DES MOINES, IA – The Iowa Bicycle Coalition announced today (Wednesday) that HF 2568 passed the Iowa Senate unanimously without debate today and will be sent to the Governor for signature. The measure previously passed the house in February with a large majority.

HF 2568 establishes critical protections that benefit everyone who uses crosswalks including pedestrians, cyclists, and other people on any other mobility device or personal conveyance. The legislation was led in the Senate by Iowa Senator Mark Lofgren and in the Iowa House by Representative Thomas Gerhold.

Luke Hoffman, Executive Director of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition,  said in a statement on the bill’s passage, “Inevitably everyone will use a crosswalk as a pedestrian, so passing this bill is a clear and convincing victory for the individual rights of all Iowans. This bill closes a loophole in state code that brings us in line with surrounding states including Nebraska which already affords the same protections to all pedestrians regardless of your form of transportation.

“Whether you are out on the trails as a cyclist, a person with disabilities in a wheelchair, a senior citizen on an electric scooter, a kid on a skateboard, or a parent with a baby in a stroller, it’s a win for all Iowans. No matter if you are traveling in a car, by foot or by bike, your safety matters, and you deserve the peace of mind to know you are afforded the same individual rights as everyone else by the State of Iowa.”

Hoffman said also, “The Iowa Bicycle Coalition commends the legislators who worked hard to pass this bill and our friends in our coalition including AARP who supported this bill with us and the University of Iowa Transportation Research and Injury Prevention Safety Lab researchers who helped develop the brief on the impact of this policy on Iowans.”