Advocacy & Safety - A survey the Siouxland Trails Foundation is conducting.

The Siouxland Trails Foundation, (STF) is conducting a community wide survey to help us improve cycling in the tri-state area. The way we are going about this is by posting the survey in the Siouxland Cyclist's club news letter. We want the club members to tell us what ideas they have to make cycling better in this area. After we receive the feed back from the club members STF will then present a report to the 3 city governments that we are partnering with to improve cycling. Hopefully the feed back is plentiful & positive.

We do not know if we will expand the scope of the survey to include other citizens of this community. Right now we are starting small and working our way up from there.

Here is a copy of the survey that we want the club members to provide us feed back about:

Fellow club members, The Siouxland Trails Foundation needs your help. We need you to tell us how to better improve cycling in the tri-state area. By helping us do a community survey. Starting in your own neighborhoods & working your way out please tell us how this can happen. You can either drive your motor vehicles or ride your bike’s to help us with this survey. Once we have collected the information from you we will write a report to all 3-city govt’s with the idea’s you have presented us with. So please help us to be your voice in improving cycling in your community.

1. Do you want more bike route signage?
2. Do you want more & better-established bike routes?
3. Would you like to see actual bike lanes on the streets?
4. Is there a need for traffic lights instead of just stop signs at intersections?
5. Is there a need for an intersection with just 2 stop signs to be turned into a 4-way?
6. Are there any city streets that are in need of major repair?
7. Are there sewer grates that need to be rotated or replaced so they do not catch a bicycle's wheel?
8. Is there a need for slower speed limits for the motor vehicle traffic?
9. How can the current trail system be improved upon?
10. Where else would you like to see rec. trails built?
11. Please tell us how else how we can help improve cycling in your community.

You may contact us at:
Siouxland Trails Foundation
P.O. Box 752
Sioux City, Ia 51102

Or send an e-mail to:

Thank you.

John Vodochodsky
Siouxland Trails Foundation


Please feel free to give your feedback on this.

The form of questions 1 through 8 will result in predominately yes/no answers, almost all of which will be 'yes'. These questions should be reworded to be open ended.

For example, question 1 should read something like, "List areas along bike routes that you feel need better signage."

question 2 should read, "Where should new or improved bike routes be established?"

Questions 4 and 5 generally would require traffic surveys to establish the requirement for additional controls. I would delete these two questions and number 8 and add one like, "where are there dangerous traffic conditions for cyclists that could be mitigated by improvements to the bike routes (hazardous intersections, high speed traffic, road hazards, etc.). Please be specific."

If you want to ask some closed ended questions, consider a rating system, like rate bike route signage from 1 to 5. Rate the condition of the riding surface of existing trails from 1 to 5. You should avoid yes/no type questions because you can almost guarantee the responses without even asking.

You might consider some questions like, "How often do you use the bike route system?" Give several ranges to select. "How often do you use established bike trails?" "Rate the convenience of the bike route system to your house." "How convenient to your job?"

Don't forget to solicit how many times per week respondents ride and how many miles per week they ride.

It would also be a great help if you could get input from people other than a cyclist club. You stand better chance of getting results if the governments see this as something with broad based support, not just serving the local cycling club. Unfortuantely, surveying a wide area gets very expensive. Maybe your group can get access to set up a table at one or more fitness oriented gathering (convention, marathon race, festival, etc.) As a non-profit, you might get some space at little to no cost.

Hope this helps. Good luck with your efforts.

supcom thanks for the input, here are the revisions, tell me what you think?

Fellow club members, The Siouxland Trails Foundation needs your help. We need you to tell us how to better improve cycling in the tri-state area. By helping us do a community survey. Starting in your own neighborhoods & working your way out please tell us how this can happen. You can either drive your motor vehicles or ride your bike’s to help us with this survey. Once we have collected the information from you we will write a report to all 3-city govt’s with the idea’s you have presented us with. So please help us to be your voice in improving cycling in your community.

1. List area’s along existing bike routes that you feel need better signage.
2. Where should new or improved bike routes be established?
3. Where are there dangerous traffic conditions for cyclists that could be mitigated by improvements to the bike routes (hazardous intersections, high speed traffic, road hazards, etc)? Please be specific.
4. Where would you like to see actual bike lanes on the streets? (Even if it means turning an existing parking lane into a bike lane, or widening a road to accommodate a bike lane). Please be specific.
5. Where would you like to see traffic lights instead of just stop signs at intersections?
6. Where is there a need for an intersection with just 2 stop signs to be turned into a 4-way?
7. Which city streets are in need of major repair so it is safer to ride on?
8. Where are there sewer grates that need to be rotated or replaced so they do not catch a bicycle's wheel?
9. Where is there a need for slower speed limits for the motor vehicle traffic?
10. How can the current trail system be improved upon?
11. Where else would you like to see rec. trails built?
12. How many times a week do you use the existing bike route system?
13. How many times a week do you use the multi use recreation trails?
14. How many miles a week do you average?
15. Using a rating system of 1 to 5, (1 being the lowest & 5 being the highest) how would you rate the current multi use recreation trails system?
16. Using the same rating system from question 15 how would you rate the current established bike route system?
17. Using the rating system from question 15 how would you rate the convenience of the current established bike route system to your house? How about the current trail system?
18. Please tell us how else how we can help improve cycling in your community.

You may contact us at:
Siouxland Trails Foundation
P.O. Box 752
Sioux City, Ia 51102

Or send an e-mail to


I know some of the questions are probably asking the same thing. But I'd rather have to much info. coming in then not enough.

Right now we are only asking the members of the bike club. We will in time be asking the general public.

Again thanks for the feed back.