No Shared Farm-to-Market Roadways in Iowa

3:09 pm PDT, Oct 12, Matthew Nicolaisen, Iowa
pretty ridiculous when they ride two wide on a farm to market road and do not bother to move over to let traffic by so they slow up traffic. also millions of our "drivers" tax dollars have been spent on bike trails throughout iowa lets use them. also what road use tax do the pay... none.

10:04 am PDT, Oct 8, Name not displayed, Iowa

4:43 pm PDT, Oct 6, ROBERT DARR, Iowa
SHARED ROADWAY SHOULD BE WIDE ENOUGH FOR A BIKE AND A VEHICLE. STOP THE MADNESS!!!!

5:55 pm PDT, Sep 28, Randy Amosson, Iowa

8:49 am PDT, Sep 23, Brian Woods, Iowa
This is important to me, because our town has built all these bike trails for them to ride on. I have encountered bicyclists who although while it's dark out have the reflector tape on their clothing, will not move over for a car! Are you serious? Do they not know the vehicle is bigger and more powerful than they are! It's basically tax dollars going to waste, and irresponsible behavior to hog the road intended for motor vehicles!

3:22 pm PDT, Sep 20, Marsha Steenhoek, Iowa

7:15 am PDT, Sep 19, Ruth Sendecki, Iowa

7:10 am PDT, Sep 19, Lester Sendecki, Iowa
It is past time to take highway safety seriously. Slow moving vehicles, including bicycles are a hazard that can be reduced.

3:43 am PDT, Sep 19, James Cubbage, Iowa
Bicyclists on our highways are a hazard to themselves and everyone else on the road.

3:26 pm PDT, Sep 18, Shawna Bailey, Iowa
Just today I was greeted by a bicyclist who was going the wrong way on a hill none the less and I had to swerve out of there way. I am so sick of having to watch out for these people and they ride in the middle of the road like its no big deal. We are somehow suppose to see them when the sun is glaring in our eyes. I like to ride my bike yes but that is what the many trails in Iowa are for how about we start using them instead of risking our lives on the road!

12:59 pm PDT, Sep 16, Dwight Keenan, Iowa

1:22 pm PDT, Sep 11, Mark Stafford, Iowa
I would like to add that no bicycle should be allowed on any road posted higher than 45mph. It is too dangerous and puts not only the cyclist in jeopardy, but also the auto or motorcycle operator. The recent bicycle bill of rights serves no purpose but to criminalize an accident, no matter how tragic or whose fault. I travel a county farm to markek road every day and when I pop over a hill at 55, and there is a bicycle in my lane and an oncoming car in the opposing lane, who do you think will lose every time? Not only the fact that they cannot travel at a fast enough pace to be safe, but most bicycles do not have the most basic of saftey equipment required by all motorcycles and cars, head lights and tail lights. Plus most bicycles cut onto and off of the road to the sidewalks making them unpredictable. Please ban all bicycles form any road posted 45 or above. Mark Stafford

10:19 am PDT, Sep 9, Mayra Garcia, Iowa

5:28 pm PDT, Sep 8, Frank Gallup, Iowa

7:56 am PDT, Sep 8, Jerry Wheelock, Iowa
Bicyclists pay no road tax and yet are demanding the right of way and some of them in a very blatent way. We have already furnished them with many miles of bike trails.

7:41 am PDT, Sep 8, Dalene Whitford, Iowa

6:33 am PDT, Sep 8, Ruth Kabitzke, Iowa

5:47 pm PDT, Sep 7, Joan Cate, Iowa
Bicyclists make it dangerous when you are going the speed lilit and have to slow down till you can pass them-they seem to enjoy seeing how many vehicles they can get lined up behind them because they are too rude to move over.Make them carry insurance for when they get hit or cause an accident-afterall drivers have to.

12:28 pm PDT, Sep 7, Scott Harling, Iowa

9:10 am PDT, Sep 6, Lew Wallace, Iowa
All vehicles using public roads should be licensed. So how come my John Deere 6430 does not have a license plate bracket? How about my anhydrous trailer, no bracket for a plate on that either?

8:08 pm PDT, Sep 5, John Broadbent, Iowa
I am a bicycle rider, Iowa has lots of trails to enjoy. Bicycles on roads create a hazard to both auto drivers and the cyclists. Trying to avoid a bicycle on a two lane highway forces the automobile driver have to move into a lane occupied by oncoming traffic. On many of our county roads it can be miles before it is safe for passing due to limited sight distance. Mixing bicycles and cars on the same road is a preventable tragedy waiting to happen.

10:07 am PDT, Sep 5, Tom Broderick, Iowa
i am an avid biker and the trails are world class and safe. the hiways are incredibly dangerous for bikes

5:53 am PDT, Sep 5, Name not displayed, Iowa
It's a safety factor, farm tractor top speed around 25 mph, slow but also very large ,i can see them at a very long distance ,bicyclists not so much very hard to see and much slower speeds . Iowa has very nice bike trails that were built for the bicyclists but yet continue to want to ride the highways ,well maybe i,ll drive my car down the bicycle tail and see how far i get.

3:59 pm PDT, Sep 4, Cheryl Broadbent, Iowa
We have beautiful bike trails in Iowa. Please use them.

10:40 am PDT, Sep 4, Name not displayed, Iowa
We drive a lot of these rural roads to high school games at dawn and dusk low visibility hours. Many of them are curvy, hilly, shoulder less roads with lots of blind spots. We also do a lot of back road driving to find fishing and camping. I hope I would know if I hit a bicyclists but with the bumps and washboard noises of these roads I'm SO afraid for these people!! Our tax money pays for lots of trails and safe roads for biking. we would all be safer if bicyclist would use them.

7:57 am PDT, Sep 4, Jackie Williams, Iowa
I have experienced too many close calls in traffic regarding bicyclists on the roadway, traffic is going too fast and the bikes are going too slow without proper safety lighting/or other warning signals. I do give them the right-of-way but that doesn't mean the vehicles behind me or coming towards me do and that creates a danger for me and others. Comparing a bike to a farm vehicle is out of portion in size.

2:13 pm PDT, Sep 3, Vicki Gooch, Iowa

9:58 am PDT, Sep 3, Penny Dittmer, Iowa
I enjoy riding my bike when I have the free time but only on the bike trails. This is why we have the bike trails so that we are safe and off the highways.

6:29 am PDT, Sep 3, Name not displayed, Iowa

5:44 am PDT, Sep 3, Mary Lou Denton, Iowa

1:11 am PDT, Sep 3, John Haible, Iowa
I travel Alburnett Raod to get to town and there are always bicycles on the road, in the middle of the road, and they do not get over. They do not live in the area just clog traffic, and do not obey stop signs. They think they should have all the privledges of an automobile, but do not pay road use tax in gasoline, nor in plates. How about charging $5.00 a year to plate the bikes for anyone 18 and over since these are the culprits. Motorcycles are $10.00 a year. This will at least generate revenue for the state and county.

10:39 pm PDT, Sep 2, Name not displayed, Iowa
I have had a close call came up a hill and almost ran one over, i swear he was in the middle of the lane that could have been bad.

8:09 pm PDT, Sep 2, Name not displayed, Iowa

5:43 pm PDT, Sep 2, Shea Coogler, Iowa
They dont pay fees, they dont obey basic trafic laws and police do nothing.

5:16 pm PDT, Sep 2, Deb Ness, Iowa
I was driving southbound on S27 Saturday and had to come to a complete stop 2 times to avoid being hit head on by vehicles passing bikes that were taking up the whole northbound lanes. They should have to have a license and also they should have insurance. I saw a bicyclist run a stop sign. Funny thing he had a helmet on, like that was going to save him. He should have put a sing on that said 'HIT ME".

3:30 pm PDT, Sep 2, Name not displayed, Iowa
Most cyclists I've seen traveling on city streets will use whichever medium fits their needs at the time; riding on a street and then when they come to a stoplight, will RIDE through a crosswalk and then back on the street when they are through. Or they will just ride on the sidewalk if the street is congested. Why give them more rights when they are disrespectful of the ones they already have?

3:08 pm PDT, Sep 2, Name not displayed, Iowa

1:06 pm PDT, Sep 2, Name not displayed, Iowa
I don't feel bicycles need to be on any streets that (MOTORIZED) vehicles use. However if they are going to use the roads them they should have to take tests the same as Motorcycles and pay the same fees licneses

9:50 am PDT, Sep 2, Ben Wolford, Iowa

8:42 am PDT, Sep 2, Name not displayed, Iowa
I have to pay registration and tax money that is suppose to be a tax for using that road for transportation purposes. The bikes that are making these roads a dangoruos place are not paying any fees associated with the roads or the up keep of said raods.

8:11 am PDT, Sep 2, Name not displayed, Iowa
I have ridden in six RAGBRAIs and these are people (for th e most part) who are dedicated to safety. And people are aware of the bikes on which roads. Now bikes are everywhere and they will always lose when it comes to being in any accident.

7:29 am PDT, Sep 2, Kandy Freeman, Iowa
I live in Polk City which has many many miles of wonderful bike trails but many people choose to ride on the highways and not the trails. I have seen this cause problems for years but each year it seems to get worse. Bridges are the worse like the mile long bridge by Polk City which causes unsafe situations with bicyclists.

7:03 am PDT, Sep 2, Eric Oberg, Iowa
As a company owner I am tired of spending my fuel tax money on bike trails and road improvements for bicyclist that do not use them, There should be a bike registration just like for ATV, Dirt bikes, to help fund their own trails. Also I have yet to see a single bicyclist obey the traffic laws that we do. 95% of them blow thru red lights stop sign or do not ride where they are not impeding traffic. Just like us we can they should be get a ticket for impeding traffic. Until they start paying their own way and obey traffic laws I will do whatever it takes to make sure I spend no more fuel tax money on them!!!

6:55 am PDT, Sep 2, Mary Koch, Iowa
The bike community would have a great deal more credibility if they would acknowledge that many rural blacktops are simply too crowded with semis and vehicles traveling at speeds of 55 mph for bikers to use them safely. Bikers should spend some time educating about the dangers of blind curves, hills with limited visibility and the improbabilities of stopping large vehicles quickly enough to avoid some of the more oblivious bikers.

5:20 am PDT, Sep 2, Michael Leedom, Iowa

5:19 am PDT, Sep 2, Rondi Leedom, Iowa

9:49 pm PDT, Sep 1, Name not displayed, Iowa

9:30 pm PDT, Sep 1, Name not displayed, Iowa

8:30 pm PDT, Sep 1, Scott Edwards, Iowa
If bikes want to use the roadways that vehicles do, then they should have to be licensed. Not only a license but proof of insurance, turn signals, tail light and head light. Maybe this would help in reducing the number of accidents. It gets pretty old paying taxes and money from my hunting and fishing licenses goes to build these bike trails and they don't get used. That money which goes to the DNR should be used to support wildlife and wildlife programs here in Iowa. It should not go to bicyclist who do nothing to help contibute to the cost of builing these trails. To me these people are just another group of people with there hand in the cookie jar. Everybody wants something for nothing and nobody wants to pay.

5:46 pm PDT, Sep 1, Rodney Mckee, Iowa

5:39 pm PDT, Sep 1, Gaile Funaro, Iowa

5:36 pm PDT, Sep 1, Joe Funaro, Iowa

3:38 pm PDT, Sep 1, Name not displayed, Iowa
We have put so much money into bike paths and now you want to take up part of our roadway....what happens when a bicyclist gets hit by a car? Will the driver be blamed? Probably!

3:15 pm PDT, Sep 1, Name not displayed, Iowa
As another poster stated. These roads have a posted speed limit, as well as a MINIMUM! Any vehicle going under the minimum speed is a hazard to others. I understand that farm machinery falls under that category, but not only are they very easy to see, but it's only twice a year that we really have to work with them. The bicycles however, are very hard to see, and as others have stated, they are very arrogant and behave as though they OWN the road! with all of the money spent on bike trails, there is no reason for them to be on the roads!

2:04 pm PDT, Sep 1, Craig Briney, Iowa
There isn't any way that I could recommend for someone to safely ride a bike in the midst of traffic on a farm to market hwy or county road. The fact is... bicycles have no business turning our farm to market roadways into a human obstacle course.

12:54 pm PDT, Sep 1, JIM HALL, Iowa