Iowa BIG students help roll out safety videos for e-bike program

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - (CBS2/Fox28) — After years of planning, Cedar Rapids will roll out a new electric bike sharing program in May. It's expected to draw many new bicyclists to the city's streets, but that has also drawn concerns from some about safety and road-sharing.

"We do expect there to be new riders just trying out the system,” says multimodal transportation planner Brandon Whyte. “Maybe a little less experienced and knowledgeable."

The VeoRide bikes and scooters will soon have riders zipping around Cedar Rapids at the touch of a button. Riders 18 and older, or 13 with parental permission, can rent the bikes through VeoRide’s app.

Whyte says they are most concerned about pedestrians being hit, though he says e-bikes are generally very safe.

"The biggest concern is sidewalk riding for both bikes and especially scooters when they come," he says,

However, in other cities, e-bikes have garnered a bad reputation. Often left scattered or vandalized, some have referred to them as litter bikes. A study in Denmark found 29% of e-bikers had incidents that wouldn't happen on a normal bike, mostly due to speed.

The new VeoRide bikes will travel at top speeds of 20 miles per hour, while the scooters coming in August max out at around 15 MPH.

The first 50 bikes will be stationed near Czech Village and 3rd Street, with more planned to be put out later in the spring.

To teach new riders, the city has turned to Iowa BIG students, who are working with a filmmaker to produce a series of instructional videos.

"’Walk Your Wheels,' using your hand signals, when to park the bikes, how to park the bikes, using the bike lanes," junior Nicole Sullivan lists the variety of topics their project will cover.

Sullivan has even learned a thing or two, like the different types of bike lanes or that riding on the sidewalk is illegal downtown.

They'll unveil the first video online when the e-bikes launch May 13th.

"It’s a new, fun thing for tourists and civilians in the city to experience," Sullivan says.

Even avid riders are excited to share the streets, according to Whyte.

"They've been supportive,” he says. “Even helped us purchase some helmets to come out with the launch."

Sullivan just hopes their hard work will mean a safe ride for all.

"It’s really cool for all of us being at such a young age and being able to give back to the community in the way we are," she says.

The Iowa BIG student’s instructional videos will be available on the City of Cedar Rapids website and social media.

The city will add electric scooters in August and a fat-tire version of the bikes will be unveiled for riding on Mount Trashmore later this summer.