CHAIN MAIL
Friends of Central Iowa Biking Newsletter
May 1996 Editor: Denny Jones

NATIONAL TRAILS DAY RIDES
JUNE 1st
HEART OF IOWA NATURE TRAIL
Planning is nearly complete and the flyers are out for a great celebration of National Trails Day on the Heart of Iowa Nature Trail. The local communities are planning events all along the trail from Slater to Rhodes!! Some of the events include breakfast & ground breaking for a new trail head, & horse ride @ Rhodes, Town walk in Collins, Hog roast in Maxwell, Birdwalk in Cambridge, Bike Rodeo & burgers in Huxley, and Breakfast in Slater. Three bike rides are scheduled:
8:30 AM: 28 mile Mountain Bike Ride from Slater to Rhodes (& return?). George Patrick will be leading this ride. Sag by D Jones & other volunteers (hint - hint!!). Part way return sag via horse trailer!
9:00 AM: Family Bike Ride from Slater to Cambridge & return. Ride leaders: Jim Gregory & Joan Stein (complete with trailers ??!!).
10:00 AM: Family Bike Ride from Cambridge to Huxley & return. Ride leaders, Zaletel family.
Brochures are available from the Conservation Board office or most local bike shops & communities. All rides and events are free. Support the many local boosters and their food tents and stands!! Thanks to the many volunteers and Story Conservation Staff for their efforts.
Additional volunteers for the rides are needed! Contact George Patrick (382-2802) or Denny Jones (232-2923) if you can help!!

Bike-To-Work Day
May 21st

FCIB Rides: If you are organizing a ride and would like to invite FCIBers to join you, please let your editor know and announce the ride in this newsletter!!

Trail Work Day Report

On Saturday, May 18th, ten volunteers (including FCIBers Lucy Thomas, Web Wilke, George Patrick, Larry Fitzpatrick & Dennis Jones) manned saws, loppers, axes, and Jones' Gravely bush hog to clear a mile long section of new trail east of Cambridge on the Heart of Iowa Trail. This section was previously mired in mud much of the year. The new route, mostly on the ridge along the south side of the ROW, will be more interesting for mountain biking and accessible! The new section is east of the "mousehole" bridge beginning 1 mi. east of Cambridge and runs for the next 1-1/2 miles east. This section is now ready for the mountain bike ride on National Trails Day!! Thanks to Conservation Ranger Carol Williams and all the volunteers !!

RIDES AND EVENTS

FCIB/Two Wheel Travel Sunday Rides

Sunday road rides beginning from 2WT are being scheduled for the following dates. All rides will begin at 2WT and end at Garden Cafe. Maps provided when needed. Air & water will be available at start. Lengths of rides will depend on interest on the day of the ride. Check-in with Diane Corson at Two Wheel Travel, 232-3669, for further information.

June 16th, 8am, Father's Day Ride

July 14th, 8am, RAGBRAI TuneUp

August 11th, 8am, Stay in Shape Ride

May 27th - Memorial Day Ride

Want a sixty mile ride on a legal holiday? Ride with Larry and friends on Monday. The last two years Larry and others have rode from Nevada to Maxwell to met Lake Country Cyclist from Ankeny. Ride along with the Lake Country bunch to Ankeny and enjoy the best lunch you can get any where for only $1.00. I crashed the party the first time, but they keep welcoming me back. Call Larry Fitzpatrick, 382-2922

June 8th - FCIB Racoon River Valley

Trail Ride

Join FCIB members to ride the paved trail! Car Pool will depart south side of Ames K-Mart parking lot at 8 am for Adel. Bike to ice cream shop @ Panora & return to Green Street Diner for lunch. 42 miles (or less), with optional longer route. Optional tour of several of Madison County's famous covered bridges. Call Lucy Thomas @ 296-2442.

June 9th - FCIB Saylorville Trail Ride

Car pool/caravan to depart from south side K-Mart parking lot at 9:00 am to the start/end of the ride at the Big Creek beach. Bike as far toward/into DM as you want & return to the beach for a cool-down swim. 48 miles (or less), with optional extra loop through Jester County Park. Contact Lucy Thomas @ 296-2442 for details.

August 8-10th - BIKE IOWA '96

State Bicycle Conference sponsored by IaDOT, INHF, ISU, LIB, and others will be held in Waterloo. Includes technical training for engineers and planners, as well as general sessions on bicycle facility needs, trails, safety, ISTEA, and networking for bike clubs. Pre-registration flyers are out! Mark your calendars!! Additional details in future newsletters.

August 17-18th - FCIB Sparta-Elroy

Trail Ride

Plans are to headquarter around the Wilton, Wisc. area for two days of riding and lounging. Walk your bike through the famous railroad tunnels! B&B reservations ($55-$110 per night) need to be made by 6/1/96. Camping is $3/person/night. Call Lucy Thomas @ 296-2442 to let her know if you plan to ride, preferences for ride lengths, overnight accommodations, & etc!!

September 15th - GOATEE

Craig Corson's annual birthday ride (still 49 is he?). Family ride sponsored by 2WT & FCIB, will include SAG and lunch, or something! Watch for details as summer unfolds.

Adopt-A-Road Report
Just as organizer Marty Murrell planned - 2 hours of clean-up by eight FCIBers took care of the trash in the road ditches along Cameron School Road on Saturday, April 27th. All participants arrived on bicycle to take part and hauling was done by Joan Stein & Jim Gregory on their Fresh Air Delivery trailers. The two heaping loads of garbage on their 10 ft long trailers were a real testimony of the strength and versatility of the trailers they manufacture! Even more impressive as they pull away from you going up the hill when you are following them back to town. Thanks to FCIBers Marty Murrell, George Patrick, Lucy Thomas, Steve Moehlmann, Stan Cyran, Joan Stein, Jim Gregory, & Dennis Jones for their efforts! Plan for a fall clean-up event!!

MORE ON HYLAND AVENUE BIKE LANES

Bike lanes will not be built on Hyland Avenue this year since the street project bids came in significantly over budget. It is likely there will be significant pressure to remove the bicycle lanes in order to reduce the costs and to allow parking to remain along Hyland.

Ames City Council member Herman Quirmbach has written a nice letter to FCIB responding to the March Chainmail article and discussing his position on the Hyland Avenue reconstruction project. Herman clarifies that he is not opposed to on-street bike lanes, and is not a particular fan of the sidewalk bikeway constructed on Ontario Street. It was his determination that an 8 ft wide, two-way sidewalk bikeway on the east side of Hyland Avenue would be safer than on-street bike lanes. He writes that his opinion is based on two main factors; 1) the potential conflicts with cars and bikes at a number of driveways and street entrances on the west side of Hyland, and 2) car drivers entering the street would not see bicycles coasting down the hill at high speeds.

These factors are not new to the Bicycle Committee or bicycle facility planners, but they do not outweigh other design and safety considerations.

1. An 8 ft wide bikeway adjacent to the curb on the east side of the street would not conform to current construction safety standards and would subject the City to design liability. The "Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities," published by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), is a recognized standard for design. The Guide (p23) states the recommended width for bicycle paths is 10 ft. A minimum 8 ft width should be used only where 1) bicycle traffic is expected to be low, even on peak days or peak hours, or 2) pedestrian use of the facility is not expected to be more than occasional. These conditions do not apply on Hyland Avenue (if they do, a bikeway isn't needed).

The 1994 US DOT publication "Selecting Roadway Design Treatments to Accommodate Bicycles" states the minimum bike path width should be 10 ft. The publication (p28) recommends a minimum of 12 ft path width if bicycle or pedestrian traffic is expected to be high and states: "Given the variety of users of most bike paths, 8 ft widths will generally not be adequate."

2. An 8 ft bikeway would not be adequate for the multiple uses of pedestrians, roller bladers, and bicycles. Watch pedestrians use the existing Ames bikeways: two pedestrians walking and talking side-by-side typically walk down the middle of the path, leaving little room for a bicycle to pass on either side. Bicyclists passing from the rear are faced with speaking up or ringing a bell to let the pedestrians know, then guessing which way they jump/dodge. Even slowing to walking speed only helps about ½ the time, if there is a grass clear zone on the sides of the path the pedestrian or bike rider has some space to dodge. More impatient riders zip around the pedestrians before they have time to react. Neither approach is good and the hill on Hyland Avenue will increase the conflicts due to higher bicycle speeds.

3. An 8 ft bikeway is not adequate for the bicycle speeds that should be anticipated on Hyland Avenue. The "Guide" recommends a minimum design speed of 20 mph and increasing the design speed to 30 mph on slopes greater than 4% (Hyland is much steeper). An 8 ft path will not safely allow two-way bicycle traffic on this hill.

4. A bikeway located adjacent to the curb does not have adequate separation from the traffic/parking lanes. If cars are allowed to park on the street, their doors open out into the bikeway and persons entering/exiting cars will not see oncoming bicycles and will effectively reduce the width of the bikeway. On Hyland this will be important since the fast downhill bicycle traffic will be most impacted. Bicyclists compensate by "shying" away from the potential hazards, effectively reducing the bikeway width and increasing the potential of accidents with oncoming bicycles or pedestrians. This "shy distance" is important and also applies to obstructions such as poles, fences, trees, curbs, and retaining walls on both sides of the path. The "Guide" calls for a minimum of 5 ft space between roadway and the edge of the bikeway and an additional 2 ft wide flat & clear distance to be maintained on the opposite side of the bikeway.

5. Statistics cited from an Institute of Traffic Engineering Journal article by the Bicycle Committee report the risk for injury is 1.8 times greater for a bike path design such as an 8 ft wide sidewalk path on the east side of Hyland than an on-street bicycle rider. This data includes risk of all types of accidents, including with pedestrians, other bicycle riders, as well as motor vehicles. Other engineering and traffic studies report the same results. Data indicates bicyclists are safest when they act like other vehicles on properly designed streets and roadways.

6. Moving the bicycle facility to a sidewalk bikeway continues to support the premise that proper bicycle accommodation is to get them out of the way of cars. In the long term, education and attitudes must change such that bicycles are accepted as a proper mode of transportation, and not an inconvenience to motor vehicles.

In summary, current design standards and safety statistics support the bike lanes designed by City Staff and supported by the Bicycle Committee and the previous City Council. Construction of an alternate off-street bike path would require a minimum of 5 ft space from the curb, 10 ft minimum width (12 ft recommended), and an additional 2 ft wide level clear zone. A total of 17-19 ft would be required east of the curb to conform to current design recommendations. Reducing the bicycle accommodation to an 8 ft wide sidewalk bikeway along the east side will not meet current design guidelines, will reduce the overall safety for bicyclists and pedestrians, and will increase the liability for the City.

Mountain Biking in Utah
by Larry Fitzpatrick

Moab smoab! Ride slick rock in Utah away from the crowds and where the people are glad to see you. I recently spent 2 weeks "working" in Springdale, UT. Springdale is located at the south entrance of Zion National Park. The elevation is 4,000 feet and the climate desert like. It's a perfect get away spot for snow-bound Iowans from late fall to early spring (the best bargains are in the winter season).

I started my biking experience by renting a bike at Bike Zion bike shop, 1-800-4-SLIK ROK. Dean and Lynn Willianson run the shop. They have a large selection of Giant mountain bikes for rent. Everything from basic rigid bikes to full suspension. Half day rentals range from $17 to $27 dollars. They said they would gladly receive customer's bikes UPS at the store and assemble them for you if you would like to ride you own.

My first ride was through Zion Park. A bike trail starts in the parking lot just left of the park entrance. Ride the trail crossing the Virgin River five times. You are surrounded by huge cliff walls and rock formations and the coloration is spectacular. When your reach the end of the trail ride up Route 9 into the eastern canyon to see the Great Arch of Zion. A 1.1 mile tunnel does not allow bicycles, but the park ranger will hook you up with a ride if you want to continue, if not turn around and enjoy a decent you will never forget.

Back at the main park road, ride along the Virgin river to the Temple of Sinawava. You wind through the park going slightly up hill. The cliffs dwarf you and your bike hanging 2,000 to 3,000 feet above you. I road on a day that included some snow flurries and stayed comfortable riding at an easy pace. The bike ride afforded intimacy that car and RV visitors will never know. Total mileage from the bike shop is about 20 miles. The park offers many camping and hiking experiences, but off-road riding is not allowed.

Slick rock is a misnomer. The rock mesas where it is found has the consistency of sand paper and the effect on one's skin is very similar. Off-road riding in Utah is done mostly on federal BLM land and access roads. The personnel at the bike shop have free maps and will provide you with personal insight into the type of riding you will see. They know areas where camping is free and all the good places to eat and hang out.

My ride started at the bike shop and took me to Rockville Bench. Two mile down Route 9, I turned onto an old jeep trail and rode up a few miles to the mesa. The trail on the slick rock is marked with black diamonds, don't leave the trail; cactus needles are hard on tires as well as your hide. The riding is fairly technical and I walked some of the tougher sections, a few abrasions are ok but I didn't want any broken bones. The view is breath taking in all directions. I felt safe because there were other bikers and hikers near by.

I counted somewhere between 10 and 20 abrasions when I got back, all small and insignificant. The total ride was 15.5 miles. I suggest riding a bike with front suspension on slick rock, because the forgiveness of the front shock will prevent some over the bar encounters a rigid would not.

Springdale has an annual mountain bike fest October 17-20. This includes a cross country and downhill race, trail rides and hill climb. The area is supported by tourism so motels and restaurants abound. This area is a 2 to 3 hour drive from Las Vegas, NV, which usually has favorable air fares. For biking different from any to experience in the Midwest, try SW Utah!

Membership Renewals:
The "DuesExp=" at the top of your newsletter address label identifies the last month your dues are current. Please renew so Friends can continue our newsletters, bicycle advocacy, club rides and activities.

GARAGE SALE REPORT
It gets better every year!! The FCIB Bike Garage Sale on May 4th broke previous records with 43 bikes sold in 8 hours! This is up from 30 bikes in 1995. All in all, FCIB will net about $550 for advocacy and bikeway development in the community. Special thanks to Steve Moehlmann, Lucy Thomas, Stan Hyer, George Patrick, Larry Fitzpatrick, Joan Stein, Jim Gregory, Marty Murrell, and host Cindy Jones for their efforts to make the sale a great success!!