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Iowa City council signals support to pilot protected bike bollards on Dodge and Governor streets
Summary
City staff asked council for direction to pilot protected bike bollards on corridors including Dodge and Governor streets to improve east–west bicycle connectivity; staff estimated a roughly $110,000 pilot, flagged snow‑maintenance and equipment questions, and said Madison Street is not yet funded.
City staff asked the Iowa City council on Dec. 9 to back a pilot project installing protected bike bollards on corridors including Dodge and Governor streets as a near‑term step to improve connections between West and East Iowa City. Kent Ralston, the city’s transportation planner, said the pilot would help bridge gaps in the bike network while larger, funded capital projects — including Market/Jefferson conversions and a Burlington Street bridge replacement — proceed.
Rationale and timeline: Ralston said consultant Tool Design completed an analysis and that staff views a 2026 design phase with Dodge construction slated for 2027 as the likely sequencing, while Market/Jefferson conversion is currently programmed for 2028 and the Burlington Street bridge replacement for 2029. He said Madison Street is not yet in the city’s capital improvements program and therefore not a ready option for the immediate pilot.
Cost and scope: Staff estimated the pilot would cost about $110,000 to deploy. Ralston cautioned the pilot would raise operational questions — especially snow removal and maintenance — and that the city might need additional attachments or staff time for equipment. "It may be once we have two or three or four of these… we may need more equipment, and we may need more staff," Ralston said.
Evaluation and limits: Staff told council they will perform point‑in‑time bicyclist counts during the pilot but warned that bicyclist counts are harder to collect and validate than vehicle traffic counts. "We'll conduct some point in time collections," Ralston said, "but the validity of the information…and what we get back…it won't be as good as we want it to be." Staff said anecdotal evidence from bicycle advocates will likely supplement formal counts.
Pilot purpose and next steps: Staff described the pilot as an initial, reversible step; many communities start with bollards and later install more permanent separators such as curbs. Council members asked whether bollards would be removed for upcoming reconstruction projects; staff said bollards could be taken out during reconstruction and reinstalled afterward, accepting some throwaway cost as part of a pilot. Following the discussion, council members signaled support for moving forward and staff said they will proceed to refine design, operational plans and funding details.
The work session did not record a formal vote. Staff said they will report back with design details and implementation recommendations as the next procedural steps.
