University of Iowa named ‘bike friendly’ for efforts to support bicycling

IOWA CITY - University of Iowa junior Andrew Hirst said he learned fast that getting across campus and navigating Iowa City was best done by bike.

But when he recognized most bike clubs on campus catered to competitive athletes, Hirst and co-worker Willy Tan started a recreational bike club to expose everyday students to cycling.

'We wanted to create a biking club for those not interested in racing and competition,” said Hirst, 20, of Waverly. 'We wanted to promote it as a way to get around and enjoy the outdoors.”

The UI Recreational Biking Club, which holds weekly rides showcasing area trails and amenities, was one of several accomplishments cited by the League of American Cyclists in awarding the UI a silver designation as a 2014 Bike Friendly University. It's the only school in Iowa recognized among 51 nationwide.

Ten other schools also received silver awards, and six received golds.

The award recognizes universities that are investing in a sustainable future and healthy lifestyles for their students, staff and communities, League of American Bicyclists President Andy Clarke said on the organization's website.

The League of American Bicyclists also designates cities as Bike Friendly Communities. Cedar Rapids, Cedar Falls, University Heights and Des Moines have been recognized with bronze, and Iowa City with a silver.

Hirst said the award is a nice recognition, but he hopes it will spur further improvements for cycling around town.

'In practice there are things that can be improved on, but there are a lot of amenities on campus like fix-it stations and bike lanes being built,” he said.

UI also was credited for promoting cycling through events, including the Earth Month Bike Challenge and Winter Warrior Challenge, which drew nearly 400 people. Participants competed against each other to log the most miles during a month.

UI also has set up bike fix-it stations to pump tires or adjust derailleurs, and graduate students in the School of Urban and Regional Planning created a bicycle master plan that is circulating around key campus offices for adoption.

The plan recommends improvements such as protected bike lanes, increased bike parking outside of academic buildings, adding bike lockers at parking ramps and connecting pathways across campus.

Many of the efforts are spurred by the UI Bicycle Advisory Committee.

'The biking situation on campus is pretty good,” said Andrew Lynch, a graduate student in urban and regional planning and chairman of the Bicycle Advisory Committee. 'We are really excited to have the silver designation. It's a sign of the work we've done to improve things, but it's also a good push to continue with improvements, as well, as we work for a gold.”

Liz Christiansen, director of the UI Office of Sustainability, said the university took guidance to make improvements and improve safety after it received an honorable mention in 2012.

'The silver designation reflects the hard work of the students, staff and faculty on our Bicycle Advisory Committee and definitely bolsters the visibility and importance of the bicycling culture at the University of Iowa,” she said in a statement.