SIOUX CITY, IA -
If you like riding your bicycle in Sioux City, you've probably noticed it's not very easy to get around.
but that should be changing.
Soon you'll see more than 300 new signs along streets like Morningside Avenue, announcing 84 miles of brand new on-street bike trails.
"Sioux City needs to catch up," said Bob DeSmidt, President of the Siouxland Trails Foundation Tuesday.
That's something DeSmidt has been saying for years, Sioux City needs more places to ride bikes.
Now the city's realizing that cycling dream.
"We will be painting bike lanes on specific streets that are currently wide enough to handle those bike lanes," said Jill Wanderscheid, a Transportation Planner for the city.
Those 84 miles of bike trails will be everywhere from Morningside Avenue to Military Road, they'll be easy to get to and the entire network will be interconnecting.
The 300 signs will cost around $10,000.
Siouxland Trails will cover half the cost and the Siouxland District Health Department will pick up another part of the tab.
Another benefit for bike lovers: those designated streets will get special attention when it comes maintenance.
"A crack that might not be noticeable by a car could throw somebody off a bicycle," said DeSmidt. "Or in certain cases even sewer crates that run the wrong way could catch a bike tire."
It'll be a system of bike trails making the city more attractive to young families, and hopefully helping make Siouxland a little healthier, too.
So, when will you be able to ride in style?
The city will begin ordering the signs this winter, everything should be in place by the end of summer 2013.
