RAGBRAI

The 2010 Iowa Bicycle Summit has become bigger and better than ever. The Iowa Bicycle Summit still features great presentations on the best practices in bicycle advocacy, but new this year is an expanded format, RAGBRAI’s Ride Right sessions, and a new location at the Iowa Events Center. The Summit is dedicated to producing low-cost and accessible education to build better communities.

John LaPlante will lead the bicycle facility design workshop on Friday, January 29, 2010 Iowa Bicycle Summit. John LaPlante is currently Director of Traffic Engineering for T.Y.Lin International, working out of their Chicago office.   

The Saturday, January 30th session features an expanded panel format that will allow for more presentations than before. Twenty speakers will present information during the Saturday sessions. Session topics include Bicycle Facility Design Innovations, Safe Routes To School Successes, Improving Bike Safety, New Marketing Ideas for Bikes, and Urban Dirt. Bicycle advocates are advised to come ready to learn about building bicycling in their home communities.

Here are some more details about the Iowa Bicycle Summit sessions:

Design Innovations

Adrian Holmes, P.E., 100-Year Bike Plan
A solid, well conceived master plan has become all but required in order to receive state and federal trail construction funding. This workshop style session will provide non-engineers enough information to be able to go back to their communities and either create their own trails master plan or at least know what to expect when working with a planning consultant.

Brian Keierleber, P.E., Railcar Bridge Innovations
Any bridge can be expensive to build. Bridges on trails are difficult at best. Buchanan County has found an innovative way to convert retired rail cars into bridges – not just for people on bicycles, but for motor vehicles too. Learn how Buchanan County is leading the way with bridge innovations at a fraction of the price of a conventional bridge.

Jeff Geertz, GreenStreets
Green Streets promote public health, energy efficiency, water conservation, smart locations,  operational savings, and sustainable building practices. As a result, the strategies enhance affordable housing, community facilities, town centers, and communities as a whole.

Safe Routes To School

Melissa Stovers, Imagine Grinnell
Grinnell-Newburg School District joined schools from around the world to celebrate International Walk-to-School Day with a district-wide contest encouraging all of the district’s families and students to take a break from driving and walk or bike to school.

Lynette Anderson, NE Iowa Food and Fitness
The five county region is on the ground floor of a movement to improve the policies, practices, and systems that determine how food arrives on our tables and how NE Iowa communities can grow opportunities for physical activity for all.

Traci Kepley, Go The Distance Day
Go The Distance Day is a FREE one-day event for Iowa Schools! Its purpose is to show Iowa youth that physical activity is fun and makes them feel good; increase public awareness of youth physical inactivity; and inform the public that physical education programs are needed in our schools!

Patty Guevara, Bookin’ on Bikes
A little more than a year ago, I wrote and received a grant from the Michael Jordan Foundation (yes, MICHAEL Jordan of the Bulls) to start up a bike club at Scavo Alternative High School. We have no physical education program at our school. We have a lot of students with major obstacles to overcome in order to just GET their education. With some help from the Bike Collective and other great cycling souls, “Bookin’ on Bikes” was born! We do quite a bit more than cycling.

Cycling Safety

Julie Engeman, Drivers Ed Presentations
Julie and Steve Engeman have presented “Share The Road” sessions at drivers education classes across central Iowa. Their objective is to show younger drivers that a real person operates a bicycle. They use letters and photos from victims and personal stories to make an impact.

Ken Sherman & Bill Rosebrook, Cycling Safety in Iowa
While the debate rages over whether cyclists should continue to be allowed on the highways of Iowa, serious cycling accidents on our roadways continue to grow in both number and severity; and the circumstances of these tragedies seem to be getting more and more egregious, including  recklessness, serious driving impairments, impatience (road rage?), distraction and even unprovoked and intentional violence directed at cyclists who ride our roads.

This presentation explores what may be behind the deplorable situation outlined above, and it addresses what might be done to improve cycling safety on the streets and highways of Iowa.

New Marketing Ideas

Nannette Rodriguez, Social Media and the Latin Consumer
TBA

Lee P. Jones, B-Cycle
B-cycle is the only “next”-generation bike-share program. Integrated data tracking will automatically capture information such as your distance traveled, equivalent calories burned, and carbon offset after each ride. It will then upload this data to your personal user profile on Bcycle.com. B-cycle is the future of bike sharing, and it’s available to your city now.

Ryan Hanser, Building Cycling Community Through Social Media
TBA

Urban Dirt
TBA

Click here for the Iowa Bicycle Summit Schedule

For more information on the Iowa Bicycle Summit or to register, visit  www.iowabicyclecoalition.org.

Click here to download a printable order form for the Iowa Bike Summit.

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Following the Iowa Bicycle Summit, join us for the RAGBRAI Route Announcement Party at Hy-Vee Hall in downtown Des Moines.  RAGBRAI will reveal the 2010 route to those in attendance.

Over half of the allotted tickets have already been sold.  A surprising and sizable percentage of attendees are traveling to this event from outside of Iowa including visitors from Oregon and Florida.  Only 500 tickets will be sold for the event.

The evening will feature live music with a special acoustical duo performance by The Nadas, who have entertained RAGBRAI riders for many years including recent stops in Greenfield, Ames and Cedar Falls.

In addition to live music and the RAGBRAI route announcement, this special night will feature:

* Live Auctions on Great Cycling Items
* Silent Auctions on Great Cycling Items
* Door Prizes
* “Guess the Route” Raffles
* Iowa Bicycle Coalition Updates
* Complimentary RAGBRAI-style Snacks & Soft Drinks
* Complimentary Drafts (also a Cash Bar)
* Special Commemorative Souvenir Gift
* Fun for ALL!

Tickets on sale now: $30
Click here to purchase tickets

All proceeds from the event benefit the Iowa Bicycle Coalition.

The Iowa Bicycle Coalition builds partnerships, educates Iowans, and helps to establish safe and enjoyable bicycle transportation and recreation networks throughout Iowa.