Public Invited to Bicycle Plan Review Open House on Nov. 20

The Metropolitan Planning Organization of Johnson County, of which the City of North Liberty is a member, will host a public open house to present proposed recommendations in the Metro Bicycle Master Plan for Coralville, North Liberty, Tiffin and University Heights, on Wednesday, Nov. 20, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Van Allen Elementary School, 170 Abigail Road, North Liberty. The public can review the draft of the bicycle plan at www.mpojc.org/bike.

Metro Bicycle Master Plan builds on the robust and accessible system of trails and sidepaths envisioned in the 2009 Metro Bicycle Plan—most of which are now established or near completion. MPO communities are proactively planning for the extension of trails and sidepaths with new development. The plan illustrates the future extension of these facilities and how they should connect across jurisdictions.

While the focus of the plan is on Coralville, North Liberty, Tiffin and University Heights, it considers connections to existing or future bicycle facilities in Iowa City and Johnson County. The plan identifies opportunities to share or replicate successful programs or projects for making bicycling safer and accessible to more people and calls for coordination to ensure consistency in elements, such as laws and signage.

This is an exciting time for bicycling in the metro area. Within the next five years, the Clear Creek Trail will connect Coralville to Tiffin and on to Kent Park to the west. Just outside the metro, the county is completing the final segments that will link the Iowa River Trail and Hoover Trail to Linn County. The completion of these projects is reason for celebration as all metro communities will soon be linked to the regional trail system. The plan also looks to the completion of these connections as an opportunity to better coordinate bicycle programming and promotions between communities and for bicycle tourism throughout the metro and county.

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