Bikers Protest Proposed 'Extra' Insurance

Sun June 29 2008
Posted Jun 29, 2008
10,021

POSTED: 11:52 am CDT June 24, 2008 DES MOINES, Iowa -- The Dallas County Board of Supervisors is considering requiring extra insurance for bike events that use the county's roads. The proposal would require groups of more than 20 riders to carry a $1 million insurance policy before riding on county roads. Dozens of riders addressing the board Tuesday and said that the roads are for everyone and should not carry a extra charge for bike riders. Before the meeting Tuesday, 10 cyclists met at the state Capitol to make the 20-mile ride to the Dallas County courthouse in protest of the ordinance. The proposal follows a move by Crawford County Supervisors earlier this year. They voted to ban RAGBRAI from passing through their county. The ban followed a lawsuit against the county that was settled with the family of a rider who died in 2004 accident. The lawsuit claimed the county was negligent when it came to road maintenance, contributing to the rider's death. Dallas County officials said they don't want to be held liable for accidents that happen on roads that they said weren't designed for bikes. The county engineer said proposed requirement would protect Dallas County taxpayers from paying for expensive lawsuits. Supervisors did not vote on the proposal Tuesday.