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Capitol Notebook: Iowa cracking down on speeding next week
Also, RAGBRAI may impact access at some state parks
Iowa law enforcement will be out on the road next week ready to pull over speeding vehicles and motorcycles as part of a multistate traffic safety awareness campaign.
The Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau is teaming up with law enforcement across the state and Midwest to keep drivers and passengers safe by raising awareness about the dangers of speeding and urging drivers to obey speed limits.
Iowa will join several states on Wednesday in the Speed Awareness Campaign.
“We are asking drivers to please slow down,” Iowa traffic safety bureau Chief Brett Tjepkes said in a news release. “Our goal is to save lives, and we’re putting all drivers on alert — the posted speed limit is the law. No excuses. On July 26, drivers will notice extra law enforcement on Iowa’s roads. If drivers choose to exceed the posted limit, they can expect a citation.”
Traffic fatalities in Iowa so far this year are 20 percent higher than the five-year average, and the state witnessed a 25 percent increase in speeding-related fatalities from 2020 to 2021, according to the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau.
Last year, speeding-related crashes claimed the lives of 84 individuals on the state’s roads, accounting for nearly a quarter of all crash-related deaths.
Speeding is among the most influential factors in severe injury or fatal crashes. It reduces a driver’s ability to safely maneuver around other vehicles, obstacles or unexpected curves, and even modern systems have limitations in preventing the worst effects of a high-speed crash, according to the news release.
RAGBRAI may impact access at state parks
As the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa rolls across Iowa next week, several state parks along the route — which stretches from Sioux City to Davenport — are anticipating heavy traffic that could limit park access and cause delays.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources, in a news release, encouraged park visitors to use caution and stay alert for bikers.
Affected parks include:
- Black Hawk State Park in Lake View — Riders passing through the town of Lake View on Monday on Perkins Avenue may limit access to the park.
- Big Creek State Park in Polk City — Riders on Wednesday will use NW Madrid Drive on the west side of the park. Access to the park is expected to be severely limited at the west and south entrances. Visitors should plan to use the northeast entrance at NW 142nd Avenue and expect delays. Inland Cat Shelter and the boat ramps at 100th Street, West and Williams Drive are expected to be inaccessible in the morning and early afternoon.
- Rock Creek State Park in Kellogg — Riders on Thursday will use Highway F27 on the north side of the park. Access will be severely limited at the main entrances. Campers should expect delays and difficulty entering the park in the morning and early afternoon.
- Fairport State Recreation Area in Muscatine — Riders on Saturday will use Highway 22, which is the main road to the recreation area. Access will be severely limited during the day.
- Wildcat Den State Park in Muscatine — On Saturday, the route on Highway 22 will take riders about a mile south of the entrance to Wildcat Den State Park, which could see increased traffic on that day.
RAGBRAI maps can be found at https://ridewithgps.com/events/225430-ragbrai-50
Iowa’s labor force participation increased in June
Nearly 5,000 new workers joined the state’s labor force in June, while Iowa’s unemployment rate remain unchanged.
Iowa’s labor force participation rate increased to 68.7 percent, up from 68.5 percent in May, according to new figures from Iowa Workforce Development. That marked the fourth consecutive monthly increase.
At the same time, Iowa’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held steady at 2.7 percent. The U.S. unemployment rate decreased to 3.6 percent in June.
The number of working Iowans increased to 1,693,300 in June — 4,800 more than May and 18,100 higher than one year ago, according to Iowa Workforce Development.
“Nearly all Iowans who entered the labor force in June did so by finding a job — that’s encouraging news for job seekers and the health of the state economy as a whole,” Beth Townsend, executive director of Iowa Workforce Development, said in a news release. “It remains a great time to return to the workforce and find that next great job.”
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