement. It should be a rear light or lamp. NOT either or. It has never made sense to me that a front head light is required, but not a rear light.

Hopefully this year it will actually pass.

Bike Routes and Bike Lanes in Sioux City

On Friday Nov. 16 it was proposed at the Sioux City Council meeting the re-establishment of old bike routes, addition of new bike routes and adding bike lanes to Sioux City's streets. What was not part of the proposal is a change in ordinances. In other cities when bike lanes are added the city government tends to take a knee jerk reaction and pass an ordinance that states the bike lane users cannot exit the bike lane and use the travel lane. The bike lane design is also poor because the lanes are often in the door zone of parked vehicles.

I am not saying this is a bad idea. But I am concerned about what will happen based on what has happened in other cities when things like this are done, without a proactive approach to the laws and ordinances that govern all roadways users.

Here is the article in the Sioux City Journal:
Coming Soon: Bike Lanes in Sioux City

Here is the agenda from the Nov. 16 meeting with letters of support from the organizations regarding this matter:
Notice of Meeting of the City Council of City of Sioux City, Iowa

Here are the proposed changes I have presented to 3 of the organizations and an attorney friend of mine regarding changes to the current city ordinances:

1. The bike lanes should only happen if: there is no parking lane between the bike lane and the curb, OR the bike lane is far enough away from the parking lane so the bike lane users are not doored by someone opening a car door on the drivers side. OR if a city ordinance is passed that when a cyclist is doored the person who opened the car door is hit with a hefty fine and punishment.

2. A city ordinance shall not be passed restricting cyclists to the bike lane as to prevent them from exiting the bike lane to avoid being doored or other objects blocking their path or enabling cyclists from continuing safely in the bike lane. This would only apply if the city does not eliminate the parking lane next to the bike lane or if there is not enough space to place the bike lane far enough from the parking lane where people exiting motor vehicles open the doors into the bike lane.

3. An ordinance shall be passed preventing motor vehicles from using the bike lanes as passing lanes, turn lanes, etc.

4. When bike lanes are next to, adjacent to or parallel to or approach right turn lanes the bike lane should terminate, temporarily for cyclists who are going to proceed straight through the intersection, then continue from the other side of the intersection. Thus allowing the cyclist enough time to merge into the travel lane until after crossing through the intersection safely. The bike lanes shall not be used as right turn lanes. There also shall be enough signage to make it clear to both cyclists and motorists of this.

5. Bike lanes shall not be used as parking lanes for motor vehicles.

6. Bike lanes shall not be used as parking lanes for bicycles.

7. Cyclists shall not be allowed to stop in a bike lane, unless for traffic control device, at the request of a law enforcement offices or anything else out of the ordinary that would impede a cyclists movement in the bike lane. In other words they cannot stop to sit and chat with their other cyclist friends or even to fix a flat tire. If they want to do that they shall move off of the bike lane/roadway.

8. A safe passing distance ordinance shall be passed for within Sioux City city limits where no motorists shall pass a cyclist at a distance of no more than 3 feet. The punishment shall be when/if a motorist collides with a cyclist and is at fault for the incident the motorist shall be have a high fine imposed and even jail time as a punishment.

9. The current ordinance that states cyclists shall use the side path or trail when it parallels a roadway shall be terminated.

For example the path along Larsen Rd. This law is in violation of state law that allows all cyclists equal rights to the roadways as motorists, except where bicycles are prohibited because of the minimum speed limit requirement, such as Interstate 29.

10. A cyclist anti-harassment law shall be passed. Where when a motorist harasses a cyclist a high fine and possible jail time shall be imposed as punishment especially if the harassment caused the cyclist to crash and suffer injuries as a result. This would also apply to objects being thrown at a cyclist from someone in a motor vehicle.

It is unknown at this time if such changes will be made or if they will even be brought before the city council. I am going to contact a council member to find out if this matter will be discussed at future council meetings.

Share the Road Signs

On Military Road near Myrtle Street at the east end and near Riverside blvd at the west end there are these signs:

THANKS FOR THE ZIPPO!!!

Today while on my riding commute from work, through downtown to the Sioux City Public Museum Research Center I was accosted by a Jack Ass Cager and his puke of a woman who was in the car with him. This was on 5th Street in downtown Sioux City between Douglas and Jackson Streets. This area of 5th street is a 3 lane, one way roadway that travels east.

When ever I ride on any one way street, especially in downtown Sioux City, I always take the lane. Taking the lane means I position myself in the middle which prevents faster moving traffic from passing me too close and forces them to move completely into the next lane over to safely pass me. It is part of my adaptive and defensive riding. I have learned to do this because all too often, on a one way street especially, drivers think their gas guzzling steel and glass cages can occupy the exact same space as I am in and pass way to close and way to dangerously, which is illegal just because they are in a hurry and do not want to legally change lanes, pass me, then change back again. Another reason I ride like this on one way, downtown city streets is because more often than not the traffic light sequence is not set to allow traffic traveling in the same direction to continue through green lights for more than one or two blocks. It is very easy for me to make it to the next light controlled intersection in downtown before traffic behind me has a chance to pass. Before I started taking the lane cagers would race around me, passing too close, almost hitting me before they got to the next light controlled intersection. These cagers do not understand the basic law of physics where 2 solid objects cannot occupy the same space at the same time. In the downtown area the traffic lights at intersections So I have to force them to obey the basic law of physics that most 3rd graders understand by placing myself in the middle of the lane to force them to pass safely and correctly.

My adaptive and defensive riding sometimes has interesting side effects as it did today.

This white late model 4 door car was behind me, I don't know when they got behind me and it doesn't matter. I was riding in the far right lane on 5th Street between Douglas and Jackson Streets. There was traffic in the center and far left lanes. As usual the traffic control lights at 5th and Douglas, 5th and Pierce, 5th and Nebraska and 5th and Jackson Streets were red or had changed to red right before myself and the motor vehicle traffic next to me in the other lanes approached the intersections. On the block between Pierce and Nebraska Streets this cager and the woman who was in the car with him passed, in the center lane. As they did she yelled out the window "get on the sidewalk". To which I did my usual: I hit my Air Zound horn and sent one blast, blew them a kiss, waved and yelled out "THANK YOU, BUT NO!!! I could see they were looking in the mirrors at me, the woman even turned around and looked over her shoulder at me. I was behind them at this point. As we were approaching the intersection of 5th and Nebraska I saw the drivers arm "fly" out of the window. At first I thought he was flipping me off. This is typical of most Jack Ass Cagers. Instead he threw something up in the air. It hit the ground well before I got to where it landed. As I passed it I saw it was a metal lighter. I yelled out: "LITTER BUG!!!" He continued through the intersection of 5th and Nebraska and 5th and Jackson and I turned right on Jackson to head to the research center.

My wife was to pick me up at the research center and I would go home with her. Instead after I conducted my business at the research center I thought I want to find that lighter the guy threw at me. I started walking west on 5th Street to find it. I did. Come to find out it is a Zippo XIII. My wife picked me and the bike up and we came home.

I think the idiot who threw the lighter at me did so for 3 reasons. One was to hit and injure me with the lighter. The second is to get me to swerve into the path of a car in the next lane over and get hit. The 3rd reason is to get me to stop and pick it up where he would have enough time to go around the block and make it back to me in time to cause me physical harm. He missed me by 20' or more. I didn't swerve or even slow down. This tells me this moron is uneducated as to one of the basic laws of physics. That is when you are moving and you attempt to throw something straight up in the air with the intention that another moving object will catch up to the thrown object to make contact with it your own momentum will put the object being thrown into a forward motion of its own until the law of gravity has its effect causing the object to fall to the earth and stop moving. That makes a second law this idiot has no educated clue about.

The Zippo is a trophy to me. It symbolizes a Jack Ass Cager's idiocy and moronic behavior. It has no fluid in it and is scratched and banged up from hitting the ground. It looks like it hasn't had fluid in it for some time and needs a new flint. I will probably carry it on me every time I ride and might even fill it with fluid, replace the flint try to get it to light and work.

To that Jack Ass Cager I say: THANKS FOR THE ZIPPO!!!

In closing I want to say I am very aggressive when riding bike. If a motorist does something like this idiot did or something else like pass too close, cut me off, etc. I do not hesitate to call them out on it. I always hope they will stop and pull over so I can confront them and explain my legal rights to the roadways. None of them ever do, even the ones that I ask to pull over. There have been several times when I call a driver out on violating a traffic law, like passing me too close and I catch up to them at a stop light and I sit there and stare at them and try to get their attention. They never look over at me, the look the other direction or straight ahead. This makes them nothing more than cowards. I think if you're a motorist who is going to pass me too close, cut me off, etc. and I manage to catch up to you to discuss the matter you should have the intestinal fortitude to look me in the eye and discuss the situation, no matter the out come. Don't be a coward and play it off like nothing happened.

Here are the photo's of my new trophy:

Perry Creek Trail: The City of Sioux City Lied!

In the article published in the sioux city journal about the Perry Creek Trail the headline not only states the problems with the pavement buckling are from this years summer heat but the city makes the same claim in the article.

This is a bold faced, BULLSHIT lie! The cracks in the trail surface are not from this years summer heat. The cracks were there before Jan. 1, 2012.

The proof is the photos taken that are published in the very first blog article about the problems with the trail. It can be clearly seen the city had already tried to "repair" the cracks in the trail. They used the same black, oil based material they recently used. When it failed the cracks re-opened/re-formed even deeper and wider than before. The "repair" attempt was made at least once, if not twice before 2012. I believe the oldest cracks, which they filled yet again go back as far as 2010.

Here is the first blog article showing the photos of the cracks that were "repaired" before 2012:.
Perry Creek Trail: Dangerous and Confusing

It has been asked of the city when was the first time the cracks were repaired and what the cost was then compared to now. These questions remain unanswered by the city. The problem with this is as a tax payer who helps pay for public facilities such as the trails it is my right to know what my tax dollars are being spent on.

So not only has the city lied about when the cracks appeared on the trail they have not answered a resident's/citizen's right to know inquiry as to how his tax dollars are being spent for the trail repair.

Why is the city doing this? What are they trying to cover up?

Perry Creek Trail: No Objectivity from the Media.

After the first few articles about the problems with the Perry Creek Trail were published in this blog I was contacted by the sioux city journal to talk to the city hall reporter about it. She had already spoken with the city managers office, director of the Siouxland Trails Foundation and the local bike club president. I talked with her and explained as a trail user what exactly is happening with the trail. She had already read my first blog article on this as well and saw the photos I took of the trail.

A few days later the article was published in the newspaper. Very quickly I realized no objectivity at all on the part of the journal. It was mostly one sided in favor of the city. The city did their usual and tried to make themselves look right and others look wrong and the journal went along with this.

This has left me with no other choice but to stop trying to work with city hall and take this to the next level. That is put the information about the trail on the internet until the problem is fixed. There will be very disparaging comments and remarks against the city of Sioux City until city does what they should have done in the first place and replace the concrete along the dangerous sections of the trail and corrected the other problems along the trail as well.

I always knew you cold not fight city hall, but until recently, I was under the impression you could work with them. I now know that is no true.

Here is the link to the journal article:
Sioux City pavement buckles under intense summer heat

Perry Creek Trail: The Cover Up

Since the so called repair on the section  of trail between trail marker PC 110 and PC 105 the city of Sioux City has now covered up in an attempt to hide the danger of the trail by adding loose pink rock to the pliable, soft, black oil based material. While some of this rock might stick to the black material a majority of it is scattered loose all over the trail. This turns what was a concrete surface trail into a gravel surface trail.

Now along with the hidden danger of the covered up, deep, wide cracks that once the soft, pliable materiel gives way when a trail user rolls over it on a bicycle the crack will catch the wheel causing a crash, there is loose gravel on the trail which will contribute to people loosing control and crashing.

In addition to this, if, by some miracle no one crashes, the gravel reduces and restricts the types of trail users to less than they types of users before the gravel was applied to the trail.

Forget about people who roller blade or roller skate on the trail, they will no longer be able to use it. There is also the possibility those with road bikes or smoother tires will not be able to use the trail either because of the gravel.


The question as to why the city did this rather than leave the cracks alone so they could be easily seen until the concrete is replaced remains unanswered by the city.
This is almost as if the city wants to cover up the problems with the trail. Why that is is unknown.

As was already stated in an earlier report about the trail, once a municipality is notified of a danger with part of its public infrastructure and public facilities and they fail to correctly act to fix the problem they can be held liable for civil damages when someone is injured as a result.

That said this situation now leaves this blog writer no choice but to recommend exactly that. Not if but when someone is injured on the Perry Creek Trail as a result of the city not taking proper and correct action to repair it they are encouraged to file a civil law suit against the city of Sioux City. Despite the outcome of the law suit they are also encouraged to make it public as to why they filed the suit, and even if the city admits to no wrong doing and they just simply settle out of court to make the case go away the city will still be considered in the wrong for not correcting the problems with the Perry Creek Trail as they should have.

How ever I am not recommending or advising anyone to purposely get hurt just to sue the city. I am referring to during the normal course of using the trail and an unintentional incident occurs where someone is injured and their personal property is damaged.

Here are photos showing the pink gravel coating on the trail:

Perry Creek Trail: A False Sense of Security

As stated the city has repaired the Perry Creek Trail. But rather than replace the concrete panels they are using the black filler material. Along the section between trail markers PC 110 and PC 105 trail users may have a false sense of security because of this. The material used to fill the cracks is soft and pliable and will easily give way. The cracks in this section are wide and deep. This material at best just covers of the open space and at worse only fills it partially. If a cyclist who is not familiar with this sees the repair they may think the cracks have been repaired, roll over them and potentially crash because the material will give way and the crack will catch their wheel.

Before the repair a person could see the danger was obvious and could take evasive action to avoid the cracks. With the material covering up the cracks or only partially filling them in it makes this section of the trail more dangerous than it was with the cracks completely exposed.

Here are the photos of the section between trail markers PC 110 and 105:

Perry Creek Trail: Another Danger

On the Underside of the Hamilton Blvd Bridge near KFC and Memorial Field the bridge is showing serious and sever signs of deterioration. Pieces of concrete are missing and the re-enforcement bar is showing. This is not only a danger to trail users with concrete falling onto the trail surface below not to mention the potential of the entire bridge collapsing onto the trail but it is also a serious danger to those that drive on Hamilton Blvd and cross the bridge every day.

This is just one bridge where I noticed this is happening. The trail passes under at least 5 bridges. It is unknown what kind of condition they are in.

These photos show the deterioration of this bridge. Notice the large piece of concrete mixed in with the pink rock. It looks like it came from the one section of the underside of the bridge. The one column has a date of 9-19-56. I do not know if this means the bridge was built in 1956 or if it means something else. I have heard Hamilton Blvd was widened from 2 lanes to 4 in the1980's. From the looks of the deterioration it looks like the bridge is not inspected as often as it should be. Perhaps it has not been inspected since it was built if that date is indeed 1956.

Perry Creek Trail: A Good Start or A Waste of Resources?

This report shows the problems with the Perry Creek Trail: Perry Creek Trail: Dangerous and Confusing

This report shows an update with the city manager after the report was released:
Perry Creek Trail: Dangerous and Confusing: Update

Repairs on the Perry Creek Trail have started in the sections where it was reported have the problems. The problem now is it seems it will be a waste of resources. Those resources being material, man hours and most importantly taxpayer dollars. Why? Because instead of replacing the concrete panels the city is merely filling the cracks with the black crack filler material. It takes time and materials to do this which costs money. The money, which comes out of the city's general fund, is largely generated by taxpayer dollars. The filler material has been used before on other parts of the trail. Those cracks have become larger and the concrete now needs to be replaced. What makes the city officials think if the crack filler failed in that section it will work in another section of the trail? The city is spending more money, wasting time and resources by using the crack filler then going back later to eventually refill the cracks again or replace the concrete.

As a taxpayer I see my tax dollars as an investment in my community. As such I expect a good return on my investment. When that money is wasted and I am not getting a good return on my investment I get frustrated and angry about it.

There are also areas of broken concrete the city used the black filler material to fill the hole as a patch instead of using concrete to do so.

So far the only good thing the city has done for safety on the trail is marked the area where there is scaffold set up with orange roadwork signs on each side of it to notify trail users of the danger/hazard ahead.

This section is between trail marker PC 129 and just past PC 123. The photos show the crack filler material and the area marked with the orange signs where the scaffold is located:

this section is from trail marker PC 123 to PC 110. Notice how the some of the cracks are not filled in at all. this is further proof using the crack filler is a waste of resources: