Advocating to get from here to there in Des Moines—on our bikes.

Let’s be kind when riding. Greet other cyclists with a quick head bob, wave, or “Hi!” We’re in this together. And a thank you wave to the motorist that waits for you to go straight before turning left, goes a long way too.

Bring on the high-visibility clothing, helmets, stickers, reflectors, you name it. Do everything to make sure they can see us.

Bike lights, bike lights, bike lights. If vehicle lights are on, yours should be too — front and back.

Bike lanes are for bicyclists. Not cars, construction, snow, debris. Bikes, only bikes. We’ll report obstructions via the Bike Lane Uprising app.

Where do we park when we get there? Lock your ride to bike racks. Thank the business; spend money there.  

Sure, we’ll complain about problems, but we’ll also propose and advocate for the right bike solutions.

Infrastructure projects take a long time. We’ll advocate for good biking projects from planning to design to implementation to ribbon cutting. And we’ll keep encouraging more of them.

We want our own city map on the Bike Lane Uprising app.  This will only happen if we keep reporting obstructions.

Let’s get a city ordinance passed in Des Moines that makes obstructing bike lanes against city code, allows for a citation, and a meaningful fine.

Update Chapter 135 of Des Moines city code to require indoor bike storage for new multi-family housing and office buildings.

Obtain secure, in-terminal, parking at Des Moines International Airport for use by employees and passengers.

Work with the Des Moines Traffic & Transportation department to promote an online bike rack suggestion portal and advocate for annual funding to install more racks.

As part of the city’s Vision Zero efforts, encourage an after action  review of all serious injury and fatal bike crashes within 60 days of occurrence. Include police, fire, engineering, advocates, along with businesses and state police, as appropriate.  Review police reports and sketches, body worn camera footage and other data for lessons learned and for possible safety upgrades.

Work with Des Moines Public Schools to get a No Right Turn on Red (NRTOR) policy for all DMPS buses. NRTOR is a known safety measure that is easy to implement, requires no additional signage, pavement markings or traffic signal modifications.