Gazette Daily News Podcast: Monday, May 6, 2024

- Why Iowa struggles to pass hands-free driving laws

- New law protects bikers, mobile pedestrians in crosswalks

- Flood Protection next for Time Check neighborhood

- Daily News Podcast Survey

Episode Transcript

Welcome to The Gazette’s Daily News Podcast for Monday, May 6, 2024. This podcast provides the latest headlines from the Gazette newsroom. I’m Becky Lutgen Gardner.

First, despite broad support, Iowa struggles to pass hands-free driving laws. Bills mandating hands-free technology to limit cellphone use while driving have been introduced in the Iowa Legislature since 2019, but all attempts at passage have been unsuccessful. More than 30 other states have passed such laws. Why doesn’t Iowa?

Advocates, fueled by personal tragedies like Ellen Bengtson's death in 2020, have relentlessly urged lawmakers to follow suit. Ellen was fatally struck by a distracted driver who was checking an app on his phone while doing over 55 miles an hour.

The absence of a hands-free law in Iowa resulted in the judge dismissing the case against the driver. Despite bipartisan and law enforcement backing, the latest distracted driving bill faced staunch resistance, notably from a libertarian faction within the GOP, citing concerns about individual liberties.

Rep. John Wills believes the focus should be on broader measures to curb distracted driving, not solely on phone use. He argues, "Let’s not make the phone the enemy... Let’s cure the disease rather than putting a Band-Aid on it."

Such arguments are drawing criticism. Luke Hoffman, executive director of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition rejects the idea of a false choice between freedom and safety. "What is the first responsibility of government? It is to protect the people," Hoffman asserts.

Ellen's mother, JoAnn Bengtson, urges drivers to prioritize safety and emphasize personal responsibility: "Put your phone away... Turn your notifications off."

Despite these pleas, the legislative impasse persists, leaving families like the Bengtsons grappling with profound loss. "Justice in this case doesn’t bring our daughter back," Peter Bengtson laments. "As a parent, you want to protect your daughter. It’s something we’ll never get over."

Next, advocates say a new law signed Friday by Gov. Kim Reynolds will make Iowa’s roads and crosswalks safer.

The legislation extends the state’s crosswalk protection law.

Drivers in Iowa are now required to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks. The new law expands that requirement by requiring vehicles to yield to bicyclists and pedestrians using mobility devices in crosswalks.

Iowa Bicycle Coalition executive director Luke Hoffman said, “Whether you are out on the trails as a cyclist, a person with disabilities in a wheelchair, a senior citizen on an electric scooter, a kid on a skateboard, or a parent with a baby in a stroller, this legislation is a clear victory for all Iowans,”

A news release from the Iowa Bicycle Coalition also included statements of support from the legislators who managed the bills in the Iowa Legislature: Sen. Mark Lofgren and Rep. Tom Gerhold, both Republicans.

Lofgren said the new law will add protections for people at events like the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa and outdoor entertainment. Gerhold said it will “save lives and prevent accidents” and will protect people who walk through crosswalks using strollers, wheelchairs, and other mobility devices.

The law goes into effect July 1.

Finally, what’s happening with the Time Check neighborhood in Cedar Rapids? The neighborhood was devastated during the 2008 floods. Homes were destroyed and hundreds of former residents left the area. Buildings were wiped out, leaving empty lots.

Over the past six years, the nonprofit group Matthew 25 has spearheaded an effort to rehabilitate the neighborhood.

That effort is bearing fruit, thanks partly to a $1.4 million capital campaign and multiple grants and tax incentives.

Matthew 25’s achievements include a nonprofit grocery store and rehabilitating 11 housing units. Developers have taken an interest in the neighborhood, bringing in more businesses and housing.

But local leaders say much work remains ahead for Time Check to realize a full recovery.

And those same leaders say one key piece to the puzzle moving forward is flood protection to help ensure the neighborhood is never again wiped out by the Cedar River.

The city’s greenway parks plan will guide amenities along the west side of the river.

Al Pierson, president of the Northwest Neighbors Neighborhood Association says,“When that greenway gets done, the flood protection is done, this neighborhood is going to be dynamite. It’s going to be the best one in the city.”

Matthew 25 held a public event last week to showcase the progress made in the neighborhood thus far. The group highlighted the nonprofit grocery store — Cultivate Hope Corner Store — which the group said was created by transforming a “rundown building on a high-crime corner.”

During the event, Matthew 25 also highlighted the 11 rehabbed housing units and new construction on energy-efficient homes in the neighborhood.

Matthew 25 Executive Director Clint Twedt-Ball said the group has spent $1.1 of the $1.4 million raised. He said, “The next phase really is we’ve probably got six more units of housing that we’re still looking to complete. And then I think the next phase is going to be really continuing to push for, and in some ways wait for, flood protection in that area so that we can take the next leap. Because a lot of the vacant lots are in that 100-year flood plain and can’t be developed until flood protection exists.”

Twedt-Ball said he hopes that by rehabbing Time Check, Cedar Rapids will gain an area where families can “live up to their full potential.”

He says, “We have this neighborhood in Time Check that has really good bones. It’s close to where the jobs are. It’s got lots of good parks. It’s got the river right there. And yet, we’ve kind of as a community, in some ways, just left it sit. We just need to love on it and rehab the whole neighborhood and put it back into a place where people can thrive.”

We're considering some changes to the Gazette Daily News Podcast, but we want to hear from you before doing so. This episode's description has a link to a brief survey. We hope you take a few minutes to share your thoughts on this show. Thank you!

Our weather: Today will be sunny, with a high near 77. Monday night will have a chance of showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 1 a.m. The low will be around 59.

Tuesday will have a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1 p.m. It will be mostly cloudy in the morning, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 74.

The Gazette's Business Breakfast Series will host its next event on Tuesday, May 7th. The focus is on retail. What's working when it comes to retail in downtown neighborhoods? What communities are getting it right? Join The Gazette with the presenting sponsor, the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance…and housing development panelists for a morning of networking and insight on this timely economic topic. Register now at thegazette dot com slash business breakfast.

Thank you for listening to The Gazette’s Daily News Podcast. I’m Becky Lutgen Gardner.