The Iowa Bicycle Coalition is under new leadership. Luke Hoffman is replacing Mark Wyatt as the statewide non-profit organization’s executive director. Hoffman says he has lofty goals for the future, starting with getting the Safe Routes to School program in every school and in every school district in Iowa so kids can experience the joys of alternative transportation.
Hoffman says, “The impact that that can have with a kid who instead of being driven to school on a bus or maybe by their parents in a car, can experience what it’s like to get to school awake and excited, their blood’s moving from having biked there in a very safe way, maybe with some friends — that helps build them a community of people.”
Wyatt helped to found the coalition 19 years ago and its mission all along has been to unite all cyclists across the state. Hoffman says he’s dedicated to continuing on that path.
“That happens through a variety of events, fun rides like the Bacoon Ride, we’ve obviously got RAGBRAI,” Hoffman says. “So how do we connect a bike club that meets for a Monday night gravel ride, maybe in Sioux City, to the bike club that meets in Iowa City and have them feel this affinity, and I think that’s a role that coalition can play.”
Hoffman also wants to develop a powerful lobby that will work with state legislators on behalf of all cyclists. He wants to see the development of a policy landscape that focuses our traffic laws around bike safety so cyclists feel as safe on a road as they do on a trail. One goal is to eliminate distracted driving.
“We can do that by passing legislation like hands-free legislation,” Hoffman says. “You can currently talk on your cell phone. We should pass a law that says it has to be Bluetooth and that would help save some lives. Also change lanes to pass, so that people can get a little bit more space when they’re on the road maybe using the bike lane. The car can change the lane to pass that cyclist.”
Cyclists and motorists can find ways to cooperate, and he notes 90-percent of all Iowa bicyclists also have a driver’s license.
Hoffman says his vision for the Iowa Bicycle Coalition is to make Iowa known as the most bicycle friendly state in the country for people of all backgrounds and all abilities. He most recently worked as executive director of the group Iowa Rivers Revival.