Group targets Waterloo/Cedar Falls transportation policies

Many Iowans are familiar with the Burma Shave-style of advertising where a rhyming roadside message is carried over several seperate signs. A group that opposes urban sprawl is launching a new campaign in northeast Iowa with what it calls “Farma-Save” signs.The signs will read “To the Earth, Make Amends, Park Your Car, Bike With Friends.”Phil James, is a spokesman for One-thousand Friends of Iowa, which pushes for responsible development and urban revitalization instead of building on prime farmland and in sensitive natural areas. He says the Waterloo/Cedar Falls area has a transportation problem as it’s hard to live there without owning a car for transportation.James says the signs will be going up this week at three locations in the Waterloo/Cedar Falls area. He says the area’s civic leaders don’t realize they’re making ecological and logistical mistakes by building more highways. He says pedestrian travel needs to be included in the solution.Though it’s called One thousand Friends of Iowa, the non-profit Des Moines-based group currently has 640 members in 65 Iowa counties.