Beginning July 1, add strollers, skaters, powered bikes and skateboards to the list of Iowans protected in cross walks.
Sen. Mark Lofgren, R-Muscatine, led passage of the bill that requires motorists to yield for Iowans using wheeled or powered conveyances.
The bill adds the phrase, “pedestrian conveyance,” which includes wheelchair, stroller, scooter or low-powered electric device.
Specifically, the bill includes, “an electric personal assistive mobility device and any other device used to move a person sitting or standing on the device regardless of whether the device is powered by an electric motor, so long as the electric motor produces less than seven hundred fifty watts.”
Lofgren led the senate campaign for passage of the bill championed by the Iowa Bicycle Coalition, AARP Iowa, researchers at the University of Iowa Injury Prevention Research Center, and bike shops and clubs across Iowa.
Car and truck drivers must yield to them in cross walks of intersections without signals.
Lofgren, who introduced the Crosswalk Protections bill in the Senate, said,
“I’ve heard many times over how entertainment and cultural events are so important to bringing people to visit and to live in our state. RAGBRAI is one of our more prominent Summer events that brings thousands of bicyclists into our state.
“This new layer of safety and accountability makes a strong statement that we are committed to ensuring safety for our residents and visitors to make Iowa the best place in the country to live, work and play.”
“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,” said Luke Hoffman, Executive Director of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition.