After being hit by a car while riding his
bike this week, Matthew Peirce is asking for changes at the intersection
of Riverside Drive and Benton Street in Iowa City.
"Dozens of people ride on this bike trail every single day," said Peirce."I do and the drivers are simply not aware."
Peirce
isn't just an accident victim. He's a graduate student at the
University of Iowa studying urban planning with a focus on
transportation. He wants to make cities more bike friendly as a career.
"My
goal is to advocate for intelligent policies that broaden the scope of
transportation that will make drivers aware of other modes of
transportation," said Peirce.
Peirce
thinks a possible solution is to put up signs, even asking the city
council Tuesday evening. The Metropolitan Planning Organization of
Johnson County looks into these types of requests. Planners weren't
aware of this specific issue but say they look for trends and will check
into circumstances surrounding accidents to see what can be done to
prevent similar problems from happening.
As
for Peirce, he'd like to see the intersection, and any other busy
streets, become safer for the many bicyclists in Iowa City.
"I do worry, honestly, about drivers not looking," said Peirce.
Peirce's bike was ruined in his accident. He's ok and is hoping to have a new bike soon.
Crash Date: August 19th 2013